The Broken Clock is Right Thrice: Confessions of a Fake Psychic Detective #4

Chapter 14 - Other People's Pockets

"How cold is it?

"It's so cold the politicians put their hands in their own pockets."

~ Zandra, every winter

Carter struggles to keep his jaw shut. He demands to inspect the coin in Zandra's hand. Zandra flips him the coin, which he tries and fails to catch.

"It's...it's...impossible," Carter says, hunching over to pick up the coin he fumbled.

Those words coming out of your mouth are exactly why it is possible.

Carter shows the coin to the guard first, and then to Sunglasses.

"You only had the one coin, right?" the guard says. He wobbles between excitement and feigned disbelief for the sake of his employer.

Sunglasses places the coin on his notepad and works the smartphone video recording over the top. He gets in close with the phone and then pulls away, as if searching for a clue hidden on the coin.

Carter remains flabbergasted. He repeats, "impossible," under his breath over and over.

"Why would it be impossible, Carter? Something you want to tell us?" Zandra says.

Carter shakes his head. "I knew I should've told them to tell you to fuck off the minute you came here."

Sunglasses returns the coin to Zandra. She slips it into the pocket of her purple gown.

I think I'll keep this as a souvenir. This little trick was close. Too close.

"But you didn't, because you can't," Zandra says. "Don't make me say that word again."

"What word?" the guard says.

Carter doesn't respond. Zandra lets her last sentence sit.

Sunglasses points the smartphone at Zandra. He says, "You said you were going to explain this."

"You're looking at the explanation," Zandra says with a hint of sarcasm.

A cool breeze brings the aroma of supper cooking back at the clubhouse. The guard's stomach grumbles in response.

"For posterity's sake, Zandra, what just happened here?" Sunglasses says from behind the smartphone.

"Same thing that happened to me," the guard says.

As enjoyable as it may be to watch these dipshits squirm, I can't let this sit forever.

"Not quite, child. Maybe you should ask Mr. Cunningham what happened here," Zandra says.

Sunglasses points the smartphone at Carter.

"The hell, Zandra, really?" Carter says. He crosses his arms. "We're finished here. Shut that video off. No recording allowed without permission."

"But I thought the rules didn't apply to you," Zandra says.

"I don't owe you an explanation of anything, you fucking freak show," Carter says.

Don't move that smartphone, Sunglasses. It's the only thing keeping him from running.

"Fine, then I will," Zandra says as she shuffles over to Carter so that she's in frame of the video. "It's quite simple, really. You're an arrogant prick, Carter, and you don't like to lose. There was no way you were going to allow me to be successful. You never put the coin on the target in the first place."