“Shut up.”
“Not yet. We got business to talk about.”
Gulley seemed out of breath. “Business be damned. I ain’t tangling with Vetter.”
“Scared?”
“Damn right, and so are you. So’s everybody else.”
“Okay,” Johnny said. “So for one guy or a couple he’s trouble. In a big town he can make his play and move fast. Thing is with enough guys in a burg like this he can get nailed.”
“And how many guys get nailed with him. He’s no dope. Who you trying to smoke?”
“Nuts, who cares who gets nailed as long as it ain’t your own bunch. You think Phil Carboy’ll go easy if he thinks Vetter jacked a load out from under him? Like you told us, Phil’s an up and coming guy. He’s growing. He figures on being the top kick around here and let Vetter give him the business and he goes all out to get the guy. So two birds are killed. Vetter and Carboy. Even if Carboy gets him, his load’s gone. He’s small peanuts again.”
“Where does that get me?” Gulley asked.
“I was coming to that. You make yours. The percentage goes up ten. Good?”
Gulley must have been thinking greedy. He started moving again, his feet coming closer. He said, “You talk big. Where’s the cabbage?”
“I got it on me,” Renzo said.
“You know what Phil was paying for the junk?”
“The word said two million.”
“It’s gonna cost to take care of the boys on the boat.”
“Not so much.” Renzo’s laugh had no humor in it. “They talk and either Carbov’ll finish ’em or Vetter will. They stay shut up for free.”
“How much for me?” Gulley asked.
“One hundred thousand for swinging the deal, plus the extra percentage. You think it’s worth it?”
“I’ll go it,” Gulley said.
Nobody spoke for a second, then Gulley said, “I’ll phone the boat to pull into the slipside docks. They can unload there. The stuff is packed in beer cans. It won’t make a big package so look around for it. They’ll probably shove it under one of the benches.”
“Who gets the dough?”
“You row out to the last boat mooring. The thing is red with a white stripe around it. Unscrew the top and drop it in.”
“Same as the way we used to work it?”
“Right. The boys on the boat won’t like going in the harbor and they’ll be plenty careful, so don’t stick around to lift the dough and the stuff too. That ’breed on the ship got a lockerfull of chatter guns he likes to hand out to his crew.”
“It’ll get played straight.”
“I’m just telling you.”
Renzo said, “What do you tell Phil?”
“You kidding? I don’t say nothing. All I know is I lose contact with the boat. Next the word goes that Vetter is mixed up in it. I don’t say nothing.” He paused for a few seconds, his breath whistling in his throat, then, “But don’t forget something... You take Carboy for a sucker and maybe even Vetter. Lay off me. I keep myself covered. Anything happens to me and the next day the cops get a letter naming names. Don’t ever forget that.”
Renzo must have wanted to say something. He didn’t. Instead he rasped, “Go get the cash for this guy.”
Somebody said, “Sure, boss,” and walked across the room. I heard the lock snick open, then the door.
“This better work,” Renzo said. He fiddled with his glass a while. “I’d sure like to know what that punk did with the other stuff.”
“He ain’t gonna sell it, that’s for sure,” Johnny told him. “You think maybe Cooley and Vetter were in business together.”
“I’m thinking maybe Cooley was in business with a lot of people. That lousy blonde. When I get her she’ll talk plenty. I should’ve kept my damn eyes open.”
“I tried to tell you, boss.”
“Shut up,” Renzo said. “You just see that she gets found.”
I didn’t wait to hear any more. I got down in the darkness and headed back to the path. Overhead the sky was starting to lighten as the moon came up, a red circle that did funny things to the night and started the long fingers of shadows drifting out from the scraggly brush. The trees seemed to be ponderous things that reached down with sharp claws, feeling around in the breeze for something to grab. I found the place where I had left Helen, found a couple of pebbles and tossed them back into the brush. I heard her gasp, then whispered her name.
She came forward silently, said, “Joe?” in a hushed tone.
“Yeah. Let’s get out of here.”
“What happened?”
“Later. I’ll start back to the cab to make sure it’s clear. If you don’t hear anything, follow me. Got it?”
“... yes.” She was hesitant and I couldn’t blame her. I got off the gravel path into the sand, took it easy and tried to search out the shadows. I reached the clearing, stood there until I was sure the place was empty then hopped over to the cab.
I had to shake the driver awake and he came out of it stupidly. “Look, keep your lights off going back until you’re on the highway, then keep ’em on low. There’s enough moon to see by.”
“Hey... I don’t want trouble.”
“You’ll get it unless you do what I tell you.”
“Well... okay.”
“A dame’s coming out in a minute. Soon as she comes start it up and try to keep it quiet.”
I didn’t have long to wait. I heard her feet on the gravel, walking fast but not hurrying. Then I heard something else that froze me a second. A long, low whistle of appreciation like the kind any blonde’ll get from the pool hall boys. I hopped in the cab, held the door open. “Let’s go, feller,” I said.
As soon as the engine ticked over Helen started to run. I yanked her inside as the car started moving and kept down under the windows. She said, “Somebody...”
“I heard it.”
“I didn’t see who it was.”
“Maybe it’ll pass. Enough cars come out here to park.”
Her hand was tight in mine, the nails biting into my palm. She was half-turned on the seat, her dress pulled back over the glossy knees of her nylons, her breasts pressed against my arm. She stayed that way until we reached the highway then little by little eased up until she was sitting back against the cushions. I tapped my forefinger against my lips then pointed to the driver. Helen nodded, smiled, then squeezed my hand again. This time it was different. The squeeze went with the smile.
I paid off the driver at the edge of town. He got more than the meter said, a lot more. It was big enough to keep a man’s mouth shut long enough to get him in trouble when he opened it too late. When he was out of sight we walked until we found another cab, told the driver to get us to a small hotel someplace, and the usual leer and blonde inspection muttered the name of a joint and pulled away from the curb.
It was the kind of a place where they don’t ask questions and don’t believe what you write in the register anyway. I signed Mr. and Mrs. Valiscivitch, paid the bill in advance for a week and when the clerk read the name I got a screwy look because the name was too screwballed to be anything but real to him. Maybe he figured his clientele was changing. When we got to the room I said, “You park here for a few days.”
“Are you going to tell me anything?”
“Should I?”
“You’re strange, Joe. A very strange boy.”
“Stop calling me a boy.”
Her face got all beautiful again and when she smiled there was a real grin in it. She stood there with her hands on her hips and her feet apart like she was going into some part of her routine and I could feel my body starting to burn at the sight of her. She could do things with herself by just breathing and she did them, the smile and her eyes getting deeper all the time. She saw what was happening to me and said, “You’re not such a boy after all.” She held out her hand and I took it, pulling her in close. “The first time you were a boy. All bloody, dirt ground into your face. When Renzo tore you apart I could have killed him. Nobody should do that to another one, especially a boy. But then there was Johnny and you seemed to grow up. I’ll never forget what you did to him.”