Mason is approached for help by a colorful old woman who smokes cigars and never goes with words in her pocket. Her granddaughter has developed an addiction to roulette—when she ran out of cash, she began playing on IOUs. Madame is ready to pay off her granddaughter’s debts, but there’s a catch: in exchange for those IOUs, far more than the face value may be demanded—and if she refuses to sell them to another interested party.