The Athens State Museum is located off the Platia Syntagma, in the heart of Athens. The museum itself is a beautiful building built in the style of an ancient temple, with four Ionian columns in front, a Greek flag flying on top, and four carved figures on the high roof Inside, the large marble halls contain antiquities from various periods of Greek history, and the rooms are crowded with cases of relics and artifacts. There are gold cups and gold crowns, inlaid swords and libation vessels. One case holds four gold burial masks, and another, fragments of centuries-old statues Victor Korontzis was giving Tony Rizzoli a personally conducted tour. Korontzis stopped in front of a case holding a figurine of a goddess with a crown of opium poppies. 'That's the poppy goddess,' he explained in a hushed voice. 'The crown is symbolic of her function as the bringer of sleep, dreams, revelation and death.' 'How much would that be worth?' Korontzis laughed. 'If it were for sale? Many millions.'
'Really?' The little curator was filled with obvious pride as he walked around, pointing out his priceless treasures. 'This is a head of kouros, five hundred and thirty bc . . . this is the head of Athena with a Corinthian "helmet, circa fourteen fifty bc . . . and here's a fabulous piece. A gold mask of an Achaean from the royal tomb of the Acropolis of Mycenae, from the sixteenth century bc. It is believed to be Agamemnon.' 'You don't say?' He led Tony Rizzoli to another case. In it was an exquisite amphora 'This is one of my favorites,' Korontzis confessed, beaming 'I know a parent shouldn't have a favorite child but I can't help it. This amphora . . .' 'It looks like a vase to me.' Er yes This vase was discovered in the throne room during the excavation in Knossos. You can see the fragments showing the capture of a bull with a net. In ancient times, of course, they captured bulls with nets to avoid the premature spilling of their sacred blood, so that . . .' 'How much is it worth?' Rizzoli interrupted 'I suppose about ten million dollars.' Tony Rizzoli frowned. 'For thatT 'Indeed! You must remember, it came from the Late Minoan period, around fifteen hundred bc.' Tony was looking around at the dozens of glass cases, crammed with artifacts. 'Is all this stuff that valuable?' 'Oh my, no. Only the real antiquities. They're irreplaceable, of course, and they give us a clue as to how ancient civilizations lived. Let me show you something over here.' Tony followed Korontzis to another chamber. They stopped in front of a case in the corner Victor Korontzis pointed to a vase. 'This is one of our greatest treasures. It's one of the earliest examples of the symbolism of phonetic signs. The circle with the cross that you see is the figure of Ka. The crossed circle is one of the very earliest forms inscribed by human beings to express the cosmos. There are only . . .' Who gives a shit! 'How much is it worth?' Tony demanded. Korontzis sighed. 'A king's ransom.'
When Tony Rizzoli left the museum that morning, he was counting riches beyond his wildest dreams. By a fantastic stroke of luck he had stumbled upon a gold mine. He had been looking for a mule, and instead, he had found the key to a treasure-house The profits from the heroin deal would have to be split six ways Nobody was stupid enough to double-cross the Family; but the antiques caper was something else again. If he smuggled artifacts out of Greece, it would be a side deal that belonged only to him; the mob would not expect anything from it. Rizzoli had every reason to be elated. Now all I have to do, Rizzoli thought, is to figure out how to hook the fish. I'll worry about the mule later.
That evening, Rizzoli took his new-found friend to the Mostrov Athena, a nightclub where the entertainment was lewd, and amorous hostesses were available after the show.
'Let's pick up a couple of broads and have some fun,' Rizzoli suggested.
'I should be getting home to my family,' Korontzis protested 'Besides, I'm afraid I couldn't afford anything like that.'
'Hey, you're my guest. I'm on an expense account. It doesn't cost me anything.'
Rizzoli arranged for one of the girls to take Victor Korontzis back to her hotel.
'Aren't you coming?' Korontzis asked.
'I have a little business to handle,' Tony told him. 'You go ahead. every thing's taken care of.'
The following morning, Tony Rizzoli dropped in at the museum again. There was a large crowd of tourists walking through the various rooms, marvelling at the ancient treasures. Korontzis took Rizzoli into his office. He was actually blush40 ing. 'I. . . I don't know how to thank you for last night, Tony She ... it was wonderful.' Rizzoli smiled. 'What are friends for, Victor?' 'But there's nothing I can do for you in return.' 'I don't expect* you to,' Rizzoli said earnestly. 'I like you I like your company. By the way, there's a little poker game in one of the hotels tonight. I'm going to play. Are you interested?' 'Thanks. I'd love to, but . . .' He shrugged. 'I don't think I'd better.' 'Come on. If it's money that's bothering you, don't worry about it. I'll stake you.'
