She wasn’t stupid, though.
“What about the gun?” she asked.
“What gun?”
“The one that’s been digging into your back ever since you sat on the couch. The one we went back to the phone booth to find.”
“How’d you know about that?” I asked.
“I know you. I know you don’t like guns, but I also know that you wouldn’t go up against this hit man without some kind of an edge.”
“Yeah, big edge it turned out to be,” I said, disgusted with myself. I pulled the holster from my belt and laid it down on the coffee table.
“Even with this he came out on top.”
“At least he didn’t kill you,” she said, but then she had to add, “this time.”
“Hey,” I scolded her, “so he won round one. Do you know how many times I’ve lost the first round and still won the fight?”
“This is not a fight, Jack, this is your life!” she told me urgently. “I don’t want to see you lose your life!”
“Don’t worry, I won’t.”
“Sure, you also told me you were going to be careful, and look what happened,” she said accusingly.
“I was careful.”
“Well, it’s a good thing you were lucky, too. Being careful like that can get you killed.”
I hadn’t realized it up until that point, but our voices had continued to rise until we were yelling at each other.
“Look, let’s not fight,” I told her.
“I want to fight,” she snapped. “If I’m here fighting with you it means you’re still alive, damnit, and that’s the way I want you, Jack. Alive! Benny’s not worth your getting killed!”
I think we were both shocked by her words, and we sat there and stared at each other. When the phone rang it startled us both.
She answered the phone by saying hello, listened for a moment, then held it out to me saying, “It’s for you.”
I took it from her, wondering who it was.
“Hello.”
“I had nothing to do with that, Jacoby. You gotta believe me,” a man’s voice said.
It was him, the man from the fifth row.
“You were there?”
“I was late, but there wasn’t nothing I could do,” he insisted. “He must have followed you.”
“He didn’t follow me,” I told him.
“You mean—”
“He must have spotted you and followed you there,” I told him.
“Then if you hadn’t come when you did, he might have killed me.”
“I guess so. I hope you’re not staying in the same place too long.”
“Are you all right?” he asked, and I liked him better for remembering to ask.
“I got cut up some, but I’ll live.”
“You still want to help me?”
“I do.”
“You could call it even now, you know,” he told me. “I wouldn’t blame you.”
“You pick another time and place and I’ll be there,” I told him.
“I’ll get back to you.”
“Hey, what about telling me your name?”
“Later, I’ll tell you later,” he promised. “I’ll call you.”
“Wait—” I started, but he hung up.
“You’re not going to meet him again,” Julie said in an exasperated tone.
“Yes, I am,” I answered.
She looked at me like I was crazy—or driving her crazy—and then picked up the empty coffee cups and carried them to the kitchen.
I sat back on the couch, staring at the phone, wondering about a few things.
How had he found out my name?
How had he known to call me at an office that was listed in the phone book under the name Eddie Waters?
And most of all, how had he known to call me at Julie’s apartment, a number that wasn’t even listed in the phone book?
Chapter Forty
As much as I would have preferred to stay in bed all day—or, in this case, on Julie’s couch—there were two people I had to see the next day. I had to talk to Hocus about Max the Ax’s attempt to skewer me.
The other person I had to see was Benny. I couldn’t put it off any longer, and Heck had already made the arrangements. And maybe it was time I faced my brother and asked him straight out if he killed Eddie. If he said no, maybe I’d believe him, and maybe I’d ask him if he saw anything or anybody while he was there.
I woke up to the smell of bacon and coffee and used the back of the couch to haul myself to a seated position. My throat ached and my side hurt, but it was a great feeling to wake up to another morning.
When she came walking into the living room carrying a cup of coffee, I had my feet on the floor and was contemplating getting up on them.
“What are you doing?” she demanded.
“I’ve got to get up,” I told her.
“What for? You want to bust those stitches open?”
I shook my head, which did wonders for my neck.
“I’ve got to go see Benny, Julie. It’s something I should have done days ago.”
She set the coffee down on the table and said, “Well, at least have breakfast first. It’s almost ready.”
“Okay. Can you bring me some fresh clothes of Benny’s?” I asked her.
“Sure.”
When she brought me some of my brother’s clothes I felt funny about having them on. Benny and I had shared clothing before, but we had never shared Julie before. I thought about that while I put on his clothes, and I still felt some guilt over it.
“Jack?”
“Yeah?” I said, becoming aware of the fact that she had been calling me for a few seconds.
“I said breakfast is ready.”
“Okay, I’ll be right there.”
“Do you need any help?” she asked.
“No, I’m fine.”
When she went back into the kitchen I struggled with a clean shirt, trying to get it on without stretching the stitches. The pants were easier because I put them on while I was sitting down. I slid my feet into my shoes and then walked into the kitchen.
“They fit?” she asked.
“We’re about the same size,” I pointed out.
She had set out some scrambled eggs, home fries, bacon, sausages and pancakes. I didn’t have the heart to tell her I was still in training.
