Jackson had not moved. He still sat behind the desk, his hands clasped in front of him. “No more Duanes, no more graveyard shifts at the truck diner, no more worrying about having food and clean clothes for your daughter. Anything you want, you can have. Anywhere you want to go, you can go. Anyone you want to become, you can.” His tone remained quiet and steady.
“You mind telling me how can you do that?” Had he said fifty million dollars? Lord Almighty! She placed one hand against the door to steady herself.
“I need an answer to my question.”
“What question?”
Jackson spread his hands. “Do you want to be rich?”
“Are you a crazy man or what? I’m strong as all get out so if you try anything I’ll kick your little butt all the way down the street and leave you with half the brains you started the day with.”
“Do I take that as a no?” he said.
LuAnn tossed her hair to one side and switched Lisa’s carrier from her right to her left hand. The little girl was looking back and forth at them, as though absorbed in the heated conversation. “Look, there is no way in hell that you can guarantee me something like that. So I’m just gonna walk on out of here and call the nut house to come get you.”
In response, Jackson looked at his watch and walked over to the TV and turned it on.
“In one minute the national daily drawing will be held. It’s only a one million dollar payoff; however, it will serve to illustrate a point nonetheless. Understand, I do not profit from this, it’s used only for demonstration purposes, to quell your quite understandable skepticism.”
LuAnn turned to look at the screen. She watched as the lottery drawing began and the ball machines fired up.
Jackson glanced over at her. “The winning numbers will be eight, four, seven, eleven, nine, and six, in that order.” He pulled a pen and paper from his pocket and wrote the numbers down. He handed the paper to LuAnn.
She almost laughed and a loud snort did escape her mouth. It stopped just as quickly when the first number announced was eight. In rapid succession the four, seven, eleven, nine, and six balls were kicked out and announced as the winning combination. Her face pale, LuAnn stared down at the paper and then at the winning numbers on the screen.
Jackson turned off the TV. “I trust that your doubts about my abilities are now satisfied. Perhaps we can get back to my offer.”
LuAnn leaned back against the wall. Her skin seemed to be humming against her bones, as though a million bees had plunged into her body. She looked at the TV. She saw no special wires or contraptions that could have aided him in predicting the outcome. No VCR. It was just plugged into the wall. She swallowed hard and looked back at him.
“How the hell did you do that?” The words came out in a hushed, fearful tone.
“You have no possible need to know that information. Just answer my question, please.” His voice rose slightly.
She took a deep breath, tried to calm her twitching nerves. “You’re asking me if I want to do something wrong. Then I’m telling you flat-out that I won’t. I ain’t got much, but I’m no criminal.”
“Who says it’s anything wrong?”
“Excuse me, but are you saying that guaranteeing to win the lottery ain’t wrong? Sure as hell sounds like a fix to me. You think just because I work crap jobs I’m stupid?”
“I actually have a high opinion of your intelligence. That’s why you’re here. However, someone has to win that money, LuAnn. Why not you?”
“Because it’s wrong, that’s why.”
“And who exactly are you hurting? Besides, it’s not wrong, technically, if no one ever finds out.”
“I’d know.”
Jackson sighed. “That’s very noble. However, do you really want to spend the rest of your life with Duane?”
“He has his good points.”
“Really? Would you care to enumerate them?”
“Why don’t you go straight on to hell! I think my next stop’s gonna be at the police station. I got a friend who’s a cop. I betcha he’ll be real interested to hear about all this.” LuAnn turned and gripped the doorknob.