Night Passage js-1

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Night Passage js-1 Page 11

by Robert B. Parker


  “You bet,” Jesse said.

  Hathaway stood and put one of his long-fingered bony hands on Jesse’s shoulder.

  “Don’t mean to come down too hard

  on you, Jesse. But I have a responsibility to this town. Call on me for anything you need… and let’s keep our troubles in-house.”

  “Gotcha,” Jesse said.

  Hathaway patted Jesse’s shoulder briefly and turned and left the restaurant. Jesse sat looking after him, turning his coffee cup slowly on the tabletop. I wonder what Hasty ü actually worried about, Jesse thought. He looked at Hathaway’s plate. He had eaten the center of his cinnamon toast and left the crusts. Cinnamon toast, Jesse thought. Jesus Christ!

  morning eastern tame. Jesse took it in his office.

  “I got Paradise, Massachusetts?”

  Charlie Buck said.

  “Yes,” Jesse said.

  “You the chief of police?”

  “Yes. Jesse Stone.”

  “My name’s Charlie Buck.

  I’m an investigator for the Campbell County Sheriff’s Department in Gillette,

  Wyo’ming.”

  “Well, you’re an early

  riser,” Jesse said. “What is it there, about seven?”

  “Seven oh three,” Buck said.

  “I’m interested in a man might have lived in Paradise at, one time, man named Thomas Carson.‘ ’

  ‘He was the chief before me,“

  Jesse said.

  Buck‘ grunted.

  “Well, he was driving a Dodge truck up

  along Route 59 north of Bill a while back, when it blew up and him with it. Took us this long to trace what was left.”

  36

  ‘r’ ‘. r

  “In .Wyoming?”

  “Yemh, no of Bill, heing towed

  GilleRe?‘

  “You esblish why it blew upT”

  Jesse sd.

  “Bomb.”

  “So it’s a hocide.”

  “You ght say so.”

  “You have y leads?”

  “We was hoping you’d e le. If e

  mb hadn’t tossed e ck’s sefi numar couple hun ft away we woul’t even ow who he w.”

  “Considerable mb,” Jesse sd.

  “Consideble,” Buck sd.

  “Figu it w supped to pulverize evening so we coul’t I.D. e victim. How long you had e job?”

  “Got in May,” Jesse sd.

  “Didn’t acmly’s until June.”

  “You ow when Con left?”

  “Befo May,” Jesse sd.

  “Sometime e spring, I

  . Until I tk over, guy nu Bke w acting

  chief.“

  “e were you fo you tk is job?”

  Buck sd.

  “L.A. Hocide.”

  Buck nd agn.

  “Mit uful,” he sd.

  “I’ll ,” Jesse sd.

  “Con got y next of out e?”

  “Not at I ow of, but I’ll find

  out, let you ow.”

  “Wish you would,” Buck sd.

  “Friends, closiates?”

  “t me lk into it,” Jes sd.

  I’ll get back to you.“

  “Su,” Buck d.

  “You ow what tonated e mb?” Jesse

  sd.

  “No. Best guess, someone 1 him d ed it from a distance. Pretty empty stretch of road along where it went off.”

  “Makes sense,” Jesse said.

  “if you wouldn’t mind, I’d like it if you talked only to me about this.”

  Buck grunted.

  “if you wouldn’t mind,”

  Jesse said.

  “Hell no,” Buck said.

  “Your town, your department.

  Who’d you say you worked for in

  L.A.?“

  “Homicide, Captain Cronjager.”

  “Un huh. Well, I’ll go ahead and

  see what I can do at this end. Maybe you can give me a ring in a couple days, tell me what yOU know.”

  “Glad to,” Jesse said.

  “If I don’t hear,” Buck

  said, “I’ll give you a ring.”

  “You’ll hear,” Jesse

  said.

  for inoing in impress Vie os.

  “So I got’s suitc,” o

  5o sd, “wiven hund lge, you ow, smfll bills. ng weighs a fining ton, d I’m sups to’t&e it to a bk in New Yo City, down und Wall St someplace. You ow New Yo?”

