Robert B. Parker’s Blood Feud

Sixty-Three

Richie said he was going back to Charlestown to spend the night at his uncle Felix’s. He called it babysitting. I told him I wouldn’t necessarily refer to it that way in front of Felix.

“Felix is used to dealing from strength,” Richie said. “Being in charge. This is different. We do something wrong here, Desmond dies.”

I had explained by then that I didn’t exactly want to take Albert Antonioni, I just wanted to borrow him for a little while. And then reason with him.

“Tell me how,” Richie said.

“Let me work on my plan a little more,” I said, and then told him what he needed to find out from his uncle.

“Promise me you won’t set anything in motion without telling me,” he said.

“Have I ever lied to you?” I said.

“Often,” he said.

“But about things that matter?” I said.

“Less often,” he said.

He kissed me hard. I kissed him back. When Richie was gone, and the two men watching him were gone, I called Spike and told him my plan.

Then made two more calls after that.

I met Tony Marcus in his office at Buddy’s Fox at noon the next day. Junior was there, as was Ty Bop. Tony was behind his desk, wearing a charcoal suit with wide pinstripes and slightly wider lapels than were the current fashion, dressed for a big night on the town even in the middle of the day.

Always my relationship with him had been transactional. So was it now.

I got right to it, explaining what I wanted to happen and hoped would happen as quickly as possible. For once he did not interrupt, just nodded and listened, as if I were his stockbroker bringing him up to date on his portfolio.

“It would just be a part of the diversification project into Rhode Island you’ve been talking about,” I said.

“Think I couldn’t have come up with this on my own, if I’d’ve thought of it first?” he said.

“I’m sure you could have figured out something on the girls,” I said. “Having guns to bargain with just makes it easier.”

“You pretty cocky, girl, thinking you can produce those guns,” he said.

“I can’t,” I said. “But I believe Felix Burke can. And will be highly motivated to do so.”

“Where the guns at?”

“Somewhere,” I said.

“And you think Felix just gonna tell you where they at?”

“If it means saving his brother’s life he will,” I said. “I’d bet my own life on that.”

“You think Albert been the one calling the shots on this war on the Burkes all along?” Tony said.

“He’s the only one who could have set it all in motion,” I said.

“What’s in it for him?”

I said, “This is nothing more than a working theory. But I think he set this whole thing up to take Desmond’s guns, and then take out Desmond once and for all.”

“Lot of moving pieces,” Tony said. He smiled. “So to speak.”

“Still are,” I said. “Why I’m here.”

Tony made a steeple with his fingers. I wanted to ask him where he had his nails done, because I was convinced his manicurist was way better than my own.

“You get something you want, Albert gets Desmond’s guns, Felix gets what he wants most in the world,” I said. “He gets his brother back.”

“If that old fuck still be alive.”

“If he is,” I said, “we need to move on this.”

“And you’re telling me all’s I got to do is set up the meet,” Tony Marcus said.

“Uh-huh,” I said. “Sooner rather than later.”

“And then I got to just do a little acting job when you show up and try to find out what you lookin’ to find out,” he said.

“Who better than you to play you?” I said. “The part you were born to play.”

He smiled.

“I love it when you blow smoke up my ass,” he said, “you come here wanting something bad enough. Most girls be willin’ to fuck me to get something they want that bad.”

“You should know by now,” I said to Tony Marcus, “that I’m not most girls.”

His fingers were still steepled. He closed his eyes in thought. Finally he said, “Rewards here do seem to outweigh the risk.”

“Uh-huh,” I said again.

“I’ll set up the meet,” he said.

“Nice doing business with you,” I said.

Tony’s smile was as white as what I could see of his white shirt.

“The balls on you,” he said.

I said, “That’s what they all say.”