In the Diamond District, on 48th Street, Joey parked the Cadillac Deville. He lowered the zipper on his jump suit, removed the .38 from his shoulder holster and checked the action. Johnny, his partner, sat beside him. He kept banging his knees together like a child needing to pee.
“Just follow my lead”, Joey announced.
“I can handle it”, Johnny told him.
“Yeah. Right. Without me, you’d still be running numbers.”
“Bullshit” said Johnny, “I’d be doing fine, probably have my own crew.”
Joey looked through the windshield at the back of a UPS truck and rubbed his left eye with a fist.
“You don’t know it but you need me”, Johnny told him.
Joey grinned a little and folded his arms over the steering wheel.
“How’s that?” he said.
“Because I make you feel better, that’s why. I’m small, you’re big. You know where I’m coming from? You have an inferiority complex man.” Johnny glanced across the street towards the Jewelry shop. “So when is this guy supposed to show anyhow?”
Joey checked his Rolex. “Lenny said eight o’clock.”
“Well if he’s blowing smoke, I got first dibs on his face. I could be nailing a waitress right now. Never liked that kid, talks too much shit.”
“Sure kid. You got first dibs. So who’s this broad?”
Johnny slid to the edge of his seat. “Works at the coffee shop, down by the pool hall. Big tits. Nice ass. You know who I mean? The one with the jugs”
Joey looked surprised. He laughed silently inside his chest. “Her? Tell me a guy she hasn’t sacked with and I’ll buy you a steak at Morton’s. Chick has a thing for mob guys.”
“That’s right” said Johnny, “And now she has a thing for me.”
Joey smiled. He looked at the Jewelry store than back at Johnny. “Just slap her around kid. Keep it ruff. And make sure you leave before the morning”
“See?” said Johnny.
“What?”
He pointed at his forehead. “Inferiority complex. Always in control.”
Suddenly, Joey’s smile faded and he pointed across the street. “There he is kid. Let’s get this bastard. C’mon.”
They both slammed their doors and ran down the crowded sidewalk. A Hasidic man, running twenty feet ahead, kept looking back. At the corner, Joey grabbed the man’s coat. He pressed the gun barrel into his back. “Do as I say” he said, “And you’ll live to see another Sabbath. Be a hero and I’ll drop you right here.”
Johnny caught up. He held his waist; breathing hard. “You nailed her too, didn’t you? I don’t freaking believe it”
Joey said, “Move it” to the Hasidic man and led him back to the car. He looked at Johnny walking by his side. “Drop it kid. She’s just a whore. Leave it at that.”
“Not anymore. I’m telling you she’s changed”
Joey put the Hasidic man in the back seat, slammed the door and got behind the wheel. He looked at Johnny sitting next to him.
“Right”, he said, “She’s changed”
On the floor, opened pints of Chinese food surrounded the ringing phone. I reached down from my bed and picked up the receiver. My head was throbbing. Lying next to me was a girl I’d met the night before at a bar. She was blond and young, probably half my age. I couldn’t remember her name.
“Simpson” I said.
“Good Morning kiddo”
I cleared my throat; adjusted my eyes. Larry worked the morning shift. I thankfully did not. “What’s up?” I said.
“Got a floater” he said, “Thought you’d like to know”.
“Where?”
“Where else?”
“Larry” I said, “Not now. I’m not in the mood.”
“South Street. Hand delivered. Guy looks fresh.”
“Anybody we know?”
“You know any Orthodox Jews?”
“No. Be there in twenty. Any press?” I asked.
“Not yet” he said. “And Simpson”
I scratched my beard and thought of waking the girl. She looked real good lying on her stomach. “What Larry?”
“Would you pick up some bagels and lox? I’m starving over here”
I laughed, said, “You got it”, and hung up. The guy had a way of cheering me up. As cops went, he was the best I knew. I nudged the girl awake and from behind slid myself inside her. What was her name? Susan, Sandra, Samantha. It was something with an S, wasn’t it? Oh the hell with it, I thought, it didn’t matter anyway.
An hour later I walked up the pier and ducked under the police tape. I took a knee by the body and noticed a missing hand and a dime sized hole between the eyes. A young crime scene investigator was taking close up pictures from different angles. Feet, head, torso. I put my sunglasses on and walked with Larry to the edge of the pier. We looked across the river at Long Island City, the Citibank building, the Coca-Cola sign, the Brooklyn Navy Yard. I heard waves sloshing against the wood pilings below us.
“What took you so long?” he said.
“Traffic”
Larry snickered. “I’m sure”, he said, “Don’t know how you do it”
I folded my arms over my chest. “Necessity”, I said.
“Twenty, thirty, how old was she?”
“Don’t ask.”
“So what’s your take on the floater?” he said.
I looked over my shoulder and saw two EMT guys bag the body, place it on a gurney and push it inside the back of an ambulance.