Korontzis shook his head. 'You have been too kind already. If I lost, I couldn't pay you back.' Tony Rizzoli grinned. 'Who said you're going to lose? It's a setup.' 'A set-up? I... I don't understand.' Rizzoli said quietly, 'A friend of mine named Otto Dalton is running the game. There are some big-money American tourists in town who love to gamble, and Otto and I are going to take them.' Korontzis was looking at him, wide-eyed. 'Take them? You mean, you're . . . you're going to cheat?' Korontzis licked his lips. 'I... I've never done anything like that.' Rizzoli nodded sympathetically. 'I understand. If it bothers you, you shouldn't do it. I just thought it would be an easy way for you to pick up two or three thousand dollars.' Korontzis' eyes went wide. 'Two or three thousand dollars?' 'Oh, yes. At least.' Korontzis licked his lips again. 'I... I... Isn't it dangerous?' Tony Rizzoli laughed. 'If it were dangerous, I wouldn't be doing it, would I? It's a piece of cake. Otto's a mechanic . . a dealer. He can deal a deck from the top, the bottom or the middle. He's been doing it for years and he's never been caught.' Korontzis sat there, staring at Rizzoli 'How . . . how much would I need, to get in the game?' 'About five hundred dollars. But I'll tell you what. This thing is such a cinch that I'll loan you the five hundred, and if you lose it you don't even have to pay it back.' 'That's certainly very generous of you, Tony. Why . . . why are you doing this for me?' 'I'll tell you why.' Tony's voice filled with indignation 'When I see a decent, hard-working man like you, with a responsible position like being curator of one of the greatest museums in the world, and the State doesn't appreciate you enough to give you a decent salary and you're struggling to feed your family ell, to tell you the truth, Victor, it burns me up. How long since you've gotten a raise?' 'They . . . they don't give raises.' 'Well, there you are. Listen. You have a choice, Victor. You can let me do you a little favor tonight, so you can pick up a few thousand dollars and start living like you should. Or you go on living hand-to-mouth for the rest of your life.' 'I... I don't know, Tony. I shouldn't Tony Rizzoli rose. 'I understand. I'll probably be coming back to Athens in a year or two, and maybe we can get together again It was a pleasure knowing you, Victor.' Rizzoli started for the door Korontzis made his decision. 'Wait. I ... I would like to go with you tonight.' He had taken the bait. 'Hey, that's great,' Tony Rizzoli said 'It really makes me feel good to be able to help you out.' Korontzis hesitated. 'Forgive me, but I want to be sure I understood you correctly. You said that if I lose the five hundred dollars, I will not have to pay you back?' 'That's right,' Rizzoli said. 'Because you can't lose. The game is fixed.' 'Where is the game going to be?' 'Room four twenty at the Metropole Hotel. Ten o'clock Tell your wife you're working late.'
Chapter
12
There were four men in the hotel room besides Tony Rizzoli and Victor Korontzis 'I want you to meet my friend Otto Dalton,' Rizzoli said 'Victor Korontzis.' The two men shook hands Rizzoli looked at the others quizzically. 'I don't believe I've met these other gentlemen.' Otto Dalton made the introductions Terry Breslauer from Detroit . . . Marvin Seymour from Houston . . . Sal Prizzi from New York.' Victor Korontzis nodded to the men, not trusting his voice Otto Dalton was in his sixties, thin, grey-haired, affable. Perry Breslauer was younger, but his face was drawn and pinched. Marvin Seymour was a thin, mild-looking man. Sal Prizzi was a huge man, built like an oak tree, with powerful limbs for arms He had small, mean eyes, and his face had been badly scarred with a knife Rizzoli had briefed Korontzis before the game. These guys have a lot of money. They can afford to lose big. Seymour owns an insurance company. Breslauer has auto dealerships all over the United States, and Sal Prizzi is head of a big union in New York Otto Dalton was speaking. 'All right, gentlemen. Shall we get started? The white chips are five dollars, the blue are ten, the red are twenty-five, and the black ones are fifty. Let's see the color of your money.' Korontzis pulled out the five hundred dollars that Tony Rizzoli had loaned him. No, he thought, not loaned, given. He looked over at Rizzoli and smiled. What a wonderful friend Rizzoli is The other men were taking out large bank rolls. Korontzis felt a sudden sense of concern. What if something went wrong, and he lost the five hundred dollars? He shrugged it off. His friend Tony would take care of it. But if he won. Korontzis was filled with a sudden feeling of euphoria. The game began.
It was dealer's choice. The stakes were small at first, and there were games of five-card stud, seven-card stud, draw poker, and high-low In the beginning the wins and losses were spread evenly, but slowly the tide began to turn It seemed that Victor Korontzis and Tony Rizzoli could do no wrong. If they had fair cards, the others had worse cards. If the others had good hands, Korontzis and Rizzoli had better hands Victor Korontzis could not believe his luck. At the end of the evening he had won almost two thousand dollars. It was like a miracle 'You guys were sure lucky,' Marvin Seymour grumbled till say,' Breslauer agreed. 'How about giving us another chance tomorrow?' till let you know,' Rizzoli said.
