“Because they want to turn it into gold. They want me to get in touch with that movie star William Devane, who does all those gold commercials for Rosland Capital. They even have the telephone number to call. They refuse to believe a celebrity such as me can’t get in touch with the guy. They don’t frigging believe me, Jack!” Harry said, outrage ringing in his voice.

Jack closed his eyes. He didn’t know what he was expecting, but this certainly wasn’t it. “Why? I guess my next question is whether they have given any thought to how they would transport all those gold coins or bars back to their home countries. Two million dollars will buy quite a bit of gold, and gold is heavy. And then there’s customs.”

“That’s why they’re still gambling. They want to win another million, plus enough to charter a private plane to take them and the gold home. They don’t want paper money. They saw another commercial for gold by some other company, and the guy hawking the gold said, ‘If you can’t hold it, do you really own it?’ They were off and running when they heard that. What that means is they want to hold it. They are taking what the huckster said literally. They’re starting to draw crowds at the gaming tables, and the guests are cheering them on. They’re loving all of this. Really loving it.”

“So what are you going to do?” Jack asked out of curiosity.

“Me? Do? That’s why I’m calling you. You always claim to have all the answers, so give me one before I pull all my hair out.”

“My advice would be to put Charles and Fergus on it. You might have to make a few concessions, Harry. You know, offer, through Charles and Ferg, to have your picture taken with William Devane and pretend you’re buying gold. I bet the guy and his sponsors would jump at the opportunity.”

“You are crazy, you lunatic,” Harry said before he broke the connection.

Jack burst out laughing. Cyrus let out a loud bark and lay back down and closed his eyes. Maggie just giggled. “Ooooh, I can’t wait to see how that plays out. For whatever it’s worth, we have a directory at the Post of agents who represent various movie stars. It’s yours for the asking if you want to help Harry.”

Jack just rolled his eyes and shrugged.

The rest of the trip back to Babylon was made in silence. Maggie concentrated on the heat shimmering off the asphalt road, Jack stared out the window at the dry brush and dead grass, and Cyrus slept peacefully.