Naked Greed

50

Dino swept into One Police Plaza, shaking hands, waving at people, smiling, even though it hurt his head to smile, and doing everything he could to look healthy, hardy, and ready to run a police department.

His secretary beamed at him and took his coat. “Chief Harrigan is already in there,” she said.

“Oh, swell, I’ve missed him so!” Dino strode into his office, and Harrigan sprang to his feet. “Welcome back, boss!” he said, pumping Dino’s hand, which also hurt his head.

Dino swung into his chair, opened a drawer, shook a couple of aspirin into his hand, and washed them down with water from a thermos. “Okay, Dan, anything new since last night?”

“Not a thing, boss.”

“Then get the hell out of here. I’ve got work to do.”

“Righto. Oh, Public Affairs wants a photograph of us to show that you’re back in harness.”

“Jesus. All right, get ’em in here.”

Harrigan opened the door and beckoned the photographer and the deputy chief for public affairs into the room. The two men pretended to examine some papers on Dino’s desk, then smiled broadly for another one. Dino kicked everybody out and took off his jacket.

He flopped down onto the sofa, unbuttoned his collar, and mopped his brow with his sleeve. His heart was thudding in his chest, and he was exhausted. He picked up the phone on the coffee table. “No phone calls, no visitors. Tell everybody I’m up to my neck in catch-up work.” He hung up and closed his eyes. In less than a minute he was asleep.

Ryan and Vinny sat on the beach, clutching drinks with umbrellas in them.

“So,” Vinny said, “tell me about this Charlie guy.”

“Charlie and his partner, Frank, worked for Al’s old man, Gino, just like Al and me, only they always seemed to get the best work. You didn’t work long for Gino, unless you were reliable, and that meant doing whatever the hell he told you to do. If Gino thought Charlie and Frank were reliable, then they were reliable. That’s good enough for me.”

“So why isn’t Frank around?”

“Charlie said Frank headed west after Gino got hit. I guess they thought they were the chief suspects, and maybe they were. I didn’t know anything about it at the time, and I still don’t.”

“What are we going to do about Al when we get back?”

“I don’t know, what’d you have in mind?”

“How about torturing and killing Sean Finn? I’d enjoy that.”

“You think Finn did it?”

“He hasn’t got the stones. I think that dealer guy did it. He’s an iceman, and if he did it, he’s off back to Vegas, and I don’t want to fall in that can of worms. I don’t mind a bit doing Finn, though. Maybe we should do like burglars and hit him again on bank day.”

Ryan shook his head, and sweat rained from his hair. “Nah, Al said Finn was going to beef up his security the first of the year, so you can bet he’s already at it. He’ll be on his guard all the time, too. Best to wait a few months until he’s feeling confident again, then drive up next to him at a traffic light some dark night and blow his fucking head off.”

“I can put out some feelers about Finn and his habits,” Vinny said. “That might help.”

“No! Don’t you put a goddamned feeler out to anybody, anytime. That’s how you end up in the joint with a needle in your arm. You just keep your mouth shut, listen, and bide your time. You don’t ask questions, and you sure as hell don’t put out feelers.”

Vinny sighed. “I guess you’re right. What about this bank tomorrow? How you feeling about that?”

Ryan shrugged. “Sounds good to me. I like it that Charlie has already done the place. You just follow his lead, and we’ll do fine.”

“What about this horse parlor he keeps talking about?”

“Now, that worries me. Horse parlors are always run by the mob, just like bookmaking is. I think after the bank job, I’ll just drift back to New Jersey and enjoy my new apartment for a while, watch some TV, wait for opportunities to raise their heads. That’s what you should do, too.”

“If you say so. I sure don’t want the mob after me. Life is too short for that shit.”

“Vinny, what do you tell your mother you do for money?”

“I don’t tell her nothing, and she don’t ask.”

“Why not? Doesn’t she want to know what her son does for a living?”

“My old man was a short-con grifter his whole life. He didn’t tell her nothing, and she learned not to ask. I’m just carrying on the family tradition.”

“You’re a grifter?”

“Nah, I don’t seem to have the talent for talking, like the old man did.”

“Whatever happened to him?”

“He ran into a wise mark and got himself plugged a couple times. That was that.”

“Vinny, you going to be okay for this bank deal?”

“I’m okay, if you’re okay, Gene. You got reservations, I got reservations.”

“I got no reservations,” Gene said, and ordered another drink with an umbrella.

Dino woke to a faint buzzing from the phone on his desk. He grabbed it: “What?”

“You’ve got a regular lunch date with the DC of PI at one,” she said. “That’s in fifteen minutes.”

“Break it. Tell him I’m not caught up yet.” He hung up and tried to go back to sleep, but couldn’t. He got up and used his private powder room, then went back to his desk and called Stone. “Hey,” he said.

“Hey, how are you feeling?”

“Like shit, but don’t tell Viv.”

“Of course not. I looked at you last night and thought you weren’t ready to go back, but I didn’t say anything.”

“Fifteen minutes after I got here I was asleep on my sofa.”

“That’s what a sofa is for,” Stone said. “Where’s Viv today?” Viv traveled all the time.

“Chicago — should be back for dinner, she says.”

“Why don’t you go home and go to bed?”

“I can’t, Eva would rat me out.”

“Come over here, then, and use my sofa.”

“Love to,” Dino said. “I’ll be there in twenty minutes, if I have to use the siren.” He hung up, got his jacket, and opened the door. “Tell ’em to bring the car around,” he said.

“Where you going?”

“Private meeting, confidential informer.”

“That’s what my last boss used to say. He’s divorced now.”

“Nothing like that. I just can’t stand being in the office for another minute. I came back too soon.”

“I knew that the minute I saw you.” She picked up the phone and called for the car. “Go home and get some rest.”

“Don’t tell anybody,” he said.