  Mos nded. He w sitting wis char fild bk.

  He had a W clipd to his It d he was listening to music ugh e ehones.

  “Guy I ow ged I could me e sit in account under a fe ne, no questions ked,” Io Jo sd.

  “So I got’s nt cd I’m

  ing to get e, d · e fic is out of consol, you ow. d when I finly get e I c’t find a place to pk, I’m fing ound

  · e bilk down by e World Trade ng, d e ng bk closes. You lieve it. I go a dy seven hunted · ousd in a suiad b clos wle I’m riding und like a Ido ing fr a png space.”

  “ ¢ ‘39

  Morris was looking at Jo Jo with no expression, his heels hooked in the bottom rung of his chair, his arms folded over his ebest.

  “You hear me okay?” Jo Jo said.

  Morris nodded.

  “Well, I figure the money’s okay,

  I mean, who’s going to mug somebody like me, you know? But I still gotta get it deposited, so I haul it back to the hotel.

  I’m staying at the Marriott in Times Square, and I ditch the car and next morning I get a cab and haul the money back dowfitown and it’s dandy. Cabbie drops me off fight in front of the bank. I take the stuff in, go to the desk, and ask for the name they gave me, who’s going to count the cash and take care of the deposit and he ain’t there. He’s at another branch in freaking Queens, they gave me the wrong branch.

  So I go out with the suitcase, which is lucky I’m big and strong, because it’s getting heavier every minute and I try to find a cab and I can’t, so I get on the subway. I got a suitcase full of cash and I’m tiding the freaking subway, and I’m boiling. And I go back to the hotel and get a cab there. You can always get a cab at a hotel, and I go over to Queens hauling the dough, and the guy is there, but he’s in a meeting. So I tell the slut at the desk that they better get his ass out of the meeting or else and she says, real preppy,

  ‘Excuse me?’ And I said get this guy’s

  ass out here, now. And I give her a real hard look and she gets up and goes in back and in a little while my guy comes out, and he’s nice as freaking pie. ‘Oh, sir, so sorry to keep you waiting, come fight in to one f our conference rooms, blah, blah.’ And I got the money deposited. But is that a kick or what, I’m chugging around freaking New York with three-quarters of a million in cash for two days trying to get somebody to take it.“

  “Scared hell out of that bank lady,

  huh?” Morris said.

  Jo Jo didn’t much like the way Vinnie said it. He could never tell whether Vinnie was putting him on or not. Hard to figure Vinnie. He didn’t seem interested in anything. He never seemed in a hurry. He never had any reaction to anything, except to say things like “scared hell out of that bank lady,” which Jo Jo could never quite figure out.

  Jo Jo thought maybe he ought to grab Vinnie someday and slap him up against the wall. Get his freaking attention.

  But there was something about Vinnie… Jo Jo stopped thinking about it. He sat straight upright on the other straight chair. He would have liked to cross his legs, but they were too thick. He probably ought to do more stretching, loosen everything up a little. Gino Fish came into the room, nodded at Vinnie, walked past Jo Jo, and got behind his desk.

  “Sorry I’m late,” Fish

  said.

  But he said it in a way that sounded to Jo Jo like he didn’t care if he was late or not. He could use a little shaking up too, Jo Jo thought. Involuntarily he glanced at Vin-nie, as if Vinnie could know what he was thinking. Vinnie looked blankly at him or past him or throug
h him. Jo Jo could never be sure.

  “No problem, Gino. Been talking with

  Vinnie.”

  Fish smiled without amusement.

  “So what have you got for me, Jo

  Jo?” Fish said.

  “Guy I know is looking for guns.”

  Fish was quiet for a moment, his gaze heavy on Jo Jo.

  “Who is this guy?” Fish said

  finally.

  “He’d like to remain

  anonymous,” Jo Jo said.

  “Wouldn’t everyone,”

  Fish said. “Is he IRA?”

  “No, nothing like that.”

  “Zealots are not good people to do business with,” Fish said.

