“Cancer. Of the lungs and liver. Real pretty girl, Catherine was. My folks both went with cancer, too. Guess I was just the lucky one.”

“You see,” said Huddy, “it runs in the family. You can’t blame it on a single source.”

“Yeah, maybe,” said Huddy softly, “but we didn’t have no cancer in the family before dad died. Leastwise, none that I ever heard tell of.”

“Well, you know what old medical records are like. In the old days they weren’t always sure what killed people. Even when they were, they gave the diseases all kinds of different names.”

“That’s so,” Pickett admitted, “but it don’t matter much now, I guess. What’s past is past. I’m just glad to see the garbage finally cleaned up.”

“Me too,” said Huddy. He rose. “Well then, if I can’t convince you to take our offer, Mr. Pickett….”

“I’m afraid you can’t, sonny.”

“You obviously feel strongly about that dumpsite. I guess if anybody asked you how you felt about it you’d tell them how happy you were to finally see it cleaned up?”

“Sure would. Tell ’em the same things I told you. What’s past is past.”

Huddy relaxed inside. This man is safe, he decided. “I want to thank you for your time, Mr. Pickett. I guess Masters Security will just have to look elsewhere.”

“Guess they will.” Pickett rose and started for the front door. “Tell me something, though, Mr. Huddy. Why are they so keen on me? I’ve been retired for years.”

“Good references. The social security department refers us to such people. We like to try and help out our senior citizens whenever we can. This job is suitable for someone of advanced age. I’m sure we’ll have no trouble filling it.”

“That’s good, because I’m just fine and happy right here.” Huddy put one hand against the door. “Don’t think I don’t appreciate what you’re tryin’ to do for me. I’m just not your man.”

Now that.the interview was over, Huddy was anxious to be on his way back to the office. He still would have preferred that Pickett accept the job, but after talking with him he was pretty sure the old man wouldn’t say anything too upsetting to any nosy county inspectors who might come knocking at his door. He’d likely just go on about how nice the site looked now and how good it would be for the kids.

There was a knock at the door and the faint sound of giggling. “That’d be Ortuno and his bunch,” said Pickett. “I guess Carlos’ mamacita got back from the Safeway.”

“I’ll be on my way, Mr. Pickett. Thanks for your time, and if you ever change your mind, you have Masters’ phone number.”

“Yeah, I guess I stuck it around here somewheres when that other fella gave it to me. You take it slow, sonny.”

“Sure will.”

Pickett moved aside as Huddy opened the door. They both exited, Pickett following in Huddy’s wake. Dirty, dusty children clustered around the old man, laughing and giggling and shouting at him in a local patois of Spanish and English. Two of them shoved pop bottles toward him.

“Now just hold on there a minute.” Pickett made placating gestures with both hands. “I can’t take everybody at once. Who wants to be first? Will it be you?” He pointed sharply at a little girl, who put both hands to her mouth and shook her head. “How about you?” The little boy singled out took a step backward.

“Or maybe it should be. . . .” He reached out fast and grabbed the head of the oldest boy, the gang leader who’d put the questions to Huddy on his arrival.

Something made Huddy hesitate, turn. Words ran through his head. “El hombre magico…. I do parlor tricks for ’em, keep ’em amused….” He always did waste too much time indulging his curiosity. But Pickett resembled a magician about as much as he looked like a power forward for the Lakers. Huddy was mildly interested to see what the old man could do.

“Okay now,” Pickett directed the youngster, “hold it steady.” The boy held out the bottle of sickeningly sweet quasi-orange drink and closed his eyes. All part of the show, Huddy mused. Why am I standing here watching this? I’ve got work to do, and Ruth’ll be wondering what the hell’s taking me so long.

Pickett passed his hands through the air over the pop bottle, closing his eyes and mumbling something unintelligible under his breath. When he’d concluded, he snapped his fingers.

