Part 18 (1/2)
”Your silent partner,” Moran said. ”Who you talking about, Scully?”
Moran saw Nolen's fuzzed gaze s.h.i.+ft to Rafi and return to stare at him. Nolen shook his head from side to side. The drunk being secretive. But Rafi was even drunker and didn't notice; he was eating 223.
his ice. Nolen pulled himself out of the sofa, took Rafi's gla.s.s from him-Rafi still holding his hand up, cupped-fixed another rum and c.o.ke and put the gla.s.s back in Rafi's hand. Nolen stumbled sitting down. They were both in bad shape.
Moran could not see Jiggs Scully bringing these two into the game. Unless he had a special use for them.
”We're gonna publicize Mr. de Boya's past sins,” Nolen said and gave Moran a stage wink, obvious enough to be seen in the back row, ”unless he comes across with a generous piece of change... Isn't that right, Che?”
” 'Less he pays,” Rafi said.
”Tell George what the man did,” Nolen said, ”when he was in charge down there.”
”What he did?” Rafi said. ”He was the head of the Cascos Blancos, he sent out the death squads to get people he don't like or people who talk against Trujillo. He take them to La Cuarenta in Santo Domingo for the torture. Sometime he take them to Kilometer Nueve, the army torture place at San Isidro.”
”Tell him what de Boya did to people,” Nolen said.
”Well,” Rafi said, ”he like to sew the eyelids to the eyebrows and put them in a light. He like to beat them with Louisville Sluggers. He like to put acid on them sometimes. He like to castrate people. He like to take the nipples and pull them out and cut them off with scissors.”
Moran said, ”Is that what happened to you?”
”No, no, he do that to girls. Cut the nipples off. Men he cut everything off with-how do you say it, these big tijeras? tijeras?”
”Shears,” Nolen said.
”Yeah, chears. Cut off your business with them. I had a uncle that happen to. Then when General de Boya finish with them he have them killed and thrown from the cliff into the sea to be eaten by the sharks. You want to find out what happen to somebody, you ask, n.o.body knows. They say he's gone to Boca Chica to visit the tiburones tiburones, the sharks. Or sometime to Monte Cristi. That was twenty years ago-the sharks still come looking for General de Boya to feed them. He like to put ants on people, too.”
Rafi rolled his eyes back.
”I don't like to think about it.”
”Have a drink,” Nolen said. The answer to most things.
Rafi took a drink. ”I don't feel so good. Maybe I go lie down; I'm feeling tired.” He stood up unsteadily, spilling some of his drink.
Moran watched him. He wanted to get up but didn't have the energy; the scene was depressing. He watched Rafi shuffle into the bedroom, Nolen 225.
calling after him, ”Don't throw up on the floor, Che. You hear? Go in the bano bano.”
He said to Moran, ”I don't know what it is about them, partner, those people just don't hold the juice.”
Moran watched Nolen pour himself another scotch.
”What're you gonna use him for?”
”He's our spray painter, man. You see his work?”
”But he doesn't know Scully.”
”Jiggs wants to see how he works out first. So I told Rafi we got a guy on the inside, but he doesn't want his ident.i.ty known just yet.”
”I don't imagine he would,” Moran said. ”All right, what's the deal? What're you going after?”
”Jiggs says he told you.”
”Come on, this isn't your kind of a thing.”
”Is that right? Tell me what I'm saving myself for. It's the best part I've read for in ten years. s.h.i.+t, I don't even have to act tough.”
”He's using you,” Moran said.
”Jesus, I hope so. I need to be used, man.”
”You know what he asked me to do?”
”I sent you to him, didn't I, for the interview?”
”Come on-you know what he wants?”
”Yeah, he wants you to ask your lady where her husband hides his cash. What's hard about that? s.h.i.+t, call her up right now.”
”Jesus Christ,” Moran said. He drank down his scotch and sat back. ”How does he know ...Hey, you listening?”
”Yeah, I'm listening. What?”
”How does Jiggs know she won't tell her husband what's going on? How does he know I I won't tell him?” won't tell him?”
”Well, s.h.i.+t,” Nolen said, ”because I told Jiggs you're my bud, we see eye to eye. I said sure, George's the old Cat Chaser, we served down in the D.R., man. I told him it was me almost put out your lights with the one-oh-six and Jiggs got a kick out of that. He sees the humor in life, everybody busting their a.s.s trying to score off each other. I told you he's a funny guy and I was right, huh?”
”Yeah, he's funny,” Moran said. ”But I still don't understand. Why would he trust me? Tell me a story like that?”
”I just told you. And you want the husband out of the way, don't you? Jesus Christ, or else I came in late and missed something.”
”Look,” Moran said, trying to keep Nolen's attention. ”You listening to me?”
”Yeah, I'm listening.” Pinching the roach, sucking his cheeks in with a sound like the north wind.
”I'm not in it,” Moran said.
”What happened?” Nolen grunting the words as he held his breath. ”You change your mind? There's nothing to be scared of.”
”I never was was in.” in.”
227.
Nolen expelled smoke in a long sigh. ”Well, Jiggs says you gave him a h.e.l.l of an idea. He told me. Make the man run and head him off at the pa.s.s. I said to Jiggs, I told you he's good, he's a fighting leatherneck. Jiggs says he didn't think much of the idea at first, frankly, 'cause what if the man took off in his boat? Jiggs doesn't like to have anything to do with boats. He goes, 'I don't want no parts of them f.u.c.kers.' He gets seasick he goes out. But then, hey, with the dock gone the man can't bring his boat in, can he? He runs, he's got to go by car. And when he does, Jiggs says he'll be way ahead of him...He likes you,” Nolen said.
Aw s.h.i.+t. Moran felt heavy, out of shape, and the scotch wasn't helping at all. He said, ”Nolen?”