When they had gone, Korontzis exclaimed, 'I can't believe it Two thousand dollars!'
Rizzoli laughed. 'That's chicken feed. I told you. Otto is one of the slickest mechanics in the business. Those guys are dying to get another crack at us. Are you interested?' 'You bet.' There was a broad grin on Korontzis' face. 'I think I just made a joke.'
The following night, Victor Korontzis won three thousand dollars 'It's fantastic!' he told Rizzoli. 'Don't they suspect anything?' 'Of course not. I'll bet you they ask us to raise the stakes tomorrow. They think they're going to win their money back Are you in?' 'Sure, Tony. I'm in.'
As they were sitting down to play, Sal Prizzi said, 'You know, we're the big losers so far. How about upping the stakes?' Tony Rizzoli looked over at Korontzis and winked 'It's all right with me,' Rizzoli said. 'How about you fellows?' They all nodded agreement Otto Dalton set up piles of chips. "The whites are fifty dollars, the blues are a hundred, reds five hundred, blacks a thousand.' Victor Korontzis looked at Rizzoli uneasily. He had not planned on the stakes being so high Rizzoli nodded reassuringly. The game began Nothing changed. Victor Korontzis' hands were magic. Whatever cards he held beat the others. Tony Rizzoli was also winning, but not as much 'Fucking cards!' Prizzi grumbled. 'Let's change decks.' Otto Dalton obligingly produced a fresh deck Korontzis looked over at Tony Rizzoli and smiled. He knew that nothing was going to change their luck At midnight they had sandwiches sent up. The players took a fifteen-minute break Tony Rizzoli took Korontzis aside. 'I told Otto to chum them a little,' he whispered 'I don't understand.' 'Let them win a few hands. If they keep losing all the time, they'll get discouraged and quit.' 'Oh, I see. That's very smart.' 'When they think they're hot, we'll raise the stakes again and really nail them big.' Victor Korontzis was hesitant. 'I've already won so much money, Tony. Don't you think maybe we should quit while we re Tony Rizzoli looked him in the eye and said, 'Victor, how would you like to leave here tonight with fifty thousand dollars in your pocket?' 1
When the game resumed, Breslauer, Prizzi and Seymour began to win. Korontzis' hands were still good, but the others were better Otto Dalton is a genius, Korontzis thought. He had been watching him deal, and had not been able to detect one false move As the play went on, Victor Korontzis kept losing. He was not concerned. In a few minutes, when they had what was the word? chummed the others, he and Rizzoli and Dalton would move in for the kill Sal Prizzi was gloating. 'Well,' he said, 'it looks like you fellows have cooled off.' Tony Rizzoli shook his head ruefully. 'Yes it sure does, doesn't it?' He gave Korontzis a knowing look 'Your luck couldn't go on forever,' Marvin Seymour said. Perry Breslauer spoke up. 'What do you say we increase the stakes again, and give us a real crack at you?' Tony Rizzoli pretended to consider it. 'I don't know,' he said thoughtfully. He turned to Victor Korontzis. 'What do you think, Victor?' How would you like to leave here tonight with fifty thousand dollars in your pocket? I'll be able to buy a house, and a new car I can take the family on vacations . . . Korontzis was almost trembling with excitement. He smiled. 'Why not?' 'All right,' Sal Prizzi said. 'We'll play table stakes. The sky's the limit.' They were playing five-card draw. The cards were dealt 'It's my ante,' Breslauer said. 'Let's open for five thousand dollars.' Each player put in his ante Victor Korontzis was dealt two queens. He drew three cards, and one of them was another queen Rizzoli looked at his hand and said, 'Up a thousand.'
Marvin Seymour studied his hand. till call, and raise you two thousand.' Otto Dalton threw in his cards. 'Too rich for my blood.' Sal Prizzi said, till call.' The pot wentvto Marvin Seymour's straight In the next hand, Victor Korontzis was dealt an eight, nine, ten and jack of hearts. One card away from a straight flush! till call for a thousand dollars,' Dalton said. till call, and raise you a thousand.' Sal Prizzi said, 'Let's bump it another thousand.' It was Korontzis' turn. He was sure that a straight flush would beat whatever the others were holding. He was only one card away 'I call.' He drew a card, and put it face down, not daring to look at it Breslauer laid his hand down. 'A pair of fours and a pair of tens.' Prizzi put his hand down. 'Three sevens.' They turned to look at Victor Korontzis. He took a deep breath, and picked up his hole card. It was black 'Busted,' he said. He threw his hand in.