Part 40 (2/2)
”What about me?”
”That you're sweet on Raines' old lady.”
”Who said that?”
”Costello, maybe.”
”So.. ”
”Costello says you're bad luck. There's a big hate on for you over there. It's why I was nervous for O'Brian to meet with you. They say you took down Skeet and then set fire under them in Cincy, which is true.”
”So?”
”So Chevos says maybe he should take care of it and Costello says no, no Fed killing and besides, Nance f.u.c.ked it up once before and Nance gets really p.i.s.sed, like bad enough, he could have taken Costello's head off. Couple of us, we had to take them apart. Anyway, it blew over. Later Costello tells Nance he's sorry, it's all blown over, and Chevos says maybe they can use this thing with the Raines broad to bring you down.”
”What'd Costello say?”
”He says he'll think about it and Chevos says you're a jinx. He says, 'A black cat runs across your path, you kill it, one way or another.' That's his exact words and Costello repeats himself. 'I'll think about it,' he says.”
”Is there paper on me?”
”Not that I heard, just the beef is all. Jesus would you look at that. ”
The two dogs were locked together in the center of the pit. Blood was splashed on the pit walls, the dirt floor, everywhere. The hog dog was no longer a pit virgin. Its face was shredded. I wanted to get out of there.
”Anybody in the mob got a beef against the Taglianis?”
”Not that I heard.”
”Anybody inside got a hard-on for them?”
”Hey, it ain't like that, man. I told ya, everybody's happy.”
”Anything else?” I asked.
”Well . . . there's one more thing I can give you. I heard something about a big c.o.ke s.h.i.+pment that's coming in. Mucho kilos.”
”Well, what about it?” I demanded.
”All I know, there was some stuff comin' in from down south. Out of the country. I know this because some of our girls are into snow and it's been short.”
”And . . . ”
”And the boat's late. Not to worry, is the word. Could be a storm or something. If it got busted, we'd already know. You guys brag about s.h.i.+t like that.”
”Maybe that's where Nance went, to bring the load in.”
”What about Nance?”
”He's gone underground. We've been looking for him since Monday.”
”I don't know anything about that,” Harry Nesbitt said.
Down below, the fight had gone against the hog dog. The old warrior had it by the throat and was snarling for the first time. You could tell it was almost over for the little pit virgin. His one leg was dangling like it was broken and his throat was spilling blood.
”I'm leaving,” I said to Nesbitt. ”When do you want to leave town?”
”An hour ago.”
”Okay, I'll see what I can do. I mean, I'll do the best I can. I don't know what the h.e.l.l you gave me for this, but I'll talk to somebody and that somebody'll talk to somebody else and we'll get it together. It may be tomorrow morning before I can swing it. You got a place to flop?”
”Yeah. Early tomorrow, huh?”
”You call me first thing.”
”Seven be okay?”
”Doesn't anybody in this town sleep past dawn?” I said.
But his attention was already back on the dogs. As I started down the tiers toward the door, the referee stepped in and ended the fight.
The little hog dog was finished. He dragged himself by one good leg toward his master and collapsed in the dirt, his tail wagging feebly. He looked up pitifully at his owner.
I turned away again and didn't see the owner take a .38 out of his belt and hold it down between the hog dog's eyes.
The shot startled me. I whirled around and drew my Magnum without thinking. It took me a second or two before I got the gun back out of sight.
Too late.
The giant at the door saw the move. As I got outside I heard his deep voice drawl, ”Hey, boy.”
I kept walking. I walked straight toward Longnose Graves' limo.
”Hey, you with that hotshot pistol. Talkin' to you, boy.”
I stopped a few feet from the limo and turned around. Two friends had joined him. Just as big and just as ugly.
”Want something?” I asked in the toughest voice I could dredge up.
”That was some kind of move there inside,” the giant said. ”Like the old O.K. Corral.”
”It's a nervous tic,” I said. ”Happens all the time.”
”You needa get it fixed.”
”I'll keep it in mind.”
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