Chuck

After Royale disappeared I hung around Vegas for a few weeks hoping that he would turn back up or I could pick up his trail and figure out what had happened to him.  That’s when I met Chuck “the house always” Wyns. 

He claimed to be one of Royale’s former protégés, which I believed since he could do stage magic.  He also said he was a professional gambler.  Which might be true.  What he is for sure is a conman. 

Shows like conmen.  I don’t know why.  They portray them as charismatic rascals who take the piss out people that deserve it.  Modern day Robin Hoods, only they keep some shit that they steal for themselves because they’re fancy boys who like no polish manicures and fruity cocktails with umbrellas.  They do that because no one would watch a show about real conmen.

Real conmen don’t give two fucks who they rip off.  I’m sure they would rip off rich people if they could but how are they going to get at rich people?  Rich people have people to keep those assholes way from them.  Real conmen don’t care if you have five bucks to your name, they’ll take that five.  They target the weakest, most gullible, desperate people they can find, not people that “can afford it”. 

I wonder what that says about me. 

It may seem petty to be mad about $83 years later, but at the time that $83 was literally all the money I had in the world.  What I’m really pissed about is that he used Royale’s memory to do it.  He sold me “antique” pocket watch that he said Royale gave to him while he was learning magic.  He claimed that I could use it as a magic focus and it would help me learn.  That was all bullshit if that isn’t clear.

When I asked Kim-Kelly why she brought him she said that he’s a “paranormal troubleshooter” and could help.  When I told her that he’s a scammer instead of that he stood there with a “aw shucks” sheepish hat-in-hand expression like we were old friends and I had caught him coming out of a strip club buttoning up his pants. 

“Get the fuck out of here before I stomp your dick flat Chuck” I says to him.

“You two know each other?” Kim-Kelly said.