Nathan's Run

Chapter 30

Sammy Bell turned the knob so there'd be no noise as he closed the door to Mr. Slater's office. He stood quietly, waiting to be recognized. In time, the old man looked up from his papers, but Sammy knew that he hadn't been reading at all, just collecting his thoughts. They both knew what had to be said. For Mr. Slater, it would be a difficult thing, but for Sammy, it was a moment for which he'd been waiting a long time.

For nearly forty years, the old man had leaned on Sammy for everything, depended on him to enforce the rules on the street. If someone stepped out of line, Sammy would set them straight. Loyal lieutenant that he was, Sammy had even buried a few bodies along the way.

Mr. Slater had run the drug, protection, banking and prostitution trades in his chunk of D. C. for over four decades. Back in the fifties, the Schillaci family tried to muscle him out, but Mr. Slater had been able to negotiate an amicable treaty with the Italians by taking temporary custody of Schillaci's daughter. The deal was finalized twenty minutes before Sammy was to have removed one of the girl's ears and have it delivered to the Don's headquarters.

Personally, Sammy had little patience for the Italians. Damn wops were a greasy, sleazy lot. But at least they had honor, and he admired that. So did Mr. Slater. In the years since their initial confrontation, Schillaci and Mr. Slater had run into each other quite a few times-inaugural balls, that sort of thing-and they'd become so civil over time that some observers thought they might actually have become friends.

Though separated in age by less than ten years, Sammy had always shown a paternal deference to Mr. Slater, who in turn doled out praise and criticism in the manner of a caring father. As the business grew and competitors came and went, only Sammy had chosen to stick exclusively with the old man, never once even dreaming about selling out. There was no such thing as loyalty anymore. Not even when the penalty was death.

They'd both hoped that Pointer would work out. He'd certainly shown the right signs, sticking in there and getting the job done despite his size and his girlish looks-the traits that led Sammy to turn the youngster away at first. But Pointer had begged and he made promises; looked like he might cry if Sammy didn't give him a chance. In the end, Sammy caved in, and right away, things started to go to hell.

Pointer wasn't content making deliveries and shuttling money. He wanted to be a hit man. That was the term he used-hit man. Like some dago thumb-breaker. When Sammy told him to quit watching movies and just do his job, Pointer went to Mr. Slater and delivered the same "please just give me a chance" speech. Like Sammy had done before, Mr. Slater bought it.

The day Lyle Pointer began collecting debts, he became the Hit Man, calling himself that on the street, and Mr. Slater loved it.

But Sammy saw through it right away. He couldn't stand the son of a bitch. Pointer dressed like a pimp; like a fucking wop, all leather and gold. And his shoes. Half the time, Sammy swore the punk wore women's shoes, barely as thick as a sheet of paper, and always made from the hide of some exotic reptile.

Think what he might, though, Sammy was more loyal than a seeing-eye dog, and if Mr. Slater wanted that sleazy punk representing him on the street-Lyle, for Chrissakes; who the fuck would name their child Lyle-well, then that's what Mr. Slater would have.

Sammy hated the mean streak worst of all. Pointer's love of plain cruelty-the pleasure he took from it-had gotten entirely out of hand the last couple of years, starting with that Donny Jackson fiasco. The nigger was just another punk; didn't know the rules yet. You don't slice off a kid's face and burn his balls off for a fucking mistake. That shit was just sick. Scary sick shit.

But Mr. Slater liked it. He said it made him feel like the old days, when the city was afraid of him. The respect had always been there, but it made him feel good to be feared again. Made him feel young.

To Sammy, respect was just fine. After all, he was the one who'd earned that respect for the old man. But Sammy was getting too old to be looking over his shoulder every day. Plus he had grandkids now, and it was about time for him to start enjoying what was left of his life.

Too old. That really summed it all up. His business had always been about violence, but there used to be rules. Killing was a part of the business, but in the old days it was always a last resort, used to deliver a particular message to a particular person. These days, killing was just sport. The niggers on the street-hell, even the kids in the high schools-were just popping each other for grins. It never used to be like that.

And this business of killing kids for money, that was just plain fucking wrong. Made them look like animals; bumbling, incompetent animals at that. Sooner or later, the word would leak out that Mr. Slater was tied to this Nathan Bailey mess. When that happened, even the respect would be gone. They had to put a stop to this shit. They had to put a stop to Pointer.

Presently, as Mr. Slater looked up from his papers, he motioned Sammy into one of the well-padded guest chairs in front of the desk. As he accepted the offer and settled into the cushions, Sammy wondered just how many hours-no, how many years-of his life had been spent in one of these chairs.

They sat quietly for a while until Mr. Slater spoke. "Well?" he rasped.

