Lenny was surprised that his man had been caught, but he played it like he was offended. He turned toward the cross-eyed man. "Amish! Are you trying to Read my guest?"
"Sorry, boss," the man replied sheepishly.
"Beat it, retard!" Torrio threw his glass at the goon, missed, and it shattered on the far wall. The goon scurried away. "Sorry about that. You know how it is."
"Yeah. I know how it is." He decided to get right to the point. "I heard Delilah was coming to do a job for you."
"Who's asking? You? Or J. Edgar Hoover?"
"Just me."
Torrio shook his head. "I got no idea what you're talking about."
Sullivan leaned back on the couch. Let the games begin. "I can't afford to pay for information, Lenny. I don't give a damn about the government, and they don't know I'm here. I got lied to about Delilah, and I want to know why."
"I make my living by knowing what's going on, Sarge. That'd be like me asking you to… I don't know… lift something heavy for free."
"I saved your life."
Torrio snorted. "Are you kidding? You didn't go out of your way for just little old me. You saved everybody you could. I just happened to be one of them."
"You did happen to be one of them," Sullivan said. "Remember that, and every time you look around your fancy club, and your fancy whores, and your fancy booze, you should remember that you should be too busy being dead to enjoy any of it."
"I worked hard for what I got."
"And you'd be fertilizing a field in France if I hadn't carried you, on my back, through a quarter mile of hell."
The mobster seemed to think about that. "You know, Sarge, the Chicago family could use a tough man like you…"
"I just want to know about Delilah."
"You were sweet on her back before Rockville, weren't you? She sure was a babe." Lenny's teeth seemed too big when he smiled. "Gotta be nice for a guy like you to have a girl he can't break by accident."
Sullivan was tiring of this. Maybe it was just the cold giving him a headache, but he was about done with the mobster's nonsense. "My business is none of your business."
Torrio sighed. "All right… for old times' sake. But then we're even, and I don't ever want to see you again. Capishe? Talking to somebody like you hurts my reputation. I show weakness and that asshole Capone will run me out in a box." He paused to pour himself another shot, got confused as to where his glass had gone, so took Sullivan's instead. "The Grimnoir was looking for her, but she was on the run. They paid me to find her. I got her to come out of hiding so they could pick her up. Looks like they did, though from what I heard, you gave them one hell of a fight."
The name meant nothing to him. "What's a Grim Nor?"
The mobster downed his drink. "Not Nor. Nwarr. You'd think you'd spent enough time in France to not butcher everything. But they ain't French as far as I can tell. That's just what they call themselves. I don't know who they are, real secret bunch, but they seem to know everybody, and their money is green and there's lots of it. I think they're some sort of crew, but they're connected, big time."
"What did they want with Delilah?"
"Beats me. The one I talked to said they were on the same side and wanted to protect her. Delilah was hiding out up north. The law's been hunting her since she killed those lugs that went after her."
The Chicago agents had been told the five mutilated corpses had belonged to innocent victims of her rampage. That had never sounded like Delilah's style. "Who were they?"
Torrio looked at Sullivan like he was thick. He licked his teeth. "You got no idea what you're getting into, do you?"
"You know us Heavies are dumb, Lenny. Humor me."
"They were men you don't want to cross, Sullivan. When they missed her, they stuck the law on her. Nobody messes with them. Not the feds, not the mob, not the army. They're bad news. That's all I'm saying." He thumped his glass back down and stood. "You need to get out of here, and stay out of this if you know what's good for you."
Sullivan stayed seated. The couch was comfy. "So… you told this Grimnoir bunch which blimp Delilah would be on. Was that before or after you told the Bureau of Investigation?" Lenny's face slipped for a second as he said that, and that second told Sullivan he had called it right.
Torrio composed himself, playing offended. "You calling me a snitch?"
"The BI prefers the term informant," Sullivan smiled. "How much was the reward on that? Here you are, giving me lip about working for the Man… At least I'm honest about it. I like to pick one side and stick to it. But you… you were always good at playing all the sides."
"Get out of my club." Torrio's robe whipped dramatically as he pointed at the stairs.
Sullivan stood. "See you 'round, Lenny."
Lenny Torrio waited until Sullivan had picked up his piece and was escorted out before summoning his imp. The spindly little creature crawled out of the shadows under the couch and clambered onto the table. Half monkey, half reptile, its bat face opened in a hideous grin of jagged black teeth as it waited for the evening's orders.
"Follow him," Lenny ordered. "I want to know where he sleeps."
The imp shrieked, leapt from the table and scurried up the bricks and out the nearest barely-open window. Spreading leathery wings, it disappeared into the night. Lenny poured himself another shot as his guest inevitably joined him. The Oriental had been waiting patiently in the darkened recesses of the balcony. The man made Lenny uncomfortable because he just stood there, like he was at attention or something. "What?"
"Will this man be an issue?" His English was perfect.
Jake Sullivan was probably the stubbornest, most single-minded, unwavering, bravest, and therefore dumbest son of a bitch Lenny had ever met. "Probably. He was asking about your outfit, about those men the Brute girl killed."
"What does he know?"
"Not much. He hadn't even heard of the Grimnoir."
The man nodded. "So… You told him then?" There was a thinly veiled threat in the words.
"Not about you people, of course," Lenny sputtered. "I'm not stupid. Look, if I had known you wanted Delilah, I would have turned her over to you, and not them. That wasn't my fault. I've got my sources looking for these Grimnoir people and the other two men you want, and as soon as I hear anything, you'll be the first to know. Your boss can take that to the bank."
The Japanese man raised a single eyebrow. "The Chairman will be pleased to hear that, and you will be exceedingly well paid for your services. By the way…" He reached into his suit and removed a heavy pouch. It clinked as it hit the table and a few octagonal gold coins spilled out. "Your source in California was correct. We found Traveling Joe, but we still desire something that was in his possession. Part of a device. It was missing."
Lenny nodded as he took the piece of paper, examining it briefly. It was part of a mechanical drawing way beyond his understanding. He stuck it in his robe with one trembling hand. "I'll see what I can do." Lenny Torrio could find anyone or anything, because that's what he did, that's what had made him a powerful man. He was the best Finder in the business.
"Is there any chance that this man would be willing to be in the Chairman's service?"
"Hardly." Torrio laughed, then stifled it quickly. "No offense intended of course. But old Jake has always been set in his ways. He sees things real simple in black and white, and once he sets his course, you can't sway him."
"An admirable quality. Alert me when your demon returns. Your friend is too curious and will need to be dealt with. I will require the services of your staff." He bowed slightly before returning to his table.