The New Hand, Part Forty-One

by J. Rosemary Moss

Genre: Slash Fan-Fiction (Bonanza)
Rating: PG-13

LINK TO PART ONE

~

David won the second game of chess. Adam was impressed with his single-minded focus on the game. When David sat in front of a chessboard, the outside world ceased to exist.

They spent hours pouring over the game again—replaying certain moves, discussing their mistakes and, ultimately, improving each other’s game.

They spent Sunday night playing whist—there were more than enough guests in the hotel to make up multiple tables. They won almost every game together, collecting a tidy amount of money in the process.

But the next morning was devoted to business. Adam paced his room impatiently as he waited for David to emerge from his own suite. David had insisted on privacy while he put on his costume.

At last the door between the two suites opened. Adam stopped pacing and glanced at David. Then he gasped in surprise.

David had made himself up to look precisely like the old rabbi. He even had his movements down perfectly—right down to the dignified hunch of his shoulders.

“Have you lost your mind?” Adam demanded.

“Not at all,” David assured him, aping a slight German accent. “This disguise is perfect.”

Adam’s mouth dropped open. “What if someone recognizes you as the rabbi?” he managed.

David just laughed and waved that objection aside. “Recognize me? Adam, we’re going to the most blue-blooded bank in San Francisco,” he pointed out. “Those white Anglo-Saxon Protestants don’t even know what a rabbi is.”

“Speaking as a white Anglo-Saxon Protestant, allow me to thank you,” Adam said dryly.

“Oh, you’re an exception,” David assured him. “Stop glaring at me, Adam—and stop worrying. Nothing will go wrong. I’ll play my part perfectly and you’ll get a look at Miller’s accounts.”

Adam sighed. David had the same keen sense of mischief that Little Joe possessed. And it was going to prove just as hard to curb.

“All right,” he said at length. “But if anything does go wrong, David, you can explain this to the rabbi.”

LINK TO PART FORTY-TWO