For an instant it appeared nothing had happened. Then Huddy saw that the cap had tumbled off the bottle and its owner was already guzzling down the tooth-destroying liquid.

“Okay, now the rest of you.” One by one, Pickett removed the caps from another half dozen bottles. Each time Huddy moved a little closer, trying to see how the trick was managed. He was frowning. It seemed like such a simple trick, and yet for the life of him he couldn’t see how the old man pulled it off.

Clearly the caps were not pre-loosened, because soda immediately fizzed out under pressure whenever a cap was removed. No matter how intently he watched, he couldn’t see how Pickett managed the trick. The old man’s hands never went within a couple of inches of any of the bottles. He even removed the cap on the bottle of the reluctant little black-haired girl he’d first approached, and she was standing at least three yards off to one side.

The children melted away down the trail, laughing and drinking. Huddy hesitated. The sun was hot and getting hotter. He had a lot to do back at the office and he longed for the coolness of the air-conditioned Century City tower. Despite that, he followed Pickett back toward the house until they were standing on the porch.

“I can see why they call you the magic man. That’s a neat trick. Do you work with cards and canes and stuff also?”

“Naw, I just fool around.” Pickett looked a little embarrassed. “Like I told you, I’m the local baby sitter. I’ve always had a knack for little tricks like that. Keeps the kids in good humor.” He hesitated briefly. “You want to see it again?” He gestured down the road. “The parents don’t care nothing about it.”

“Yes. Yes, I would like to see it again, Jake. How about if I take you up on that beer?”

“Good. You wait right here.” Pickett melted into the house, reappearing a moment later with a couple of bottles of dark green glass. That gave Huddy another mild shock and raised the old man a notch higher in his estimation.

“Okay now.” Pickett handed both of the Heinekens down to his visitor. “You hold one in each hand and I’ll do ’em both at the same time.”

“From up there on the porch?”

“Why not?” Pickett smiled ingenuously.

Huddy didn’t understand. When he didn’t understand something, he was displeased. It bothered the heck out of him that he couldn’t figure out how the old man managed the seemingly simple trick.

“What’s the secret? How do you do it?”

“Now if I told you, wouldn’t be a secret no more, would it?” said Pickett with a grin.

Huddy checked both caps, tugging on one with all his strength. It was on tight, wouldn’t budge. He inspected each bottle for hidden strings, found nothing. Pickett waited until he was finished. He was still smiling.

“Well?” said Huddy.

“Well what, sonny?”

“Get going. What about your ‘magic words’?” He gestured as he spoke, waving one of the bottles through the air.

“Oh, them. Them’s just for the kids. Of course, if you’d like the whole show….”

“No. Skip it. You do it however you want to.”

“Right,” said Pickett, whereupon Huddy gave a shake like a man with ten-second flu as the caps to both bottles promptly fell away from their seats. Beer bubbled out of the bottle he’d been waving and foamed over his right hand.

“Oops.” Pickett clambered down the steps and hurriedly grabbed away the bottle. He took a long slug of the contents, wiped his lips contentedly. “Sure beats hunting for an opener, doesn’t it?” He let out a short, sharp laugh.

Huddy sipped gingerly at his own beer. It was good and cold and he was glad he’d asked for it. It helped steady him. He’d seen the trick up close now. Maybe too close, because if his life had depended on him explaining how Jake Pickett had dislodged those two bottle caps, Huddy would be a dead man.

If the furiously thinking executive had thought to inspect either of the caps under a magnifying glass he might have had a clue as to what had taken place. He would have seen that some of the cork lining the caps seemed to be missing. But the caps were forgotten in the dirt and dust as Pickett escorted him down the trail toward the road barrier.

“That’s a simple trick,” Huddy said carefully. “Real simple.” He didn’t even notice the mud that was climbing all over his two-hundred-dollar shoes. “But I’m damned if I can figure out how you did it.”

“Want to see some more?” Pickett looked pleased, like a little boy who’d just shown his parents a straight-A report card.