Part 70 (1/2)

'Won't be long,' he said. He started it brewing, then came back and perched on a leather ha.s.sock. He said, 'You want to know something? I make a lousy pimp.'

'I thought you were a cla.s.s act. Restraint, dignity, all of that.'

'I had six girls and I got three. And Mary Lou'll be leaving soon.'

'You think so?'

'I know it. She's a tourist, man. You ever hear how I turned her out?'

'She told me.'

'First tricks she did, she got to tell herself she was a reporter, a journalist, this was all research. Then she decided she was really into it. Now she's finding out a couple of things.'

'Like what?'

'Like you can get killed, or kill yourself. Like when you die there's twelve people at your funeral. Not much of a turnout for Sunny, was there?'

'It was on the small side.'

'You could say that. You know something? I could have filled that f.u.c.king room three times over.'

'Probably.'

'Not just probably. Definitely.' He stood up, clasped his hands behind his back, paced the floor. 'I thought about that. I could have taken their biggest suite and filled it. Uptown people, pimps and wh.o.r.es, and the ringside crowd. Could have mentioned it to people in her building. Might be she had some neighbors who would have wanted to come. But see, I didn't want too many people.'

'I see.'

'It was really for the girls. The four of them. I didn't know they'd be down to three when I organized the thing. Then I thought, s.h.i.+t, it might be pretty grim, just me and the four girls. So I told a couple of other people. It was nice of Kid Bas...o...b..to come, wasn't it?'

'Yes.'

'I'll get that coffee.'

He came back with two cups. I took a sip, nodded my approval.

'You'll take a couple pounds home with you.'

'I told you last time. It's no good to me in a hotel room.'

'So you give it to your lady friend. Let her make you a cup of the best.'

'Thanks.'

'You just drink coffee, right? You don't drink booze?'

'Not these days.'

'But you used to.'

And probably will again, I thought. But not today.