Mike Resnick's "Carnival Knowledge": A conman gets too greedy during Rio Carnival

This is a very readable story, though the plot is a well used one. And there is nothing sf about it. One of the Lucifer Jones on South America series.

Apart from easy language, there was some education for me - some details of Rio Carnival in Brazil. Sounds a lot like India's Holi - if you replace fancy costumes with colored powder & colored water. And, in its Bombay avatar, replace Samba with much louder but equally tuneless drums.

Download full story text here.

Story summary.
Lucifer Jones, the conman hero of the story & also the narrator, is posing as a priest - "Reverend Doctor Lucifer Jones". He has just been kicked out of some city, & is looking around for a place where his skills are unknown. That is how he lands in Rio, & during the Carnival.

On entry, he learns of a heist in the city. Some expensive diamonds called "Pebbles of God" have been stolen - something he was banking on stealing himself. No matter, at least there will be girls during Carnival. And he is quickly being chased by Conchita's brothers, first willing girl he found & rather well known one around the city.

While on run, he will meet his old friend & nemesis, Erich von Horst. They have been involved in several con jobs together - Lucifer always turning up the poorer. Erich tells Lucifer he is the one who stole the diamonds, & cops are behind him; he gets Lucifer to agree to smuggle diamonds out of city in return for a 50% share.

There is a very filmy set up to smuggle them. A fancy costume, a chariot, some stinking fish to keep nosy cops at bay, & a crown Lucifer will wear that actually is studded with stolen diamonds. He will become part of a Carnival group while in city; then get out while still dressed up, & the two will meet at "a tavern named Carlita’s two miles south of the city limits".

Lucifer doesn't believe crown is diamonds. Erich is too smart an operator. So he looks through the stuff, & finds that rotting fish contain the diamonds. He hides them in the city, replaces the fish by buying new one, & heads out at rendezvous point.

The two meet. Erich's contact that will buy diamonds is due soon. Lucifer hands out the costume & other stuff to Erich, & slips off.

In city, Lucifer will recovers the diamonds & go find a cheap hotel while he figures out what to do with them. Only, when he is about to pay for the stay, he finds the note from Erich - who had already foreseen this behavior. Diamonds were indeed studded in the crown.

Related.

1. All stories by Mike Resnick.

Fact sheet.
"Carnival Knowledge", short story, review
First published: Subterranean magazine, Summer 2007.
Rating: A
Lucifer Jones series.