“I’m going to have to train extra hard for my next fight,” I commented.
“Are you still going to fight, Jack?”
I started putting food in my plate and said, “I think so, Julie. I haven’t really made up my mind yet, but I know I’ll fight at least one more time.”
“The Ricardi fight?”
“I’m surprised you know that.”
“That’s all Ben’s been talking about for weeks,” she told me. “How the Ricardi fight is a big stepping-stone for you.”
“I guess he’s right. Come to think of it, Ricardi just might make my mind up for me,” I told her. “He’s got a powerful right and could just knock me right out of the fight game.”
“I don’t think you ever really wanted to fight anyway, Jack. I think Ben forced you into it.”
“I don’t think ‘forced’ is exactly the right word,” I told her, but I didn’t elaborate.
It was funny, though, how she had made very much the same observation that Willy Wells had made, that I didn’t seem to have the desire it took to be successful in boxing—although neither one of them had said it in so many words.
Maybe the Ricardi fight would be my crossroads fight—if I managed to stay in one piece, and alive, until then.
When breakfast was over I said, “I have to get going.”
“Where?”
“First I’m going to see Benny, then Detective Hocus. After that I’ll start trying to find Max the Ax again.”
She made a face.
“Such a ridiculous name for a dangerous man,” she commented.
“I’ll tell him your opinion when I see him,” I promised.
&
nbsp; As I got gingerly to my feet she said, “I’d make you promise to be careful, but you obviously aren’t very good at keeping promises—especially that one.”
“I promise,” I said, raising my right hand, “I’ll try not to get cut, slashed or killed.”
“Just don’t reach for your wallet too fast,” she advised, “you’ll rip those stitches.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. Oh,” I said, remembering something, “if a man calls and he won’t give his name, just take a message.”
As I left she asked, “What if he says he’s Max the Ax?”
“Take a number and tell him I’ll get back to him as soon as hell freezes over.”
Chapter Forty-One
“I didn’t kill him, Miles.”
“Would you tell me if you did, Benny?” I asked him.
He looked at me and shrugged.
“I don’t know,” he answered, and I thought that at least that was honest. “I know how much he meant to you,” he pointed out. “Probably more than I do, but I didn’t kill him. I swear, Jack.”
“Okay, Benny, okay.”
“You and Julie have to believe me, and so does Delgado. I mean, if you don’t believe me, who will?”
My brother was five years older than I was, but he looked about fifteen years older. In fact, he looked more like my father than my brother.
“You look like shit, Benny,” I told him.
“Yeah,” he said, running his fingers through his wild shock of hair, “I feel like shit, too. How’s Julie?”
“She’s fine.”
“You taking care of her for me?” he asked, and there was such a trusting look on his face that suddenly I felt like shit, too.
“We’re taking care of each other, Benny.”
“Good. Why you moving so stiff, kid? You get hurt in the fight? And what happened to your neck? What the fuck you been doing to yourself?”
I told him some of the things I’d been doing to try and clear him, and I told him about being jumped on the street and about what had happened last night.
“Jesus Christ, kid, no wonder you ain’t been in to see me,” he said. “You been putting yourself through the wringer for me.”
“Yeah, maybe,” I said. I had gone through a lot trying to clear him, but all I could think about while I was sitting there was how I had slept with my brother’s wife.
“Benny, I only came in to explain, so you wouldn’t think I’d dumped you or something. I’m trying to get you out of here.”
“I know, kid, I appreciate it. Listen, do you think that maybe next time you come in you could—you know, maybe just sneak in a drink or—”
“Shit, Benny, if nothing else good comes out of this maybe this will help you cut down on your drinking,” I told him. “You know you were going at it pretty heavy before this happened.”
“I know, I know,” he said, wringing his hands, “but it seems like the closer we get to a title shot, the more my nerves need it, you know?”
“Benny, we’re miles away from a title shot. Don’t use that as an excuse to get drunk!” I snapped at him.
“All right, kid, don’t come down on me now,” he said.
“Jesus—” I started, but then I stopped myself. “Okay, I’m sorry. We’ll talk about it when you get out.”
“If I get out. You been trying, kid, I’ll give you that, but you ain’t come up with nothing that’s going to get me out of here.”
“I will, Benny. I’m not finished looking, and Heck’s got another P.I. on the case, too.”
Suddenly he laughed shortly and said, “It’s funny.”
“What’s funny?”
“I never wanted you working as a P.I., and here you are doing it for me. That’s funny.”
“Yeah, I guess it is,” I said, getting to my feet slowly.
“You’re getting fat,” he told me. “The Ricardi fight’s coming up, you know. You better not be using this as an excuse to stuff yourself with junk food.”
“I’ll tell you what,” I told him. “When you get out I’ll make you a deal. No more booze for you, and no more junk food for me. What do you say?”
“You win the Ricardi fight, and I won’t touch another drop,” he said, making a counter offer.
“Okay, you’re on.”
