گلدن دراگون

CHAPTER EIGHT

Golden Dragon

The sun was shining as I drove to the Santa Rosita Racetrack. I was wearing my baseball cap and dark glasses again. My binoculars were in the car. In my pockets were the blue security pass, $50 and my gun.

I thought about Sandy. Why had she phoned me? And why had she stopped speaking suddenly? Why did she say the name, Golden Dragon? Where was The Chief now?

‘Perhaps I’ll look at Stable 14 again,’ I said to myself. ‘I’m not working for Sandy Bonner any more. But someone hit me outside Stable 14. Someone didn’t want me to see inside it. Why not?’

I looked at the blue sky and the hot sun. It was a lovely day. I decided to watch a few races before I went to Stable 14.

The racetrack was very busy. It was Saturday and thousands of people had come to watch the races. The car-park was full of cars. I paid for my racetrack ticket. It cost $20. I paid for my car-park ticket. That cost $10. Now I had $20. I picked up my binoculars and I walked towards the track.

Many people were standing by the track. And many people were sitting in the grandstand. Everyone was watching the racing. I stood by the track and I watched three races. They were very exciting.

Many people bet on horses. They choose the horse which they want to win a race. They make a bet on it. They bet on the horse to win the race. They pay some money at a betting office. If the horse doesn’t win the race, the betting office keeps their money. If the horse which they choose is the winner, the betting office gives them more money than they have paid.

There was a betting office at the racetrack. People who had come to watch the races could make their bets at this betting office. But there were also betting offices all over the country. People who were not at the racetrack could bet on the races at Santa Rosita too.

After each race, there was an announcement from the racetrack loudspeakers. This message told everyone which horse had won the race. People who had made bets on the winner were very happy!

A lot of people watched the races through binoculars. I had brought my binoculars with me. But I didn’t watch the horses through them. I watched the people. I was looking for a tall slim man.

Suddenly, I saw him. He was sitting in the grandstand. He was about thirty and he was wearing dark glasses and a dark suit. It was the man that I had seen at the ranch and in the red 4x4.

He was talking to another man, who was sitting next to him. The other man was about ten years older. He was tall and heavy. He had long red hair, tied in a pony-tail. He was wearing a brown jacket. Sandy had told me about this man. It was Dick Gates!

I watched the two men through my binoculars. They couldn’t see me. The men were talking and they were watching the races. The dark-haired man had a mobile phone and he was making lots of phone calls.

I moved the binoculars and I looked at some other people in the crowd. Suddenly, I saw another man that I knew - Herman!

Herman started to walk towards me. He was about one hundred metres away but he hadn’t seen me. I didn’t want to talk to Herman. But I wanted to watch the two other men, so I didn’t move.

Herman came closer and closer. There were hundreds of people near the track, but Herman was big and tall. It was easy to see him! Now he was only twenty metres from me. I turned and started to walk quickly away from him.

I walked to the betting office. This was a long, low building with many windows. People were standing in lines at the windows. They were waiting to make their bets. Behind each window, there was a person who took people’s money and wrote down the details of their bets. I joined a line.

‘Perhaps Herman won’t see me,’ I thought.

Then a hand hit me on the back - a very large hand!

‘Hi, Lenny’ Herman said loudly. ‘What are you doing here? Do you like racing? I didn’t know that.’

‘Hi, Herman,’ I replied quickly. ‘Yes. I like racing. I want to bet on the next race.’ I smiled at the huge bodyguard and pointed to the line of people at the betting window. Herman joined the line behind me.

‘I want to talk to you about my money, Lenny,’ Herman said. ‘You made a mistake when you gave me the envelope. There was only $150 in it.’

‘Oh! I’m sorry about that, Herman,’ I said. The line of People was moving. I was getting nearer the betting window.

‘Don’t worry about it,’ Herman said with a big smile. ‘Give me my $850 now.’

I was almost at the front of the line. I was almost at the betting window. There was one man in front of me. I didn’t know what to do.

‘Herman -‘ I began.

‘You’re next, Lenny’ said Herman. He pushed me forward.

Suddenly, I was standing in front of the betting window. There was a woman behind it.

‘Yes’ the woman said.

I took the money from my pocket. I had $20. And I had to bet on a horse quickly. I didn’t know which one to choose. I looked at the list of horses for the next race. And I saw a name that I knew - Golden Dragon.

Golden Dragon was going to run in the next race. Only a few people were betting on the horse. His odds were 50-to-1.

If Golden Dragon wins the race, I’ll get fifty times more money than I bet on him,’ I thought.

I want to bet $20 on Golden Dragon to win the next race,’ I said quickly.

The woman took my money. She gave me a piece of paper with the details of my bet written on it. I turned to Herman.

‘I want to watch this race,’ I said. ‘After that, I’ll give you your money.’

‘OK, Lenny,’ said Herman. ‘Let’s watch the race together.’

Herman bet on a horse called Margarita. Then we walked to the track. We waited for the race to start. I looked through my binoculars. Dick Gates and his friend were sitting in their seats. The thin dark man was speaking into his mobile phone again.

‘Margarita is a winner, Lenny. Margarita is going to win this race,’ Herman said. ‘She won her last two races.’

‘No, Golden Dragon will win,’ I said.

Herman laughed. ‘Golden Dragon’ he said. ‘He’s the slowest horse in the race. He’s never won a race.’

The horses were going towards the starting gates.

Herman pointed to a big brown horse. His jockey was wearing a gold and black shirt. ‘That’s Golden Dragon,’ he said. ‘He won’t win!’

‘Golden Dragon is big and strong,’ I said.

Herman looked at the horse again. ‘Yes, you’re right,’ he said. ‘He is big and strong. But he’s a loser. Margarita is going to win.’

I looked at the horses through my binoculars. They were ready to start the race. Then I looked quickly at the grandstand. Dick Gates and his friend were holding binoculars. They were looking at the horses by the starting gates.

Suddenly, the crowd shouted. The starting gates had opened. The race had started! I looked at the horses galloping along the track. Golden Dragon was the slowest horse!