Potshot

Chapter 45

IT WAS BERNARD'S turn to cook breakfast. He valued presentation. He always put out a tablecloth and matching flatware. He put the juice in a pitcher and the milk in another. No cartons on the table. He served the meals from the counter instead of slopping the food out of the cooking pan at the table. Today he was serving apricot pancakes with syrup made from some sort of cactus pear.

"Bernard," Tedy Sapp said, "you sure you're straight?"

"Damned right I'm straight," Bernard said. "Anybody says I'm not I'll fight him."

Sapp grinned.

"When a gay guy calls you queer, it's not an insult," he said.

"You think I wouldn't fight you?" Bernard said.

"I think you would," Sapp said. "Just not for long."

Bernard put three pancakes on a dinner plate and brought it to the table.

"Well you just mess with me," he said. "We'll find out how long."

Sapp's grin grew wider.

He said, "I wouldn't mess with you Bernard."

Bernard put my pancakes down in front of me. They were carefully arranged on the plate so that they didn't overlap. I put just enough honey on and cut off a bite and ate it.

When I had swallowed, I said, "You can really cook for a straight guy, Bernard."

"Don't you start with me," he said.

"Why would Morris Tannenbaum send Ronnie here?" Chollo said.

"I figure he got double-crossed," I said.

"By who?"

"Everybody involved."

"Which is who?" Hawk said.

"I'll get back to you on that," I said.

"He has many resources," Chollo said. "Why not send Ronnie and some people out here, straighten it out himself?"

"Why," I said, "if we'll do it for him?"

"Why does he wish to pay us for something we're going to do even if he does not?"

I looked at Hawk.

"'Cause he been double-crossed," Hawk said. "And he can't let no one do that and get off. So he wants it to be him paid us."

Chollo looked at me. I nodded.

"Be my guess," I said.

"You have not ever met the man."

"Magical, ain't it?" Hawk said.

"So why not permit him to pay us?" Chollo said.

"Step at a time," I said. "First let's shove The Preacher a little."

"About time," Vinnie murmured.

Hawk looked at him. Vinnie shrugged and didn't say more. Vinnie looked up to Hawk.

"We going to go in after them?" Chollo said.

"Not yet," I said. "We interfere with their ability to do business, see what it brings us."

"You think you can get them to bargain?" Sapp said.

"He thinks he can get them to tell him who killed Buckman."

"He does?" Sapp said.

"That how he is," Hawk said.

Bernard came from the counter with his own plate of pancakes and sat down. He tucked his napkin into his collar, and picked up his knife and fork.

"Why's he care who killed Buckman?" Bernard said.

"Hawk's right," Chollo said. "I worked with him before, what was the name of that place where we found the broad?"

"Proctor," I said.

"Yeah, Proctor," Chollo said. "Up outside Boston. When I was up there with him, he worried about things that the rest of us don't worry so much about."

Chollo looked at Sapp.

"'Cept maybe him," he said.

"That's a mean thing to say to me," Sapp said.

"Today's Wednesday," I said. "The Preacher and his associates come in to town on Thursday and collect money from the town."

"You going to brace them then?" Sapp said.

"He won't do nothing that simple," Vinnie said.

"We're going to watch them," I said. "See who they collect from, and when. Then we look around town and figure out, knowing the collection pattern, we see if we can develop a game plan, which does not involve shooting a bunch of civilians while we're bracing them."

"See?" Vinnie said.

Bobby Horse had said nothing, eating six pancakes in the process. Now he looked up.

"Good plan," he said.

"Might make sense," Hawk said. "We go in today, look around."

I had just poured a second cup of coffee. I added milk and a lot of sugar and stirred it carefully.

"It would," I said. "But not as a group. Just drift in individually, maybe couple guys together."

"I'll go in with Tedy," Bernard said.

"I'd be honored," Sapp said.

"What you going to do?" Hawk said.

"How do you know he's not going to go in with us?" Bernard said.

Hawk smiled and didn't answer.

"I'm going to go and talk with Mary Lou."

" 'Bout time," Hawk said.

"It is," I said.