Eva went
first, carefully slipping fingers into the coat, extracting coins and keys with
skill, barely rustling the coat and its assortment of bells; all with her left
hand. However, once she got to the wallets, her fingers failed her. Either she
would jostle a bell or lose her grip on the thick leather with delicate
fingers.
I said
nothing, but she cursed up a storm so that Shame whimpered in the corner,
covering his head with his paws.
I stood up,
easily duplicating the feat with the keys and the coins, but had no difficulty
when it came to the wallets, using either hand, and any fingers I chose. After
extracting a pair of nickels, I rolled them along the back of my knuckles in
front of her.
She slid a
five spot across the desk to me, a small smile hiding the pain of her loss.
“It’s a shame you gave it up, Ben. You and I could have made a fortune.”
“Never made
a fortune before. No reason to think now would be different. I like to stay in
practice, though. Never know when it can come in handy.”
“You’ve got
picking pockets down to an art, but how well can you pick locks?”
“I need
more practice.”
“Good. Same bet?”
I chuckled,
knowing that the five spot would end right back in her clutches.