I have the chip.

Thank you all kindly for helping me find it. Once I knew it was in the Lucky Jack room I quickly found it. It’s good to know that papa has a fondness for using loose floorboards to hide things. I must say, picking it up was a queer affair. At first I couldn’t. I could see that little hundred dollar chip down under the floor, but a powerful strange feeling stole over me when I reached down to pick it up. I heard a voice in my head, clear as day.

“Show me Lucky Jack.”

Well… who doesn’t know who lucky Jack is? That’s papa, that’s what the man called him after he won his first big game that started us on the road to Parare! Lucky Mabel, there was a picture of papa on the wall. (I s’pose the room was themed for couples who like to be watched by famous poker players? Sometimes I think Ben is a mite touched.) I waved the picture over the chip, because what else is a girl to do? I heard that voice again.

“Lucky Jack!”

And then I remembered the real the story. Papa likes to tell people that McCall called him “Lucky Jack!” because he drew the jack needed to end a straight flush. That’s a little bit of a fib on his part. McCall was bluffing, and he really said “You’re lucky king my stayed buried in the deck, Jack!” He was bluffing four of a kind, and daddy had a full house! I dipped into my lucky pack of cards. I really wanted Scott to have it, but some things are not to be. I pulled out the missing king, spades, and put it up against the picture.

I felt something move in the air in front of me, and I knew then I could pick up the chip. I’ve got it, now, and there is definitely something odd about it. Now I just have to slip it to Scott before the game at five and he should be fine.