Part 37 (2/2)
MANUEL RUIZ WAS replacing the headliner inside a '64 Falcon on Thursday morning when he heard the phone ringing back in the office. He wiped his hands off on a shop rag and walked back to the office and picked up the phone. It was Farrow on the other end of the line. Manuel had been expecting the call. replacing the headliner inside a '64 Falcon on Thursday morning when he heard the phone ringing back in the office. He wiped his hands off on a shop rag and walked back to the office and picked up the phone. It was Farrow on the other end of the line. Manuel had been expecting the call.
Farrow's voice grew increasingly agitated as he related the story of the cop and the chase through the G. W. campus. Manuel denied that the Mustang's plates were dirty.
”Perhaps it was just that you and Roman look suspicious,” suggested Manuel.
”Perhaps,” said Farrow with annoyance. ”But if it happens again -”
”It will not happen again,” said Manuel. ”Those plates are clean.”
”Okay. But here's another thing. You gave me a car with b.u.m brakes.”
”The brakes, they do not work properly?” Manuel winced at the insincerity in his own voice.
”They're working better since we dumped fluid into them.”
”My apologies, Frank. This was our mistake.”
Jaime Gutierrez entered the office, looking for cigarettes. Manuel pointed at the phone and silently mouthed the word ”Frank.” Jaime nodded.
”Never mind,” said Farrow. ”You have my new car ready for me? The one I'm driving's getting red hot.”
”Yes. It is very fast.”
”I'm going to pick it up early Sat.u.r.day morning. I would say two A.M. A.M.”
”We will wait.”
”Good. See you then.”
Manuel cradled the receiver. Jaime found his cigarettes in the desk drawer and struck a match.
”He is coming to get his new car after midnight tomorrow night,” said Manuel.
”You haf a car?”
”No. T. W. says we will not need it.”
”What if T. W. is wrong?”
”Then G.o.d help us.”
Jaime dragged deeply on his cigarette. ”What else?”
”He made mention of a problem with his plates.”
”But it was not enough of a problem.”
”No,” said Manuel.
”What about the brakes?”
”They put fluid in. So I suppose the brakes will not stop them either.”
”The fluid, it will leak out again,” said Jaime. ”The brakes will fail.”
Jaime tried to say this in a casual way. But he muttered a prayer under his breath, crossing himself quickly as he walked back out to the shop.
Roman Otis stood behind the house at the edge of the woods in Nanjemoy, practicing his draw. He had his .45 holstered on the left side of his belt line so he could draw with his right hand. He found that his ”Back to Oakland” ID bracelet occasionally caught on his belt as he drew the gun. Of course, he could just leave the bracelet or his belt behind for this particular job. But the bracelet was his lucky charm. And he felt it was important for a man to look like something when he left the house for work.
Frank Farrow came out the back door of the house and walked down a set of wooden stairs to where Otis stood.
”Hey, Frank,” said Otis. ”Tell me what you think of this here.”
Otis raised his arms above his head and rotated his hands at the wrist. Gravity and the action made the ID bracelet slip down beneath the cuff of his s.h.i.+rt. Otis's right hand flashed down to the grip of the .45. He drew it and dry-fired into the woods.
”Why all that?” said Farrow.
”When I raise my hands and shake 'em,” said Otis, ”it'll be like my signal for you to let go.”
”Okay, Roman,” said Farrow, who had given up on trying to figure out the peculiarities of his partner. ”Whatever you say.”
They heard the cackle of Booker Kendricks coming from the front yard, and underneath it the booming monotone of Lavonicus.
”Booker just won't let up on Gus,” said Otis.
”Your cousin's an amateur,” said Farrow.
”He's f.u.c.kin' with the wrong man,” said Otis.
”Well, after tomorrow night we'll never see him again.”
”We all set?”
Farrow nodded. ”The card game's at midnight at an industrial park in a place called Upper Marlboro. T. W. says it's all young brothers flush with drug money, playing pinstripe gangster like they seen in the videos. Gonna be a whole lot of dirty greenbacks there, Roman.”
”And guns, I expect.”
”There could be, yes. We'll just have to go in hard and fast. And this time we'll have an advantage.”
”How's that?”
”T. W. got the key to the place. We're gonna go in a couple of hours early, before the players arrive, and check everything out. The layout, the exit route... everything. Make sure there's no surprises.”
”How'd T. W. get the key?”
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