"No, all I need is two.”
“Plus my commission," he said, still smiling.
"That seems very steep.”
"Seven hundred thou is steep?" Russell said, looking offended. "You know somebody cheaper?
In fact, you know anybody at all?”
"I can always call Houston again. I'm sure Sam can find me...”
"Sure, call him. Meanwhile, I got the feeling you were in some kinda hurry.”
“Even so, that's steep," she said, shaking her head. "Seven hundred thousand? That's very steep.”
Bargaining. When her fucking life was at stake.
Settle with the man, she thought.
"So is that it?" Russell said. "Are we finished talking here?”
"For that kind of I'd money expect you to the entire transaction," she said. Still bargaining.
"Meaning what?”
"Setting it up, making the buy, turning “
"I can tell you right now nobody's going eleven keys to somebody invisible.”
"Oh? Did you suddenly get invisible?”
"I'm talking about they smell I'm making for somebody else, the Uzis come out. They know who they're doing business with.”
"I can't get involved in this," she said.
Not bargaining this time. Merely Willis. Thinking that if something went during the transaction, if the police came might hurt Willis somehow.
Thinking... "Then don't get involved in moving Russell said. "If you want to make a deal, I'll the buy for you. You show with the money, make the buy yourself. Then I'll see about around.”
"I have to be positive you can turn it "Tell you what. If I can't turn it around, you owe me a nickel. Is that fair?”
"Then what do I do with the eleven keys?”
“Snort it," Russell said, and smiled his smile. "When do you need this money?”
"How about tomorrow afternoon?”
"Impossible.”
"Then when?”
can't set up the buy before Thursday night, st. Have you got your hands on this money ,?”
"I have a cashier's check.”
"Honey, please don't make me laugh. In this iness? A check?”
"A cashier's check is as good as cash.”
"Then cash it.”
"All right.”
"You know anything about high-grade coke?”
"A little.”
"Enough to know whether they're selling you sugar instead?”
"No.”
I'll teach you. They'll expect you to test the stuff. Everything's a fuckin' ritual with them. You test it, you taste it, you give them the cash, they give you the shit, and you go your separate ways. You deviate from the ritual, they think you're undercover and they blow you away. It ain't without its certain risks, this business," he said drily.
"When will you know for sure?”
"Tomorrow." I'll call you," she said.
"No, let me call you.”
"No," she said.
"Why not?”
"Just no.”
"Okay, you know where to reach me," Russell said, and shook his head as if to say there understanding the ways of beautiful bro once earned a living on their backs. "Give around this time tomorrow. If everything way I figure, you better cash that check on and I'll let you know where they wanna meet "No," she said. "Specify one-on-one. pick the place.”
"They may not go for that.”
"I'm paying top dollar. If they don't terms, tell them to go fuck themselves and we somebody else.”
“Tough lady," he said, and smiled.
"You that gun I sold you?”
"No.”
"You want my advice? Buy another one. me or somebody else, it don't matter. A bi this time.”
“What kind of gun did you have in mind?" asked.
"We done this before, you know," Mrs. said. "Father Michael and me. Went over the top to bottom searching for the dope.".
"Yes," Carella said. "His sister told me.”
"Nice lady, ain't she? The sister.”
“Yes," Carella said. "Very nice.”
"I thought so first time I met her," Mrs. Hennes said, smiling at the memory.
When was't at?”
“Shortly before Easter," she said. "Around St. Day.”
Which fell each year on the seventeenth of Which certainly would have qualified as before Easter" in that Easter this year had on the fifteenth of April.
Carella wondered if then Father Michael had been involved with his ;terious lady. In which case, why hadn't he laentloned her to his sister while she was visiting lere?
"... a search for dope?' Haw, es was saying.
"Well, we got a ph o, ne call,' Mrs. Hennessy said.
"What phone call?
lthe "Krissie took a phone call one afternoon, I was in office when it...'I When was this.
"Last month somenme.
"When last month?”
"About a week after that black boy got beat up," Mrs. Hennessy said.
"The call was for Father Michael. He took it, listened for a few minutes, said, "I don't know what you're talking about,' and hung 1119.”
"Who was it?”
"Who was who?”
"On the phone.”
"Oh. I don't know. But Father Michael turned to Krissie and said, "Kris, this guy says...' “
"Is he called her?”
that what Hawes "Yes. Or sometimes Krissie." Hawes nodded and said nothing. But C the look that crossed his face.
""Kris, this guy says there's dope hidden church here and he wants it back,' "Mrs. He said, and nodded.
"So it was a man on the phone," Hawes "I guess so.”
“Did Father Michael say who it was?" asked.
"No, sir.”
"He didn't say it was Nathan Hooper, did "No, sir.”
"Did he say it sounded like a black person?”
"No, sir. He didn't say nothin' but what I you he said. "This guy says there's dope the church here and he wants it back.' Is what Michael said. So we begun looking for it.”
"Where'd you look?”
"Everywhere.”
"Meaning?”
"Meaning everywhere. Places hadn't cleaned or disturbed since the church was built, a hundred years thick. Nooks and crannies I know existed.
Secret passageways...”
"Secret passageways?" Hawes said.
"This church used to be part of the under "Mrs. Hennessy said. "Slaves escaping the south used to come hide in the church here.”
"What goes around comes around," Hawes said, nodded.
Carella, deep in thought, missed Hawes's .,nce to history's little repetitions. He was :mbering back to when Marilyn Hollis was a ect in a poisoning, and Willis had fallen in love with her. It had made things even though the ending turned out to be happy one. Carella was all in favor of happy ndings. But judging from the look that had crossed i-Iawes face when he'd heard that the called - priest his secretary either Kris or Krissie rather than Kristin or Miss. Lund or Whatever the Hell, Carella "Suspected that his this time around had been partner |similarly stricken, and he hoped with all his might Krissie Lund turned out to be similarly clean.
Because /f she was the woman who'd tried to blackmail Father Michael on Easter Sunday... Or, worse, if she was the woman who'd been intimately involved with the priest...
Or, worse yet, /f she was both adulteress and blackmailer at one and the same time..
"Show us the easy places first," Haes told Mrs. I'Iennessy.
She always became apprehensive when he started drinking heavily before dinner. All the other times had happened when he'd come directly home the store and started the evening by pouring a stiff drink. It was only a little past six now, he'd already consumed two healthy and was pouring himself a third one at the cou near the kitchen sink. Ice-cube tray open on counter. Tanqueray gin, he drank only the Tanqueray or Beefeater.
Wouldn't allow ache gin in the house. Asked her once if she knew that was made from juniper berries? And did she that juniper berries were poisonous? She known whether he was kidding or not. He said things just to confuse her. He could be cruel way.