  Jo Jo wasn’t exactly sure’what a

  zealot was. But he knew Hath-way wasn’t IRA.

  “Can you do something for us?” Jo

  Jo said.

  “What are you after?” Fish said.

  “Automatic weapons, machine guns, mortars, handheld rocket launchers, grenades.”

  There had been other things on the list, but Jo Jo hadn’t Wanted to carry the list. It would be bad if he got caught with it, and he wanted Gino and Vinnie to think he knew more about guns than he did.

  “In what quantities?” Fish said.

  “Enough to outfit a regiment,” Jo

  Jo said. It was what he had been told to answer.

  : Fish smiled again without warmth.

  “When I was of an age for the

  military,” he said, “I was in a different kind of government service.”

  “I didn’t know you did government

  work, Gino.”

  “I was in jail,” Fish said.

  Jo Jo felt hot. He hated to look stupid in front of Vinnie.

  “I knew that, Gino,” he said.

  “I was kidding you.”

  “Well, don’t,” Fish

  said. “Vifinie, do you know what kind of weapons order you’d need to outfit a regiment?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Do we know anyone who could supply that amount?”

  “Sure.”

  Fish looked at Jo Jo.

  “There,” he said. “Now

  what?”

  “Can you get me a

  price‘?.”

  “Supplier will set the price,”

  Fish said. I’ll add my commission.“

  “Sure, Gino, of course. These are just, ah, whaddycallit, preliminary talks, you know.”

  “So tell your principals it’ll be

  a few days, and I’ll be intouch with you. Before we go too much further, though,

  I will want to meet the principals.“

  “They won’t like that,

  Gino.”

  “I don’t care, Jo Jo.

  That’s the way it will have to be. I don’t do this kind of business with people I don’t know.”

  He smiled his joyless smile again. “I have had all the government service I care for.”

  Jo Jo flushed again, feeling foolish about misunderstanding government service. He glanced sideways at Vinnie.

  Vinnie seemed oblivious.

  “I’ll talk to them,” Jo

  Jo said.

  “Fine. Now if you’ll excuse

  us…”

  Jo Jo stood up, too quickly. He wished he had reacted slower.

  “I’ll wait to hear from

  you,” he said to Fish.

  He made a little punching gesture at Vinnie with his clenched fist, and went out of the office. When he was gone, Fish turned to Vinnie Morris.

  “What do you think,” he said.

  “Some homemade patriot group,”

  Morris said.

  “Why do you think that?”

  “Because the only contact they got is a jerk like Jo Jo.”

  Fish nodded.

  “And the only contact he has is

  us,” Fish said. “Do you have any idea how to arm a regiment?”

  “Not a clue,” Morris said.

  “Do you have any contact with international arms dealers.‘?”

  “Piece I’m carrying I bought from

  a guy named Ralph.”

  Morris said. “On Dorchester Ave.”

  “Do you suppose he could arm a

  regiment?”

  “Ralph works out of his car.”

  “Yes, of course,” Fish said.

  “Very efficient.”

  “I could ask around,” Morris said,

  “Um hmm.”

  Fish seemed to be thinking of something else. Morris looked at him and came as close to smiling as he ever got.

  “Or you could figure out a way to skin

  them,” he said.

  · Fish didn’t answer for a time,

  as if he had to finish a thought and remm to the subject at hand.

  “If they wish to give us their

  money,” he said finally,

  “I sec no reason why we shouldn’t

  encourage them in that COUl’Se.‘ ’

  off. He was stringy, the sparse hair on his chest was white, and there were small wrinkles inside the bend of his elbow.

  He didn’t look at all rich and powerful. In fact he didn’t look anywhere near as good as Bobby had, and Bobby had been a loser for sure.

  “Come to bed,” she said.

  And she was glad when he got in bed and was under the covers. He always got under the covers. The first time they had done it and he got under the covers she had almost laughed. Would he wear pajamas next time? With feet on them?

