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PodCastle 709: TALES FROM THE VAULTS – America Thief
* Author : Alter S. Reiss
* Narrator : John Michnya
* Host : Hamilton Perez
* Audio Producers : Peter Adrian Behravesh and Pria Wood
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Originally published in Strange Horizons
Rated R
This episode is a part of our Tales from the Vaults series, in which a member of PodCastle’s staff chooses a backlist episode to highlight and discuss. This week’s episode was chosen by associate editor Hamilton Perez. “America Thief” originally aired as PodCastle 319.
America Thief
by Alter S. Reiss
I looked around the table. Most of the people there weren’t paying much attention. Lansky looked a little embarrassed, and Siegel shook his head. “You want me to find out if Chaim Goldberg can turn lead into gold, or if he’s running some sort of scam,” I said.
“Of course he’s running a scam,” said Lansky. “I want to know how he’s doing it.”
“My friend Meyer is unfortunately narrow-minded,” said Rothstein. “I am willing to entertain the possibility that he’s getting his gold through means that are not generally considered possible. Which is why I have entrusted this task to your care.”
“So you want me to find out where Goldbug is getting his gold from,” I said. “And?”
“No and,” said Rothstein. “Just that. It’s a simple job, and I’ll give you a thousand dollars for doing it.”
“A thousand dollars is a lot of money, Benny,” said Legs, putting his oar in. “Live things up a little, show your girl a good time.”