Bad Business

50

When I woke up in the morning on the couch in my living room, I could hear my shower running. At least Adele was clean. I put on my pants and had coffee made and orange juice squeezed when she strolled out of my bedroom with her hair in place and her makeup on.

"God," she said. "Coffee and orange juice waiting. What a husband you'd make."

"This morning my accountant, with the blessing of Bob Cooper, begins his audit at Kinergy."

"Really? I can't imagine."

"I think we should go over there and be handy if he wants to talk with you."

"Your accountant?"

"Yes. Marty Siegel."

"To Kinergy?"

"I'll be with you," I said.

"You think it's important?"

"Yes."

"Will Vinnie come with us?"

"Sure," I said.

"I guess that will be okay," she said.

I took my turn at the shower. There were several pairs of highly impractical-looking ladies' underwear drying on my towel rack. I tried not to blush. As I was getting dressed, Vinnie showed up for work.

"You know a skinny little guy with long hair and big glasses?" Vinnie said.

"I do."

"He's got your place staked out." I walked to the front window.

"Corner of Arlington," Vinnie said. "Across Marlborough." I saw him. He was wearing a blue seersuker suit, and his hands were jammed into the side pockets.

"Might be staking out Emerson College," Vinnie said.

"Nope," I said. "It's me."

"Want me to buzz him?" Vinnie said.

"No, we'll leave him alone, see what he does."

I took my coffee to the window and watched Long Hair while I called Hawk on his cell phone.

"Where are you?" I said.

"Not your business," he said.

"What are you doing."

"Very not your business," he said.

"Oh that," I said. "Long Hair's showed up in front of my house, corner of Marlborough and Arlington. Blue seersucker suit. Big glasses with black frames."

"Okay," Hawk said. "Lemme finish up here."

"Make it quick."

Hawk laughed.

"Person I with don't want that."

"Whoops," I said. "Well, do your best and call me when it's over."

"Be over already, you hadn't called me up in the middle," Hawk said. "I'll call you when I'm on him."

I t was a large orange juice and two coffees before Hawk called.

"Got him," he said.

"Okay, long leash," I said. "Let's just see where he lives, who he is, that sort of thing."

"Sho," Hawk said.

With Long Hair behind us we walked to my car. I could see that it was annoying Vinnie.

"How 'bout I just put one in his foot, or maybe a knee?" Vinnie said.

"No," I said. "Gratifying though it would be."

"Are you talking about shooting that man?" Adele said.

"Yeah."

"Why is he following us?" she said.

"That's what I think we'll find out," I said. "Hawk's behind him."

A dele started to turn her head.

"Don't look," Vinnie said, and she froze.

"Wouldn't see him anyway," I said. "I expect we won't see him until he's through tailing Long Hair."

"So how do you know he's there?"

"He said he was there."

"But . . ."

"Hawk never says something ain't so," Vinnie said.

"Never?"

"Nope."

I beeped the power locks on my car doors. Vinnie opened the passenger door in front and Adele got in. Vinnie got in the back and I drove.

"So you want this man to follow us," Adele said.

"Yes."

"What if he doesn't have a car."

"Then he's really an amateur," I said. "But it doesn't matter if he follows us or just goes home. Hawk will find out who he is."

V innie was turned in the backseat, looking out my back window.

"He's got a car," Vinnie said.

I n my side mirror I could see a yellow Mazda Miata pull away from where it was parked by a hydrant.

"Nice car for a tail job," I said.

"Blends right in," Vinnie said.

"And you think Hawk is somewhere behind him?"

"Yep."

"And after this man eventually stops following us and goes home, Hawk will follow him there and find out who he is?"

"Yep."

"What if Hawk loses sight of him or something?"

I n the backseat, Vinnie laughed.

A dele turned and looked back at him.

"Well, it's certainly possible, isn't it?"

"No," Vinnie said, "it ain't."