Al sat down and gazed at his uncle. “So,” he said, “how are we going to work this?”
Jerry regarded him with a semblance of sympathy. “First of all, I want to offer my condolences on the death of your father.”
“Thanks.” Uncle Jerry wasn’t usually this polite to him.
“I have some good news for you.”
This he had really not expected. “Okay.”
“Your father and I had a contract that we both signed twelve years ago.” He handed Al half a dozen pages stapled together. “Look at the last page, I’ve highlighted the relevant paragraph. Read it.”
Al read it, but he wasn’t sure he understood it. “Okay, I read it.”
“What the paragraph means is, we established a formula for working out the value of the company. If either of us wanted out, or if one of us died, the other could buy his interest in the company for the result of that formula.” He handed Al a page with a lot of numbers on it. “This is how the formula worked out. Look at the last number on the bottom right. That is the calculated value of the company today.”
Al looked at the number, and he was impressed; he hadn’t had any idea what the company was worth.
“Your father owned forty percent of the company. Now look at the last number in the bottom left corner of the page. That is the value of his shares.”
Al looked at the number. “Wow,” he muttered under his breath.
Jerry handed him a check. “This is my check for that number. I’ll sign the check as soon as you sign this paper, acknowledging the proper value of the company according to the formula and accepting that sum for your father’s shares.” Jerry handed him a single page and waited for him to read it.
Al read it and looked at his uncle, dumbstruck.
Jerry handed him a pen. “Your signature, right over your name.”
Al signed the document without hesitation. Jerry took the check, signed it, and handed it to his nephew.
“That’s it, we’re done,” Jerry said. “My advice to you, for what it’s worth, is that you invest that check and live off the proceeds.” He handed Al a business card. “This is the name and number of a good stockbroker who will make sensible investments for you. If you follow his advice, you’ll be set for life. If you go out and spend all that money, you’ll be broke in a year and probably dead in a gutter somewhere.” He handed Al a thick envelope. “This contains five thousand dollars for your friend Gene Ryan. Tell him he’s fired, and that’s his severance pay. You’re fired, too. You are both now free agents. Goodbye.” Jerry stood up and offered his hand.
Al stood up and shook the hand. “Thanks, Uncle Jerry.”
“Keep those copies of all the documents and show them to a lawyer, if you want to.”
“I trust you, Uncle Jerry.”
Jerry gave him a little wave, sat down, and went back to work.
Al let himself out of the office and, in a daze, took the elevator down to the street. The bank where he kept a small checking account was across the way. He entered and saw that there was a line of people at the single teller’s station that was open. He looked around and saw the manager sitting at his desk, the guy who had turned him down for a car loan last month. He walked over to his desk and sat down.
The man looked up at him. “And what can I do for you this morning, Mr. Parisi? I’m afraid the loan committee will not change its mind.”
“Fuck the loan committee,” he said as politely as possible. Al handed him the check. “I’d like to deposit this in my account,” he said, “and I want a hundred and fifty thousand dollars of it in cash.”
The manager looked at him, disbelieving, then he looked at the check and at the signature. “Excuse me for a moment,” he said. He picked up the phone, dialed a number, and swiveled his chair so that his back was to Al. He talked for a moment, then hung up. “All is in order,” he said. He took a deposit slip from a desk drawer, filled it out, and handed it to Al with a pen. “Sign, please.”
Al signed and handed it back to him.
“I’ll be right back,” the manager said. He walked across the room and let himself through a door with his key. He took the deposit slip and check to a teller, who stamped the receipt and handed it back, then he walked out of sight behind a wall. He was gone for perhaps five minutes and returned, holding a canvas envelope, which he handed to Al. “There are fifteen stacks of one hundred hundred-dollar bills there, totaling one hundred and fifty thousand dollars in cash. Count them, if you wish.” Al shook his head. The manager stood up and offered his hand. “It’s a pleasure doing business with you,” he said.
Al shook the hand and walked out of the bank. He hailed a cab. “There’s a Mercedes dealer in midtown somewhere. You know it?”
“Yeah, I know it.”
“Take me there.”
—
A couple of hours later, Al walked into the bar downtown where he and Gene hung out sometimes. Gene was already at the bar. Al sat down next to him. “I’ve got good news and bad news,” he said.
“Okay, gimme the bad news first.”
“We’ve been fired.”
“Well, shit, I guess I knew that would happen when the old man got offed. What’s the good news?”
Al took the thick envelope from his pocket and handed it to Gene. “That’s five thousand bucks. It’s your severance pay.”
Gene looked at him suspiciously, then opened the envelope. “Well, I’ll be damned.”
“I ’spect so,” Al said. “Make it last, there won’t be any more.”
“I’m still gonna kill Barrington,” Gene said. “You want some of that?”
“Nope, I’m out of the Gene Ryan business,” Al said. He tossed off the drink that had been set down for him. “You’re on your own now, Gene, I don’t wanna know you no more.” He turned and walked out of the bar and back to his new Mercedes. He headed to the Lincoln Tunnel and New Jersey, where there was a girl he wanted to see.
