at math. “They both stay quiet.”
“You’d think, right? But the thing is, they can’t talk to each other. If one trusts the other and is betrayed, he gets twice the sentence he would have if they both ratted.”
“How well do they know each other?” Jenn asked.
“Not the point.”
“Sure it is. If they’re good friends, then they’ll trust that the other guy will do the right thing.”
“Ahh, but that’s a big assumption. I mean, imagine you make that leap, and find out your buddy screwed you? He walks free, you get ten years . That’s such a huge consequence that it becomes less important what you can gain, and more important what you could lose. Which means it’s not about trust.”
“What is it about, then?”
“Iteration. If you play only once, the best thing to do is to betray before you’re betrayed. Even if the other guy is a friend. Because he’s thinking the same thing.”
Jenn shook her head. “Did your mother not hug you or something?”
Ian gave her the finger. “But see, if you’re going to be playing again and again, then you keep the faith. Because six months in prison beats the consequences of mutual betrayal. So over time, the best result is to play square. But only over time.”
“Where do you get this shit?” Alex asked.
“Game theory, baby. So how about tomorrow night?”
“For what?”
“Screwing Johnny Love.”
“Yeah, fine,” Alex said. “I can’t believe I have to find a new job. And you know what? Johnny is enough of a dick, he probably will tell everybody I stole from him.”
“He won’t know it was you.”
“No, I mean from the registers . . .” Alex paused. Set his glass down, turned with a bemused expression. “Are you serious?”
Ian gave a shrug that was more eyebrows than shoulders. “Why not?”
“Because it’s stealing?”
“So what? You said this guy made his money selling drugs. You know how many people probably died because of that?”
“So?”
“Robbing a drug dealer, that doesn’t seem wrong to me. Plus, there’s no way we would get caught,” Ian said. “I mean, who would ever suspect us? None of us with a record, none of us ever having done anything like this, and you with an alibi. Big payoff for low risk. Betray and win.”
“This isn’t one of your games.”
“Everything is a game. This one is the Prisoner’s Dilemma. If you’re only playing once, your best bet is to screw the other guy. Because you know he will screw you.” He leaned forward. “Look at us. The four of us are all nice people, employed, call our mothers, do the things we’re supposed to, right? But guys like Johnny don’t play that way. He just takes what he wants, and since we’re playing nice, he wins. Same with Ken Lay and James Cayne and all the others, the criminals in the expensive suits. You were the one who said they should be lined up and shot, right?”
“I didn’t mean I’d be pulling the trigger.”
“But why not? This guy is blackmailing you. He’s breaking the rules and he’s winning, and the question is, are you just going to take it? Or are you going to beat him at his own game?”
The mood around the table had changed. There was a strange tension, the joke running further than anyone had intended. Something Mitch had read that morning came into his mind. “You know what Raymond Chandler said?”
“No, Mitch,” Alex humoring him, “what did Raymond Chandler say?”
“He said there’s no clean way to make a hundred million bucks.”
“There you go,” Ian said. “There you go.”
Alex looked around the table, his expression incredulous. “You serious?”
Not really, Mitch thought. It did sound doable, and the money, well, that would change his life. But was he actually serious? Not when it came down to it.
Which is maybe why you stand holding a door for people who don’t know you exist, the voice in his head whispered.
“We’re not robbing my boss.”
Ian shrugged, leaned back. “Your loss.”
“You’d think, right? But the thing is, they can’t talk to each other. If one trusts the other and is betrayed, he gets twice the sentence he would have if they both ratted.”
“How well do they know each other?” Jenn asked.
“Not the point.”
“Sure it is. If they’re good friends, then they’ll trust that the other guy will do the right thing.”
“Ahh, but that’s a big assumption. I mean, imagine you make that leap, and find out your buddy screwed you? He walks free, you get ten years . That’s such a huge consequence that it becomes less important what you can gain, and more important what you could lose. Which means it’s not about trust.”
“What is it about, then?”
“Iteration. If you play only once, the best thing to do is to betray before you’re betrayed. Even if the other guy is a friend. Because he’s thinking the same thing.”
Jenn shook her head. “Did your mother not hug you or something?”
Ian gave her the finger. “But see, if you’re going to be playing again and again, then you keep the faith. Because six months in prison beats the consequences of mutual betrayal. So over time, the best result is to play square. But only over time.”
“Where do you get this shit?” Alex asked.
“Game theory, baby. So how about tomorrow night?”
“For what?”
“Screwing Johnny Love.”
“Yeah, fine,” Alex said. “I can’t believe I have to find a new job. And you know what? Johnny is enough of a dick, he probably will tell everybody I stole from him.”
“He won’t know it was you.”
“No, I mean from the registers . . .” Alex paused. Set his glass down, turned with a bemused expression. “Are you serious?”
Ian gave a shrug that was more eyebrows than shoulders. “Why not?”
“Because it’s stealing?”
“So what? You said this guy made his money selling drugs. You know how many people probably died because of that?”
“So?”
“Robbing a drug dealer, that doesn’t seem wrong to me. Plus, there’s no way we would get caught,” Ian said. “I mean, who would ever suspect us? None of us with a record, none of us ever having done anything like this, and you with an alibi. Big payoff for low risk. Betray and win.”
“This isn’t one of your games.”
“Everything is a game. This one is the Prisoner’s Dilemma. If you’re only playing once, your best bet is to screw the other guy. Because you know he will screw you.” He leaned forward. “Look at us. The four of us are all nice people, employed, call our mothers, do the things we’re supposed to, right? But guys like Johnny don’t play that way. He just takes what he wants, and since we’re playing nice, he wins. Same with Ken Lay and James Cayne and all the others, the criminals in the expensive suits. You were the one who said they should be lined up and shot, right?”
“I didn’t mean I’d be pulling the trigger.”
“But why not? This guy is blackmailing you. He’s breaking the rules and he’s winning, and the question is, are you just going to take it? Or are you going to beat him at his own game?”
The mood around the table had changed. There was a strange tension, the joke running further than anyone had intended. Something Mitch had read that morning came into his mind. “You know what Raymond Chandler said?”
“No, Mitch,” Alex humoring him, “what did Raymond Chandler say?”
“He said there’s no clean way to make a hundred million bucks.”
“There you go,” Ian said. “There you go.”
Alex looked around the table, his expression incredulous. “You serious?”
Not really, Mitch thought. It did sound doable, and the money, well, that would change his life. But was he actually serious? Not when it came down to it.
Which is maybe why you stand holding a door for people who don’t know you exist, the voice in his head whispered.
“We’re not robbing my boss.”
Ian shrugged, leaned back. “Your loss.”
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