Road Dogs

TWENTY-SIX

ZORRO WAS IN HIS ROOM ON THE THIRD FLOOR WATCHING the History Channel, learning about UFO hunters, army sniper teams, how they built the Golden Gate bridge, mining for diamonds, while looking at the National Enquirer, catching up on movie stars seen at the beach getting fat or in trouble doing drugs.

The last action he was into, Cundo phoned and told him to steal Jimmy's Bentley. Then Cundo calls Jimmy to tell him his car is gone and what it will cost him to buy it back. Teach him to quit skimming so much, Jesus Christ, enough to buy a Bentley. He went to prison in Cuba for skimming and would have been sodomized to death if Cundo didn't save him. Little Jimmy looked like an easy mark, Cundo said, and had to be protected from wolves, dirty guys, as well as from himself, his avaricia. Zorro asked what Cundo would do to punish him and Cundo said, "Scare him to death, tha's all. The Monk has been loyal to me for twenty-seven fucking years, man."

Today he walked in Jimmy's office and saw something had Jimmy by the throat. It was the same as last night driving him home, he wouldn't say a word. "You have a good time?" Nothing. "It was a good dinner?" No answer. Zorro asked him what was wrong, can he be of help. Jimmy said he couldn't talk about it. It wasn't business, business was good. Zorro had the feeling-it was like someone had made Jimmy promise not to say a word about something that happened or something he saw, under pain of death. He wouldn't sit down. Kept walking to the window. He wouldn't answer the phone. It rang, Zorro had to pick it up and say he wasn't in the office. The guy Foley called, asking where he was. Zorro said he was out. The same thing Zorro would say when Jimmy used to put his nose in the powder. Zorro believed he could help him if he knew what was wrong.

Or could it be Cundo scaring him again?

Or past scaring him. Cundo in a rage this time over something Jimmy did. Cundo wanting Little Jimmy cut up with a chain saw and dumped in the ocean. Cundo through with him. Could that be?

Foley came up the stairs and Zorro stopped him, spread his hand open on Foley's T-shirt.

"Jimmy don't need you bothering him today."

"What's wrong, he's sick? I hear Cundo's laid up," Foley said. "Might have ptomaine from eating some Cuban dish. Is that Jimmy's problem? I'd like to know where they ate and stay away from the place."

"Jimmy didn't go out to eat. I brought him home from Cundo's."

"Cundo went out-"

"I don't know. You told me one time," Zorro said, "you don't want nothing to happen to Jimmy."

"I meant I'm on his side. I said I didn't want nothing to happen to him and you said, 'It won't.' If I'm gonna believe you, you have to believe me."

"I can tell you," Zorro said, "he's ascared to death of something can happen to him. He won't talk to me. He went to confession so he's in the state of grace his life comes to an end. He knows I'd go out and shoot whoever is scaring him. He has papers on his desk today, and his desk is always clean."

"Legal papers?"

"I don't know, maybe. Or they deeds to property. The only thing he said to me, 'I'm so tired.' I said, 'Go to bed.' But it wasn't that kind of tired."

"What happened last night?" Foley said. "Dawn served macaroni and cheese, she said to be funny. Then after they took Cundo-Dawn and Tico took him out to eat Cuban and today he's sick as a dog. That's according to Dawn."

Foley looked right at Zorro, the little mustache on the face like a fox; Zorro a young-looking fifty. "We go in," Foley said, "I'd like you to stand up with me and we'll get it out of him."

Little Jimmy stood back of his desk looking out the window. Gray out there today: looking at the bar across the street where a man was stabbed with a screwdriver the other day. He looked around as Foley came in with Zorro, took their time but came right up to the marble desk, their stares pinning Little Jimmy to the window.

"I hear you're having a nervous breakdown," Foley said. "Have you thought it might be booze?"

"I can't talk to you," Jimmy said.

"Who said you can't?"

"I tell you, you'll try to talk me out of what I have to do." "But you want to tell me, don't you?"

"I have to see the properties, the houses, this building, are put in Dawn Navarro's name." He looked at Zorro. "You call her the bruja" and said to Foley, "She told him she knows he's my boyfriend, why I keep him close by."

"I don't get it," Foley said. "You don't sign the properties over, she tells everybody you and Zorro are getting it on?"

"No, but is what she said. We never like that. Zorro is a devout Catholic. He's going to shoot her she says that about us."

"Then what's the problem?" Foley said. "If you don't want Dawn to have the properties, don't give 'em to her. You hold the deeds, don't you? Cundo told me that himself."

"Yes, but I don't think I can deny her if she wants the houses."

Foley said, "You mean 'defy her,' don't you? You're afraid not to give her what she wants. She put a hex on you? You don't give her the houses she'll turn you into a fairy? I mean a real one, with a magic wand." He began to smile and Jimmy showed a grin.

Jimmy said, "She's surprised, she thought I would want her to have the properties."

Foley said, "This isn't Cundo's idea."

Jimmy said, "No." Then took time to say he didn't think so. "She has the right as his common-law wife, you might say."

"Or you might not," Foley said. He watched Jimmy turn in profile to the window again and stood looking at the gray sky, no life in it.

"You know what it sounds like you're telling me?" Jimmy turned his head. "I don't know. What?" "Cundo's dead."

Jimmy stared at Foley and Foley waited, but Jimmy turned to the window again.

"Tell me if I'm right or not." Foley waited.

"What happened last night?" Waited and said, "At the dinner." Jimmy shook his head. "Cundo was there, wasn't he?" "I'm not talking to you," Jimmy said.

"You can always run. Go to Vegas and spend some of Cundo's money. Or you can stay."

"And tell her," Zorro said, "to forget what she wants."

"The day before yesterday," Foley said, "I told Cundo I would never let Dawn have the homes in her name. He asked if she'd said something to me. I said, 'No, but I'll bet you a dollar she'll sell the homes out from under you and take off.' Cundo said, 'No, the homes stay in Little Jimmy's name.' You can have that notarized," Foley said, "and I'll sign it."

Zorro nudged him.

"Why are you afraid of her? You've got Zorro here. Zorro's pledged his life"-and could feel Zorro looking at him-"not to let anybody take advantage of you. Or take a shot at you, some guy Dawn knows will do it for her." Foley said, "Jimmy, you gotta man-up this time."

Zorro said, "We only dealing with a woman."

Jimmy said, "Yes, but she has a gun."

"She still only a woman," Zorro said.

"Jimmy, whose gun is it?" Foley waited. "Or is it hers, she's always had it?"

"I don't know," Jimmy said. "A gun is a gun and she has one. Wha's the difference whose it is?"

"Look at me," Foley said. "Jimmy, don't give her any of the properties, nothing."

He was looking out the window again.

"I don't see her," Jimmy said. "Maybe she'll go away."