Ryan looked into the envelope again; he had never seen that much money all at once—not that was his. “Arnie,” he said to the bartender, “what’s my tab?”
Arnie picked up a small ledger and ran a finger down a page. “Two sixty-one,” he said. “Call it two-fifty.”
Ryan retrieved three hundreds from the envelope and handed them to Arnie. “The rest is yours,” he said.
“Hey, thanks, Gene. How about one on the house?”
Ryan shook his head. “I gotta get sober,” he said. He hopped off the bar stool and walked out of the bar and into the sunshine. If he was going to kill Barrington, he’d have to be sober.
—
Stone walked up to the Four Seasons to have lunch with Herbie Fisher. Over the past few years Herbie, who had been well-qualified as a juvenile delinquent not so long ago, had finished law school, gotten hired at Woodman & Weld as an associate, with Stone’s help, and had been such a rainmaker in the firm that he had made partner in record time. Stone joined Herbie at his regular table.
“Tell me, Stone,” Herbie said, “why don’t you have a regular table here?”
“Because you and Bill Eggers have regular tables. Why would I need one?”
“Fair enough.”
“I want to thank you for producing the paperwork for the Perado closing. I’d like you to go on backing me up. Pepe liked you, and he’s going to move to New York full-time.”
“I thought his son was going to move to New York.”
“Pepe liked New York a lot, and he says his son is a Texan, not a cosmopolitan. He’s already started looking for an apartment to buy.”
“How much work is the account going to be?”
“Quite a lot, I should think. Pepe’s going to start brewing his beer here, so we’ll be billing a lot of hours, what with one thing and another.”
“You’re on.”
“That’s great
, Herbie. I’m out of town a lot, and I know the account will be in good hands. You seeing a lot of Heather?”
“Yeah. She hasn’t moved in, but I see her most evenings—and nights.”
“I liked her.”
“She’s very bright and very beautiful, and it’s hard to beat that combination. What’s this I hear about somebody wanting to kill you?”
“That’s over. The guy who wanted me dead was killed by the people he’d hired to do it, who are now fugitives from justice. I don’t anticipate further problems.”
“Would the guy have been Gino Parisi?”
“That’s right.”
“I knew him when I was a kid in the old neighborhood. He was always a real shit—his old man, too.”
“That sort of thing frequently runs in the family.”
“So the heat is off Pepe and his operation, too?”
“That’s right—clear sailing ahead.”
—
Frank Russo sat on the balcony of his condo in Miami Beach, reflecting on his good fortune in real estate investing. He had bought the apartment dirt cheap when the building was shuttered and unoccupied, during the last housing bust. The building was sold out now, and his condo was worth three times what he had paid for it.
Susie came out and joined him on the double chaise longue. “Frankie, I never knew you to sit around doing nothing. You’re not gonna get under my feet, are you?”
“Well, I’m new in town, and I don’t know much about the local action.”
“I might be able to help,” she said.
“Oh, yeah?”
“My girlfriend’s boyfriend is pretty plugged in around town. You two might do some business.”
“What kind of business?”
“The kind that makes lots of money, judging from the way he spends it.”
“What’s his name?”
“Jimmy James.”
“Is he connected?”
“You mean, like, to-the-mob connected?”
“Yeah.”
“I get the impression that he knows those guys, sometimes does business with them, but he’s independent.”
“Then I’d like to meet him.”
She got up. “I’ll go call Gina, see when they’re free.”
“That’d be good. Oh, by the way, my last name is now Riggs.”
“Whatever you say, baby.”
Frank lay back and watched the yachts move up and down the waterway.
Susie returned. “Tonight at seven. They’ll pick us up.”
“Sounds good.”
—
A new BMW pulled up to where Frank and Susie waited, and a handsome man in a good suit got out and shook Frank’s hand. “I’m Jim James,” he said.
“Frank Riggs.”
Everybody got into the car, and they made first-date conversation on the way to the restaurant, which was very fancy American; Frank had expected Italian, somehow. They ordered drinks, and the two men had a chance to talk. Frank was impressed that Jim didn’t have a New York accent and that he spoke in complete sentences, with very little slang. He was going to have to work on his own speech, if he wanted to do well down here.
“You Italian?” Jim asked.
“Used to be. You?”
“Same here. Tell me,” Jim said, “what were you doing with yourself in New York?”
“I suppose you could say I was an entrepreneur,” Frank replied. “I recently ended a business relationship, and I thought I’d invest my profits in a place with no winter.”
“Did the business relationship end badly?”
“Not for me.”
“Susie has a high opinion of you, Frank, and I have a high opinion of Susie.”
“She has a high opinion of you, too, Jim. Everybody has a high opinion of everybody. I think that’s a good start.”
“Perhaps we could do some business sometime.”
“I’d be interested in that.”
The girls came back and started in on their margaritas.
The evening went swimmingly; the two men split the check and made a date for lunch the next day. Frank and Susie were dropped off at their building.
