Victor Mollo - Murder in the Menagerie

Murder in the Menagerie

by

Victor Mollo

with Phillip and Robert King

Victor Mollo, Phillip and Robert King 2002

eISBN 978-1-849942-09-6

The moral rights of the author have been asserted.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission of the copyright owner.

First published in the United Kingdom as eBook in 2014 by

Batsford

1 Gower Street

London WC1E 6HD

An imprint of Pavilion Books Company Ltd

Acknowledgements

This is the second posthumous collection of Victor Mollos Menagerie stories which, whilst they have appeared in bridge magazines around the world, have never been published in book form.

Once again, we have revised some of the hands and analyses, and tampered with the text, but we have relied on his wife, Squirrel, to make sure that our efforts would have earned Victors seal of approval.

Chapter One

Alls Well that Ends Well

Napoleon was right, declared the Hideous Hog, or it may have been Einstein, but the distance from A to B isnt always the same as from B to A.

Which is the greater? asked Peregrine the Penguin, who had inherited a logical streak from his French grandmother.

That, replied the Hog cryptically, depends on what it was before.

Twirling his glass thoughtfully, H.H. went on philosophising. On exactly the same hand and against the same opponents, whats more, youll do one thing today and another tomorrow and youll be right both times. Maybe opponents doubled you into game on the previous deal. If so, you can be more venturesome than you would otherwise, for they are likely to hang back a bit. Did they bring off a risky double? Emboldened by success they may try it again. Better be cautious.

There are times, he continued, when the cards seem to be running for declarer. At others sound contracts are going down. Superstition, if you like, but it can affect the play. Then, of course, there is the break in concentration induced by a mistake. The mind goes back involuntarily, dwells on it, and one error leads to another and yet another.

But if you make a mistake ... interposed the Owl.

I dont, snapped back the Hog. Personal factors should not intrude into any discussion, he went on less irritably. I was thinking of the Rabbit. Since his mind is never on what he is doing, no one can tell what will happen next. Now those two slams ...

Admittedly, R.R. has a curious knack of turning every blunder to his advantage, yet rarely, even in his case, had two wrongs so blatantly made a right.

This was the first of two successive hands which were the talk of the club.

Game All. Dealer South.

Charlie the Chimp was fractionally below a Two Club opening, but as opponents, the Toucan and the Rabbit more than made up for the difference. The Emeritus Professor of Bio-Sophistry, better known on account of his habits and appearance as the Secretary Bird, doubtless took that into account as well. The final contract reflected this duplication of values.

The Toucan led the ten of clubs. The Chimp went up with dummys ace and called for the nine of spades to which the Rabbit followed with the two of clubs.

What! No spades? asked the startled Toucan, bouncing giddily. It seemed unnatural for a long solid major to be suppressed entirely in the auction.

Spades? repeated the Rabbit, looking quizzically at his partner. Yes, of course, I have one and ... His voice trailed off as on closer inspection the two of spades turned out to be a club. In sorting his hand he had inadvertently transposed the two cards, such an easy thing to do.

Exposed card, announced the Secretary Bird. Are you familiar with Law 72?

The Rabbit shook his head ruefully. Must be played at the first opportunity, he murmured. I know.

The Emeritus Professor beamed. How right he had been to allow for a trick in defence.

The Chimp won the first spade trick and continued the suit, driving out the ace. The two of clubs now presented him with an unexpected trick, but the contract was no longer makeable. The Chimp had three tricks each in spades, diamonds and clubs and two in hearts, but that was his limit, for he would have to discard on the third club before the Rabbit was squeezed by the fourth spade.

Well played, R.R., said the Hog, who was kibitzing against the Chimp. It was the one and only way to break the contract.

No need to be sarcastic, retorted the Rabbit.

The Hog chortled. How could he explain to R.R. that had he returned anything but a club he would have been the victim of a progressive squeeze? On the third round of spades he could part with a club, but he couldnt throw another on the next one without making all dummys clubs good, and if he let go a heart the Chimps nine, now a master, would squeeze him in the minors. A diamond discard would be no better for the fourth diamond would squeeze him in hearts and clubs.

As he picked up the cards on the next deal the Rabbit was still squirming. How could he have made such a silly mistake? Defending against a slam, too.

The next board, which has been rotated for for convenience, gave R.R. another opportunity to blunder his way to glory.

Game All. Dealer North.

The Chimp, who never missed a chance to exercise low cunning, led the eight of spades. The Rabbit played dummys queen, gathered the trick, stacked it neatly in front of him and counted carefully. Two spades, two hearts and two clubs came to six tricks. Five diamonds, allowing for one loser, would bring the total to eleven and one trick he had already.

Whats the running total? he asked the Toucan.

We are 110 up, replied T.T.

A thirteenth trick wouldnt affect the rubber points, so, spreading his hand, he announced, Ill just take my twelve tricks.

Which twelve tricks? asked the Secretary Bird.