”Guy was most likely on the take, I imagine. Got deep and paid the price. Looks like a professional kill, all very clean.”
I looked back over the river.
“So you know the guy who did this?” he asked.
I patted his back and smiled. “No, but I will” I said, than walked down the edge of the pier away from the hub-hub, away from Larry. Sally’s her name. That’s it. Sally.
The re-make of The Exorcist was playing. It was the first show of the day. The theatre was empty. I found an aisle seat close to the door. The opening credits were flashing on the screen. Billy slid past my knees and sat two seats across. He was holding a large bucket of popcorn and a small soda. For a few minutes we said nothing and watched the movie. I heard him crunching popcorn, slurping his drink.
“Am I done?” he said
Three years ago I nabbed Billy on Grand Theft Auto. With his priors he was looking at fifteen to twenty. In exchange for a clean sheet, he’d agreed to go under cover. I grabbed a handful of his popcorn. “That depends Billy. What do you have?”
“Joey Palermo”
“Go on”, I said, “I’m listening”
“That Jewish guy you guys found?”
“Yeah”
“I’ll testify that Palermo did him”
“Why? All of a sudden you’re going to turn on Palermo? What’s the deal Billy? Something doesn’t sound Kosher here. No pun intended.”
The popcorn was addictive. I grabbed another handful.
He said, “If I do this, we’re good, right? You’ll set me up, a house, a decent job.”
“Yes Billy, just like I promised.”
I looked around the theatre to see if anyone could hear us. Except for an elderly couple sitting close to the screen the place was empty.
“I want to take a girl with me too. Can we do that? Can I take her with me? Give her a new identity?”
His motivation was becoming clearer. Of course there was a woman involved. I read this kid like a book.
“I’ll see what I can do Billy. Now tell me what went down with Palermo.”
He set his popcorn and soda down between us. He leaned over the seats, closer to my ear.
He said, “We got a tip on some diamond dealer, right; some player who needed some dough to roll a deal over or some shit like that. Said he’d have the money, plus the vig back to us in a week. Anyway, turns out the guy’s in over his head. So he starts stalling, you know, tells us to come back, that he’ll get the money, not to worry.”
I nodded and watched the movie. The priest was making his first appearance.
“So this guy disappears and Palermo’s loosing his shit. You know, he’s got a temper. So anyway, were looking all over town for this prick. So finally, this Lenny guy tells us where and when we can find him. So we pick him up, you know, right on the street and the guy gives us the same old story. Says he’s busted, doesn’t have a dime. Well, anyway, he’s got this briefcase cuffed to his wrist and Joeys telling him he’s gonna chop his hand off. Then everything went to hell man. Guy keeps stalling, giving us the same old story and Joey caps him in the head and chops his freaking hand off. Turns out the guy was carrying about million dollars worth of diamonds. A fucking million, would you believe it?”
I turned and looked at Billy. I could see the whites of his eyes, smell his after shave. “You got a murder weapon?”
“He threw it in the river by the pier”
“You’ll come down to the precinct and put this in writing?”
“Yeah”
I shook his hand. “Alright Billy, this is the one. After this you’ll be living far away from here. Just you and you’re girl. That’s what you want?”
“Yeah, that’s what I want”
I stood up and brushed the popcorn off my shirt and jeans. “Just out of curiosity”, I said, “Why now? Is this all about the girl? I mean, are your willing to do this all for her?”
He nodded.
“I hope she’s worth it” I said.
That night I found a spot directly in front of my building. As I walked up the stairs to my apartment I smelled garlic and olive oil. Somebody, I thought, was actually cooking. Usually, the hall just smelled of body odor and dog. I pulled my cell phone out and pushed the speed dial for Larry. Feeling good from a few scotches, I pressed the phone to my ear.
“Palermo” I said
“No shit” Larry said, “Palermo, huh?”
“Yup, whacked the poor bastard over a debt”
“Who rolled on him?” he asked.
“Billy Toronto. Kid gave a written statement and agreed to testify”
“Man” Larry said, “We might be able to turn Palermo, nab some big boys with this”
“Yeah” I said. “We’ll pick him up tomorrow, by the café on Spring Street, right in front of his crew. Can’t wait to see the look on his face”
I went to open my door but it was already unlocked so I pushed it open and went inside. I’d never seen my apartment look so clean. It even smelled good, like potpourri or something. Wearing one of my white collared shirts and nothing else, Stacey stood by the stove, stirring a large pot of sauce. How did she know I was a sucker for that?
In the phone Larry said, “Eh, me and the boys are playing poker at Max’s. You coming?”
Stacey rushed over. She draped her arms over my shoulders and kissed me. “Not tonight Larry, kind of tied up”, I said.
“Traffic again?”
“Yup, absolutely brutal”
“Don’t know how you do it,” he said.
