47.

Burke sat with Cash at the bar in Freddy’s. It was evening. The piano player was doing a delicate version of “Shine,” his hands barely touching the keys. The room was full of men in summer straw hats and gray suits having a drink, maybe ten, after work.

“What’s on your mind,” Burke said.

Cash stared straight ahead at the mirror behind the bar.

“Paglia wants me to shoot you but not kill you,” Cash said.

Burke looked at him silently and waited.

“That make any sense to you?” Cash said.

“No.”

“I told Paglia that,” Cash said. “It don’t make any sense.”

“What’d he say?”

“Said it had to do with Robinson not getting killed.”

“Paglia?” Burke said.

Cash nodded and turned his gaze away from the bar mirror and looked straight at Burke for the first time.

“I was wrong,” Cash said. “Paglia was involved in that deal to kill Robinson.”

“With Boucicault?” Burke said.

“Here’s how it was supposed to go,” Cash said. “Boucicault, the kid, wants you dead. But his old man, you know, Frank?”

Burke nodded.

“Frank says no. Says he’s made a deal with another guy that leaves you out of it.”

“That would be Julius Roach,” Burke said.

Cash nodded.

“I know who he is,” Cash said. “And Paglia has had a hard-on ever since he got faced down up on Lenox Avenue by Robinson and a roomful of niggers.”

Burke nodded.

“But he’s got a lot of interests uptown,” Cash said. “And if he kills Robinson, then Wendell Jackson closes him down.”

Burke nodded again.

“So, Paglia and Frank Boucicault move in the same circles and one way or another, young Boucicault and Paglia get together,” Burke said.

“You’re starting to see it,” Cash said.

“And they make a deal. Boucicault kills Jackie, and Paglia kills me. Boucicault doesn’t get trouble from his father and Paglia doesn’t get trouble from Wendell.”

“Yep. And, here’s the part I like. Boucicault is pressing Paglia to kill you. He says he made a good faith run at Jackie and Paglia owes him one.”

“So Paglia wants to fulfill the bargain enough to keep Boucicault in the deal,” Burke said.

“But if I kill you,” Cash said, “then he’s got no bargaining chip to make Boucicault try Robinson again.”

“So you give him a little,” Burke said. ” You shoot me, but you don’t kill me. You that good?”

“Oh, hell, yes,” Cash said.

“You gonna do it?”

“No.”

Burke nodded.

“Paglia broke the rules.”

“Yeah,” Cash said. “He did.”

They finished their drinks, and ordered two more. The pianist was playing “Avalon” with a lot of gentle right hand.

“This has to end,” Burke said.

Cash shrugged.

“You want to help me end it?” Burke said.

“What are we ending?” Cash said.

“Paglia and Robinson, me and Boucicault. Lauren. The whole thing.”

“Lauren?”

“Julius’s daughter.”

“Lauren,” Cash said.

“Yeah.”

“What’s in it for me?” Cash said.

“Nothing.”

Cash nodded.

“Sounds like a hell of a deal,” he said.

“You in?” Burke said.

Cash drank half of his whisky and sipped water behind it.

“Tell me about Lauren,” he said.

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