said. He took another swallow of bourbon. I drank some scotch.
From the window Joe said, "Vinnie," and held his hand out with the empty glass in it. Vinnie walked over and took it and brought it back and made another one.
"So I talked with Joe about it," Vinnie said. "And we decided we'd have to talk with Gerry about it, only by the time we did get to talk with him.. ."
Vinnie walked across the room with the fresh Campari and soda and put it in
Joe's hand. Then he returned to the bar and gazed for a moment at Joe's back. He took in some bourbon. Then he looked straight at me.
"… Beaumont had taken off with a bagful of our money.
"How much?" I said.
Vinnie shook his head. "You don't need to know."
"No," I said, "I don't. But I need to know if it was enough."
"It was enough," Vinnie said. "He was skimming what he paid out and then, lately, he wasn't paying anybody-and mostly it was okay because the people he was supposed to be paying couldn't do us anything anyway."
"More than a million?" I said.
"Don't matter," Vinnie said.
"Matters when I look for him," I said. "Where I look depends on what he can afford."
"Okay, more than a million. He can afford pretty much anything he wants.
But that ain't the point. The point is you can't stay in business and let a chipmunk like Richie Beaumont take your money and give you the finger. He can't be allowed to get away with it."
"I understand that," I said. "I got no problem with that."
We were all quiet then, the three of us, sipping our drinks at 11:30 in the morning, while it rained outside.
From the window Joe said, "You gotta stay out of Gerry's way, Spenser. He's got to find Beaumont himself. He's got to get the money back. He's got to put Beaumont down. He don't do that, what is he? What kind of man is he to run this thing we got? What do they think of him? What do I think of him?"
Joe's voice had none of the audition-booth resonance now; it was hoarse.
"What the fuck does he think of himself?"
"We got a problem," I said. "I don't say it can't be resolved, but it's a problem."
"We got nothing against the broad," Vinnie said.
"Sure," I said. "But what if she's with him when Gerry finds him, and he puts up a fight and Gerry has to kill him and she sees it? Or what if he's told her all about his deal with Gerry?"
"We guarantee her safety?" Joe said softly.
"You can't," I said.
"You wouldn't take my word on it?" Joe said. "Vinnie's word?"
"I'd take Vinnie's word, but not Gerry's."
"Or mine?"
I shrugged.
"We can't guarantee it, Joe," Vinnie said. His voice was flat, very careful.
Joe nodded slowly.
"You got a suggestion?" he said to me.
"I'll do the best I can, Joe. I don't like you but he's your kid. I find
Beaumont, I'll leave him in place and take the woman. I won't hold Beaumont for Gerry, and I won't tell Gerry where he is, but I'll leave him out there for Gerry to hunt."
"You find him you give him to Vinnie," Broz said.
"And Vinnie will put him where Gerry can find him and Gerry will think he won."
Joe shrugged. I looked at Vinnie. Vinnie was staring past us both, looking at the harbor. There was no expression on his face.
"No," I said. "I won't give Beaumont to Vinnie."
Joe sighed slowly.
"There's an option we ain't spoken of yet," he said. He was tired; the ain't had crept in past his self-consciousness. "We could whack you."
"Maybe you could whack me," I said. "It's been tried. But where would that get you? It'll attract the attention of people you'd rather not attract. A lot of people know what I'm working on."
"Hawk," Vinnie said.
"For one," I said. "And there'd be a homicide investigation."
"Quirk," Vinnie said, as if he were counting off a list.
"So you trade me for them," I said, "maybe some others."
My drink was gone. I didn't want another one. The room was full of harshness and pain and a bitterness that had been distilled by silence. I wanted to get out of there.
"It's my kid, Spenser," Broz said. He sounded as if his throat
From the window Joe said, "Vinnie," and held his hand out with the empty glass in it. Vinnie walked over and took it and brought it back and made another one.
"So I talked with Joe about it," Vinnie said. "And we decided we'd have to talk with Gerry about it, only by the time we did get to talk with him.. ."
Vinnie walked across the room with the fresh Campari and soda and put it in
Joe's hand. Then he returned to the bar and gazed for a moment at Joe's back. He took in some bourbon. Then he looked straight at me.
"… Beaumont had taken off with a bagful of our money.
"How much?" I said.
Vinnie shook his head. "You don't need to know."
"No," I said, "I don't. But I need to know if it was enough."
"It was enough," Vinnie said. "He was skimming what he paid out and then, lately, he wasn't paying anybody-and mostly it was okay because the people he was supposed to be paying couldn't do us anything anyway."
"More than a million?" I said.
"Don't matter," Vinnie said.
"Matters when I look for him," I said. "Where I look depends on what he can afford."
"Okay, more than a million. He can afford pretty much anything he wants.
But that ain't the point. The point is you can't stay in business and let a chipmunk like Richie Beaumont take your money and give you the finger. He can't be allowed to get away with it."
"I understand that," I said. "I got no problem with that."
We were all quiet then, the three of us, sipping our drinks at 11:30 in the morning, while it rained outside.
From the window Joe said, "You gotta stay out of Gerry's way, Spenser. He's got to find Beaumont himself. He's got to get the money back. He's got to put Beaumont down. He don't do that, what is he? What kind of man is he to run this thing we got? What do they think of him? What do I think of him?"
Joe's voice had none of the audition-booth resonance now; it was hoarse.
"What the fuck does he think of himself?"
"We got a problem," I said. "I don't say it can't be resolved, but it's a problem."
"We got nothing against the broad," Vinnie said.
"Sure," I said. "But what if she's with him when Gerry finds him, and he puts up a fight and Gerry has to kill him and she sees it? Or what if he's told her all about his deal with Gerry?"
"We guarantee her safety?" Joe said softly.
"You can't," I said.
"You wouldn't take my word on it?" Joe said. "Vinnie's word?"
"I'd take Vinnie's word, but not Gerry's."
"Or mine?"
I shrugged.
"We can't guarantee it, Joe," Vinnie said. His voice was flat, very careful.
Joe nodded slowly.
"You got a suggestion?" he said to me.
"I'll do the best I can, Joe. I don't like you but he's your kid. I find
Beaumont, I'll leave him in place and take the woman. I won't hold Beaumont for Gerry, and I won't tell Gerry where he is, but I'll leave him out there for Gerry to hunt."
"You find him you give him to Vinnie," Broz said.
"And Vinnie will put him where Gerry can find him and Gerry will think he won."
Joe shrugged. I looked at Vinnie. Vinnie was staring past us both, looking at the harbor. There was no expression on his face.
"No," I said. "I won't give Beaumont to Vinnie."
Joe sighed slowly.
"There's an option we ain't spoken of yet," he said. He was tired; the ain't had crept in past his self-consciousness. "We could whack you."
"Maybe you could whack me," I said. "It's been tried. But where would that get you? It'll attract the attention of people you'd rather not attract. A lot of people know what I'm working on."
"Hawk," Vinnie said.
"For one," I said. "And there'd be a homicide investigation."
"Quirk," Vinnie said, as if he were counting off a list.
"So you trade me for them," I said, "maybe some others."
My drink was gone. I didn't want another one. The room was full of harshness and pain and a bitterness that had been distilled by silence. I wanted to get out of there.
"It's my kid, Spenser," Broz said. He sounded as if his throat
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