“What did you think of Jimmy?” Susie asked.
“Seems like an interesting guy.”
“You think you two could do some business?”
“I think he has something in mind. I’ll let you know after lunch tomorrow.”
Gene Ryan went home to Brooklyn and put his car in the garage, since Barrington already knew what that looked like. He went upstairs and changed into jeans and a black leather jacket over his shoulder holster, then went back to the garage and pulled the tarp off a Honda 350 that he had owned since almost new. He backed it out of the garage, closed the door, connected the battery, put on his helmet, and started the machine. He let it run for a minute to get the oil circulated, then hopped on and drove back to Manhattan. It was late in the day now, getting dark.
Barrington’s street in Turtle Bay was like always—quiet and elegant. He parked between two cars a couple of doors up the block from the house, unsnapped his helmet, and settled down to wait.
—
Stone and Ian were having a drink in Stone’s study. “I’ve been invited to dinner at our ambassador’s residence tonight,” Ian said. “Introductions will be made, and I will be inspected for suitability.”
“Sounds boring,” Stone said.
“It will be.”
“I’d better send you over there in my car. Fred will drive you.”
“Thank you, that’s very kind.”
Stone buzzed Fred and asked him to meet Ian in the garage. “I don’t want Felicity to berate me for putting you in a cab. I’d never hear the end of it if something happened to you.”
Ian laughed. “I know what that’s like.” He looked at his watch: “I’d better be going.”
“Fred is waiting for you in the garage. See you later.”
Ian went to the garage, where Fred was holding the door for him. Fred got behind the wheel, started the car, opened the garage door, and backed out.
Ian rolled down the rear window halfway. “Sorry, stuffy in here.”
—
Gene saw the Bentley backing out. He got the bike started and pulled out of his parking place, then fell in behind the car. He could see Barrington’s head in the right rear seat, so he pulled around to that side, slowed, and reached inside his jacket for the .45, then he braked sharply to a stop, raised the weapon, and fired three shots into the darkened backseat. Quickly, he stuffed the gun into his holster and accelerated down the narrow lane between the traffic and parked cars. He had to slow to get past a delivery truck, and as he did, something slapped at his left shoulder, simultaneously with a loud noise from behind. He threw caution to the wind, accelerated past the truck, and turned into the Second Avenue traffic. He could feel blood running down his back.
Fred Flicker had time to get off only one shot before the motorcycle disappeared around the corner. He opened the back door. “Major Rattle?”
His passenger was sitting up, holding the back of his neck with one hand. “Three shots,” he said. “Only one got me, I think.”
“Hang on, sir, we’re getting you to a hospital.” Fred got back behind the wheel and moved with the traffic. He pressed the hands-free button on the steering wheel. “Dial Stone Barrington,” he said, and the phone began to ring.
“Hello?” Stone said.
“Mr. Barrington, it’s Fred. A motorcyclist just got off three rounds into the backseat, and at least one struck the major.”
“Didn’t the glass stop it?”
“The major had rolled down the window. I’m headed to the New York Hospital ER. Will you phone the police, sir?”
“Of course, and I’ll be right over there.”
—
Stone called Dino and found him still at his desk. “Dino, Stone. There’s been an attempt on Ian Rattle’s life. He’s in my car. Somebody on a motorcycle fired three rounds into the backseat. Ian was hit at least once, and Fred is driving him to the ER at New York Hospital.”
“I’ll have somebody there in five minutes,” Dino said, then hung up.
Stone ran out into the street and got lucky with a cab. He was at the ER in ten minutes, and an unmarked police car pulled in at the same time. “Hey!” he called to the cops. “The victim is my houseguest.”
“Are you Barrington?”
“Yes.”
“Follow us.”
The detectives blew past the nurse on guard, flashing badges. One of them jerked a thumb at Stone. “He’s with us.” Then he stopped and called back to her, “You have a patient name Rattle, gunshot wound. Where is he?”
“Treatment room three—that way,” she said, pointing.
A nurse came out the door of room three and held up both hands. “He’s alive, nothing you can do here. Sit down over there.” She pointed at some chairs in the hallway, and they all sat down. Fred had followed them in, and Stone introduced him to the detectives.
Fred told his story. “I’m certain I hit the man,” he said. “I saw him twitch, and the motorcycle wobbled.”
“What color was the bike?”
“Black. The license plate was too small to read.”
“What was he wearing?”
“Black everything, including gloves. I couldn’t even tell you what race he was. He’s bleeding, though, I can promise you that.”
“You got a carry license, Fred?”
Fred produced it.
“Okay, you’re good. We can reach you at Mr. Barrington’s?”
Fred gave them a card. “My cell number.”
Stone called Felicity Devonshire.
“Yes?”
“I sent Ian to you in my car, and there was an assassination attempt. He’s in the New York Hospital ER, and he’s alive, that’s all I know.”
“I’ll be there shortly,” she said, and hung up.
—
Dino arrived first, twenty minutes later. “Any news?”
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