“I mean it, now,” the driver said.
“Oh sure,” Cogan said. “I know that. You guys always mean it. You gotta mean it. I understand that. I haven’t been around much myself, hardly at all, but I talk to a lot of guys and I know. Now, how’re we working this? You calling me?”
“I tell you what,” the driver said, “I’ll talk to him and then I’ll see what he’s got to say, and I’ll call Dillon.”
“Okay,” Cogan said. “Then, I assume, you think Dillon’s in good enough shape, he can handle.”
“No,” the driver said. “You said he can’t.”
“Dillon said Dillon can’t handle,” Cogan said. “That’s why you’re talking to me today.”
“Correct,” the driver said.
“So,” Cogan said, “that’s what I mean. You want Dillon to handle, call Dillon. Okay by me. You want me to handle …”
“I’ll call you,” the driver said.
“I’ll call you,” Cogan said. “I’m out, I’m out a lot. I’ll get in touch with you.”
STEVE AND BARRY CAPRIO waited together in the doorway of the Hayes Bickford opposite the Lobster Tail on Boylston Street. “I tell you,” Barry said, “I wouldn’t’ve recognized the guy.”
“Jackie said that,” Steve said. “Guy lost some weight and he thinks he’s got a wig or something. He’s also, he’s a pretty sharp dresser now, and he sure didn’t used to be.”
“Must’ve come into a little money or something,” Barry said.
“Probably not,” Steve said, “not what Jackie thinks, anyway. He thinks all of a sudden, guy started spending a couple dollars now and then. ‘Probably come outa the divorce better’n he expected,’ is what Jackie thinks. He used to be the tightest cocksucker you ever saw.”
“Christ sake,” Barry said, “he hadda be. The way he used to chase broads alla time? What’s he been married, about nine times?”
“Dillon thinks three,” Steve said. “Dillon was there. Jesus, Dillon looks like shit.”
“Dillon’ll be all right,” Barry said. “That prick, he’s too mean to die. Ever see his eyes?”
“Not particularly,” Steve said.
“I never saw eyes on a guy like that,” Barry said, “I never saw eyes like that until after I hit them. The first time I saw that guy, I really thought: He’s gonna go over. But he doesn’t. It’s the way he always looks. Those’re bad eyes. He’s gonna die.”
“We’re all gonna die,” Steve said. “Trattman’s gonna die.”
“Yeah,” Barry said, “but not tonight, right Steve?”
“I haven’t got no inside information,” Steve said. “I just got a job to do.”
“Don’t gimme that,” Barry said, “I didn’t sign up for that. I want you to tell me, Trattman’s not gonna go to sleep tonight.”
“Not by us,” Steve said.
“Okay by me,” Barry said.
“He didn’t say his prayers or something,” Steve said, “I can’t help that. But we’re not doing it.”
“Okay,” Barry said. “I just wanna be sure.”
“Just what I said,” Steve said. “Nothing else.”
“Because I always liked Markie,” Barry said.
“Everybody did,” Steve said. “You, you mostly liked the blonde.”
“What blonde?” Barry said.
“Oh come on,” Steve said, “the blonde he used to have at the One-Fifteen, remember her?”
“That was the other game,” Barry said.
“The game he knocked over himself,” Steve said.
“We’re lucky, he didn’t have us there for that one,” Barry said. “I wouldn’t’ve wanted to be there for that.”
“Oh for Christ sake,” Steve said, “sometimes you’re too fuckin’ dumb for fuckin’ words, you know that, Barry?”
“Why?” Barry said. “The game got knocked over. We was there, we either would’ve hadda do something about it or else we would’ve been inna shit, we didn’t do something about it.”
“Why the fuck you think he didn’t have us there?” Steve said.
“That’s what I mean,” Barry said. “That was nice of the guy. He knows he’s gonna do something, he lets us out.”
“You dumb fuckin’ shit,” Steve said. “I gotta have a talk with Ma. I know it now, she was fuckin’ the milkman. Maybe the milkman’s horse. You gotta be the dumbest fuckin’ shit on the face of the fuckin’ earth. You embarrass me, you know that? You stupid fuckin’ ginzo.”
“He did,” Barry said.
“You should’ve worn a helmet, Barry,” Steve said. “I mean that. I think you took too many shots inna head. Don’t you know why he let us out?”
“He was being a nice guy,” Barry said.
“He didn’t wanna pay us,” Steve said. “If we’re there, and we didn’t know, he would’ve had trouble. He didn’t want no trouble. He wanted money. He didn’t wanna share no dough with us. So he told us not to show up. He’s not nice. He’s just cheap. Just like everybody else. You dumb shit.”
“I still liked the guy,” Barry said.
“You liked the blonde,” Steve said. “Come on, Barry.”
“He was married to that girl,” Barry said.
“Jackie don’t think so,” Steve said. “Dillon, either. She was just something he had around.”
“She was a nice girl,” Barry said. “I did like her.”
“She hadda great big ass,” Steve said. “That’s all you think about, a great big ass.”
“She did,” Barry said. “Still, not a bad girl at all. Nice bazooms. She was a good kid to talk to.”
“Yeah,” Steve said, “right. Talk. Remember that night she come out there inna pink pants?”
“Yeah,” Barry said.
“You don’t,” Steve said. “Still, that was the biggest pink thing I ever saw.”
“She was a nice girl,” Barry said.
“You wanna be careful,” Steve said. “Some night I’ll get drunk and I’ll call Ginny up and tell her, you’re scoutin’ strange tail alla time.”
“Steve,” Barry said, “you know …”
“I know,” Steve said.
“Ginny’s the best thing, ever happened to me,” Barry said. “I know, you’re always telling me, I’m a dumb shit. Okay, I’m a dumb shit. But I know some things. The times that girl, I couldn’t count them. You can kid around all you want. I don’t care if you are my brother. You know what? I get home tonight, don’t matter what time I get home tonight, it’s probably gonna be late, Ginny’ll be waiting up. We’ll have a beer and we’ll talk. Anybody gives Ginny a hard time, well, I’m maybe a little outa shape. But nobody better call Ginny and get her thinking something like that, or anything, that, especially that’s not true.”
“Oh for Christ sake,” Steve said. “I was just hacking around.”
“Not on that,” Barry said. “Ginny, Ginny’s sacred to me.
“Yeah, yeah,” Steve said.
“I mean that,” Barry said. “The rest of you guys, all right, you can think anything you want. But not me. Not me and Ginny.”
“You mean to tell me,” Steve said, “Trattman’s pink broad, you didn’t fuck her?”
“Nah,” Barry said. “I tell you, she was married to Trattman at the time. You don’t fuck somebody else’s wife. I wouldn’t do that.”
“Jackie don’t think so,” Steve said.
“Jackie don’t know, is what Jackie does,” Barry said. “She told me herself.”
“You asked her,” Steve said.
“I didn’t ask her if she was married,” Barry said.
“Barry,” Steve said, “I’m ashamed of you. My own brother, and you asked somebody else’s girl to fuck.”
“I did not,” Barry said.
“I’m definitely gonna tell Ginny,” Steve said. “You’ll be lucky, you don’t get a mouthful of plates, you come in after this. You goddamned stud.”