  He put his arms around her and clamped his mouth against hers. She had to help him a bit, as she always did, to get it up, but as soon as it was up he rolled over on top of her and proceeded. While he was on her he whispered how much he loved her and called her his darling. He was through before she was even aroused. And like always he rolled off her and lay on his back beside her silently, with the covers up to his chin. Still, it didn’t take him long, and there were other men, Saturday-night men, who would give her excitement.

  “If you love me so much,” she

  said, “how come you don’t get rid of your wife and marry me?”

  “I can’t do that,” he

  said. “We’ve been married twenty-seven years.

  I’m the leading figure in the town.”

  “But you know she’s fucking other

  men,” Tammy said.

  “You know I don’t like you to

  talk that way about my wife,” he said.

  “Well, it’s the god’s

  truth,” Tammy said.

  “We… have… our

  understanding,” he said.

  “Yeah, sure,” Tammy said.

  “And where does that leave me.”

  “I give you money,” he said.

  “I buy you things. We have our time together every week.”

  “Yeah, you sneak in here and bang me, and sneak out.

  You know what that makes me feel like?“

  “Tammy, please, we’ve had this

  talk before.”

  “Well, we’re having it again. I

  deserve more than that.

  I deserve to be out of the damn closet here. I deserve to be married and going to the YaCht Club with you, instead of her.“

  “God, no,” he said.

  “God, yes,” Tammy said. She sat

  up in bed, and the motion pulled the bedclothes nearly off him. He struggled to keep covered. “I mean it. I got a right to be more than your whore once a week. I want’t,o live in that house. I want to go to the Yacht Club dances and nm a table at the Harvest Fair and have an account at Saks. I want you to marry me.”

  “It’s not possible,” he

  said.

  “Maybe I’ll make it

  possible,” Tammy said.

  She was angry, and she felt strong when she was angry.

  Her anger had always worked with Bobby, and when she got angry .enough it had driven him from t
he house. What a loser Bobby was.

  “You will?” he said.

  The anger was working with him too. He was very meek.

  “If I have to. I’ll go public

  with this. I’ll tell your wife, I’ll tell everybody. You’ll have to marry me just to shut me up.”

  “Don’t do that,” he

  said.

  His voice was so quiet. She almost smiled. Men were easy. Bobby had been strong as a blacksmith and all she had to do was get mad and he caved tight in. Now it was working again. There he was with his money and his position and he was as meek as a little boy when she got mad.

  “So thi about it. Either you get tidof her hnd marry me, or I go all-out fucking public.”

  He nodded thoughtfully.

  “Yes,” he said. “Of

  course. I can see how you’d feel.

  Just give me a little time. I’ll make it tight. I care about you a great deal.“

  “And I care about you. But you gotta treat me tight.”

  He nodded again.

  “Yes,” he said.

  “It’ll take a little while for me to arrange everything. But I’ll do the tight thing, Tammy. I She laughed with pleasure and leaned over and kissed him.

  “Will you give me an engagement

  ting?” she said. “A big engagement ting with a big diamond and maybe little emeralds on either side?”

  “As soon as I can,” he said.

  “As soon as I can get this all fixed. Just give me a little time and you’ll get everything you want.”

  “Yes,” she said and lay back on

  the bed and watched him while he got up and put on his clothes, and left. When he was gone she stayed in the bcd, her hands clasped he-hind her head.

  “Yes,” she said out loud and her

  voice seemed very powerful in the quiet room.

  the computer screen. In Massachusetts, permits to carry a handgun were issued by the local chief of police. The permits had to be renewed every five years. Fire Arm Identification cards, permitting the holder to keep a gun, but not to carry one, were üsued once and good for the holder’s lifetime. All the carry permits currently held therefore had been issued by Torn Carson. Some of the F.I.D.‘s were much older. But only two had been issued prior to Carson’s arrival fifteen years before. No one had applied for a gun permit since Jesse had taken the job.

  Jesse got up and walked to his office door and opened it and spoke to Molly Crane, who was the dispatcher and ran the front desk. She was also the jail matron and the only female officer on the force.

 

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