“Uh, if I don’t get out of here in time for the fight, you’re going to need somebody in your corner,” he said.
“That’s all arranged.”
“It is? Who’d you get?”
“Willy Wells.”
“Jesus Christ, that old thief!” he snapped. “He didn’t waste much time, did he?”
“He’s the best there is, Benny, you said so yourself.”
“I know, kid, I know. Ah, what the hell, you’ll probably do better with him than you would with me, anyway.”
“Benny, I’ve got to go. I have to talk to the police about last night.”
“Yeah, okay. Look, take care of yourself, huh, kid?”
“Yeah, you too.”
“Give Julie my love, will you? And don’t let her come down here, okay? I don’t want her to see me like this.”
“I hear you.”
I had started for the door when a thought occurred to me and I turned back.
“Benny?”
“Yeah, kid?”
“Benny, when you first started out, did you ever meet or hear about a trainer or manager named Corky Purcell?”
“Purcell?” he asked. “Purcell. It sounds familiar, but I can’t think of it right now. Is it important?”
“It isn’t for him anymore,” I told him. “He’s dead.”
Chapter Forty-Two
“I told you to watch out!” Hocus shouted at me. “I warned you, and what do you do? You go out and get yourself sliced to fucking pieces! And then you don’t even call the cops and report it!”
“I’m reporting it now,” I reminded him.
“Damnit, Jacoby, that’s not what I mean and you know it.” he told me, getting all red in the face. “You should have called us as soon as it happened.”
“As soon as it happened I was too busy bleeding, and panicking. I called the only number I could think of and went to a hospital. By that time it was so late I didn’t figure it mattered whether I reported it last night or this morning.”
“Well, it mattered!” he snapped. “Damnit, did you even get a look at his face?”
“No, it was too dark and it happened too fast.”
“So you can’t even swear that your assailant matched the description we got from Detroit on Max the Ax,” he pointed out.
“Oh, shit, Hocus, are you going to tell me that you can’t put a wanted alarm out on him based on this?” I asked, pointing to my throat. “He sure as hell had a sharp blade, I can testify to that firsthand.”
“I can’t assume it was him just because he had a sharp knife, and you know it!”
“Well, I—” I started to say, rising out of my chair, when my stitches pulled, halting me in mid-sentence.
I lowered myself back into my chair and started again in a softer, calmer tone of voice.
“You can’t assume it was him, but I can,” I told him.
“Which means you’re still going to look for him,” he said. “You’re still going to try and get yourself killed.”
“Yes to the first and an emphatic no to the second,” I told him.
“You’re not funny, Jacoby. In fact, I think you’re dangerous—to yourself. Maybe I should slap you into protective custody.”
“Oh, c’mon. Hocus, you know that went out with the hula hoop.”
We both sat staring at each other, catching our breath. The other men in the room had been doing their best to ignore us, but we hadn’t been making it easy for them.
“All right, look,” he said, “I think you’ve pretty much established one thing.”
“What?”
“Unofficially, I know as well as you do that it was Max the Ax who tried to carve you up, so I think you’ve pretty much esta
blished the fact that he’s involved with your man in the fifth row.”
I eyed him suspiciously.
“I’ll agree with that, but that doesn’t mean that he had nothing to do with Eddie Waters.”
“You’re reaching, Jacoby. You pulled this hit man in out of left field and connected him to one of your cases, but to connect him with both cases is just too much coincidence to ask for.”
“Maybe,” I said lamely, “and maybe not.”
“Oh, that’s a convincing argument,” he said, sarcastically. “I can’t argue with that.”
“You’re not so funny yourself, Hocus,” I told him. I pushed myself to my feet very gently and said, “I’ll be seeing you.”
“Where are you going now?”
“I’m going to get you the proof you need,” I told him.
“All right, wait a minute,” he said, standing up and coming around the desk. “Look,” he said in a lower voice, “if you’re going to set up another meet with this guy from the fifth row, let me know, okay? I’ll come in and back you up.”
“I appreciate the offer, but if he spots you he won’t trust me again.”
“He won’t spot me,” he promised. “Besides, getting yourself cut up like that must have convinced him that you’re on his side—but you could have thought of an easier way, you know?”
“Oh, I don’t know. This seems to have a certain flair. I think it brought the point home pretty well, don’t you?”
“Oh,” he groaned. “Get the fuck out of here and take your puns with you.”
“Okay, I’m going. I’ll call you if I need you,” I promised.
“Or if you get any information you think I can use,” he added, “like where Max the Ax is staying. Don’t try and take him alone, Jacoby. He’s out of your league.”
“So everyone keeps trying to tell me,” I told him.
I left the precinct, wondering what the hell my next step should be. I could finally check out that hotel on Fourteenth Street where Louise claimed she saw Max, but I didn’t think he’d be fool enough to go back there, if indeed that had been where he was staying.
I decided to go home and get into some of my own clothes. Being in Benny’s still made me feel uneasy, like I was sleeping in his bed or something.
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