"Well, what, Mr. Slater?" Though he had earned the right, Sammy felt awkward launching right into an I-told-you-so.

"You called this meeting, Sammy. I presume you want to discuss Lyle again."

Sammy cleared his throat. Even after as long as they'd known each other, it was still difficult to tell the old man that he'd fucked up. "Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. We've got to stop him, Mr. Slater."

Mr. Slater nodded. "You mean rein him in?"

Was it possible he didn't see the obvious? "No, sir. I mean… more than that. He's killed two cops now. The prison guard was bad enough, but cops. Jesus. When word leaks out, everything we've built will come down around our ears. It's not worth it, sir. Pointer has to be sacrificed?'

Mr. Slater formed a steeple with his fingers and pressed them against his lips. "Suppose word doesn't leak out? We have many secrets, Sammy. Not all of them leak out."

"We've never had a secret like this, Mr. Slater. In all the years, we've only had to whack one cop, and that was because he was playing both ends. We did the cops a favor, and even they knew it. But this shit's out of control. Son of a bitch is killing everyfuckingbody. It's nuts."

The old man considered Sammy's words. "And what about the money? Do we just forget about the money?"

Sammy's mouth struggled for better words for a while, but then he gave up and shrugged. "yeah," he said. "Yeah, we forget about the money, just like you told Pointer the other day. We make that Mark Bailey asshole go away, and we write off the five hundred grand to bad business."

Mr. Slater inhaled noisily and let it go with considerable effort. The air made a growling sound as it rumbled through his emphysemic lungs. "Five hundred thousand dollars is a lot of money, Sammy?'

"Yes, it is. And let's not forget who pitched this crazy plan in the first place:'

"Ah, yes. Lyle again."

"And this business of killing a kid for money… "

Mr. Slater silenced him with a wave. "You've made your point, Sammy."

"Yes, sir." Sammy broke eye contact and stared at his own foot, where it rested leisurely against the opposite knee. As Mr. Slater worked his way through the problem, only the rattling of his breathing pierced the silence.

At length, Mr. Slater spoke. "We must do what must be done. But I want some dignity for Lyle. He's served well:'

"Yes, sir?' Sammy agreed.

"He'll call this morning. I want to speak with him when he does:'

"Yes, sir."

Sammy read his boss's body language and rose to leave, glancing at the old man one last time to check his mood. How ancient Slater looked, every year and every decision having carved a crease into his yellow-gray flesh. His boss would be gone soon, and there'd be no one to take his place. The punks would inherit the streets. That would be a tragic day, Sammy thought.

Was it possible he didn't see the obvious? "No, sir. I mean… more than that. He's killed two cops now. The prison guard was bad enough, but cops. Jesus. When word leaks out, everything we've built will come down around our ears. It's not worth it, sir. Pointer has to be sacrificed."

Mr. Slater formed a steeple with his fingers and pressed them against his lips. "Suppose word doesn't leak out? We have many secrets, Sammy. Not all of them leak out."

"We've never had a secret like this, Mr. Slater. In all the years, we've only had to whack one cop, and that was because he was playing both ends. We did the cops a favor, and even they knew it. But this shit's out of control. Son of a bitch is killing everyfuckingbody. It's nuts."

The old man considered Sammy's words. "And what about the money? Do we just forget about the money?"

Sammy's mouth struggled for better words for a while, but then he gave up and shrugged. "Yeah," he said. "Yeah, we forget about the money, just like you told Pointer the other day. We make that Mark Bailey asshole go away, and we write off the five hundred grand to bad business."

Mr. Slater inhaled noisily and let it go with considerable effort. The air made a growling sound as it rumbled through his emphysemic lungs. "Five hundred thousand dollars is a lot of money, Sammy."

"Yes, it is. And let's not forget who pitched this crazy plan in the first place:'

"Ah, yes. Lyle again."

"And this business of killing a kid for money… "

Mr. Slater silenced him with a wave. "You've made your point, Sammy?'

"Yes, sir." Sammy broke eye contact and stared at his own foot, where it rested leisurely against the opposite knee. As Mr. Slater worked his way through the problem, only the rattling of his breathing pierced the silence.

At length, Mr. Slater spoke. "We must do what must be done. But I want some dignity for Lyle. He's served well."

"Yes, sir," Sammy agreed.

"He'll call this morning. I want to speak with him when he does:'

"Yes, sir."

Sammy read his boss's body language and rose to leave, glancing at the old man one last time to check his mood. How ancient Slater looked, every year and every decision having carved a crease into his yellow-gray flesh. His boss would be gone soon, and there'd be no one to take his place. The punks would inherit the streets. That would be a tragic day, Sammy thought.