Small crimes

Chapter 8

It was twenty past seven and I was halfway through my turkey hotplate special before Junior showed up. He had a couple of thugs with him; hard humorless types who used to work for his dad. Junior spotted me at my booth, leered in my direction, and came over and sat down. The diner was mostly empty and his two thugs sat at an empty booth nearby.

'Hey, what's going on, Joe?' he said. 'You invite me to dinner and you start without me? Don't you got no etiquette?'

He signaled the waitress over. 'Sweetheart,' he said, 'bring me a steak, well done, and a glass of wine, something red.'

'We offer Chianti, Cabernet and Merlot by the glass, sir. Which would you prefer?' she asked.

'Whichever's better, your choice, sweetheart. Just make sure it's your best.'

He waited until she left and then turned to me. 'I try to drink more red wine these days.' Then lower and more surly, 'I don't appreciate you trying to order me around, Joe, but it's been a while and I figure I give you a break for old time's sake. What business you and me got?'

I took my time chewing and swallowing my food before telling him that I needed to talk to him about Manny.

'Yeah, what about Pop?'

'Why are you letting Phil Coakley work on him?’

‘I don't know what you're talking about.’

‘You don't know Phil is visiting your dad every day?’

‘Yeah, so?'

'So? Phil was bragging to me that he's going to put the fear of God in your dad and squeeze a confession out of him.'

Junior gave me a slight smile. 'Let him try. Pop's no rat. He's not going to talk.'

'I think you're wrong there.'

'I think you better shut up.'

His leer had shifted into something more violent. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. 'Look, Junior,' I said, 'I think we've got a real problem here.'

'I don't think we got any problem. Pop's not going to rat anyone. You don't need to worry about nothing.' He leaned forward, a glint in his eyes. 'And I never liked you calling me Junior. Got it?'

I sighed. 'Sure. Manny. All you have to do is send your dad to a hospital out of state, maybe to Boston or New York. Your dad will get better care and we won't have to worry about Phil trying to trick him into a confession.'

Junior was shaking his head. I can't do that,' he said. 'Pop wants to stay put. He don't want to go nowhere.' He rubbed a thick hand over his jaw and showed me an embarrassed smile. 'Besides,' he said, 'I like having him close by.'

'You could send him back to the Bronx. He must have old friends and family there.'

'Nah, I told you, he don't want to go nowhere.'

"Then keep Phil out of your dad's room. Don't let him visit.'

'Yeah, well, I can't do that either. Those visits are helping my pop's spirit. It makes him feel good. Besides, it don't matter. Pop's not going say a word to him.'

'How do you know that?'

‘

‘Cause I know.'

'You talk to your dad about what he's planning to do?'

A glint of violence was back in his eyes. I don't know what point you're trying to make.'

"That if your dad talks you're going to get hurt too. Even if he made a deal with Phil not to prosecute you, you'll still get hurt. All of your businesses will be shut down. And I guarantee you all your money will be taken away. Besides, I doubt Phil would bother honoring a deal. My bet would be as soon as your dad's dead, you'll get prosecuted along with everyone else.'

The waitress came over with his glass of wine. Junior sat frozen as she placed it in front of him. He waited until she had walked away before telling me that he'd take any bet I wanted to make.

'You got yourself such a great track record making winning bets,' he said. 'Me and Pops used to get a good laugh out of your losing streak. You couldn't win a bet to save your life.'

'I'm glad I was able to amuse both of you,' I said. 'But it doesn't change the fact your dad's telling me about hearsay exclusions and other things he doesn't have a clue about. The only way he could possibly have heard about any of that stuff was from Phil. His new buddy is trying to sell him a ticket to heaven, filling him up with a bunch of crap about how he can cleanse his soul with a deathbed confession that can't be used in court.'

'Pop tell you that?'

'Just about.'

Junior's eyes dulled a bit as he thought over what I said. Then he shook his head. 'No fucking way. You're delusional. Your stint in jail made you soft in the head, Joe. There's no way Pop's saying a word to nobody. No fucking way. And I'm getting sick of you saying otherwise. I came here tonight 'cause of old times and you're going to give me this shit?'

Junior pointed a thick, stubby finger at me and lowered his voice. 'You know what pisses me off about you? You think you're so goddam smart. If you're so brilliant how come you ended up in jail? If it was me, there's no way I walk out of that building with Coakley still breathing. You do something that stupid and you're going to start questioning me?'

'I wasn't questioning you, I'm just trying-'

'Yeah, well, shut up. From now on I'm doing the questioning and you're doing the answering, understand? And first thing I want to know about is an old friend of ours that I'll call Billy F. Do you remember Billy F.?'

I didn't say anything.

'Billy R, come on, think back. You were supposed to collect thirty grand from him. Remember him yet?'

'I was never sent to collect from Ferguson.'

'That's not what Pop says.'

'I don't give a shit what your pop says.'

'Not a good attitude, Joe.'

"This is what the two of you cooked up, huh?'

'I don't know what the fuck you're talking about. All I know is what Pop told me. That, and that Billy F. emptied out an IRA account before seeing you. Oh yeah, one other thing, we never got a dime of our money.'

'Fuck you.'

'Not a good attitude, Joe, 'cause I'm putting you on the hook for the thirty grand. For old time's sake, I'll give you a break on the interest. Five percent a week. First payment due Wednesday. That gives you four days. And I want at least three grand. You know Jamie and Duane over there?'

Junior waved a hand in the direction of his two thugs. Jamie, who was sitting closer to me, winked. Duane paid no attention and sat as still as a granite block.

'They'll be collecting from you,' Junior went on. 'But being as we're old friends I'll give you another break. You got a twenty grand line of credit if you want to place any bets. Hey, a couple of good picks and we'll be even by Sunday night. What do you say, want to take any action this weekend?'

Junior showed me an ugly smile and then he started laughing. After a while I joined him.

'Yeah, what's so funny?' he said.

"That you think you're going to collect a dime from me,' I said when I could.

'Don't worry. I'll be collecting it.' That just made me laugh harder.

'Jamie and Duane are tougher than those two boys you put in the hospital,' he said.

'You heard about that, huh? Well, they might be but you sure as hell aren't. They come after me and I'll be seeing you afterwards.'

Junior's mouth twitched. He sat frozen, breathing hard, his black eyes shining with malice.

'What's to stop me right now from taking you out of here and driving you someplace private?' he asked.

'Well,' I said, 'I guess us being old friends and all.'

He didn't say anything. He just sat staring at me and breathing hard.

'And I guess because if I were to disappear you'd be going away to prison for a long time.'

'Pop told me about your so-called safety deposit box. I think you're bluffing.'

'There's only one way to find out.'

The waitress came over with his dinner. After she put it in front of him, Manny called her back. 'Hey, darling,' he said, 'I kind of lost my appetite. Why don't you wrap this up for me.'

He waited until she went back to the kitchen before standing up. 'You keep away from Pop, understand? He's a sick man, he don't need your shit. If I hear anything about you bothering him again, I promise I'll call your bluff. And don't worry, Joe, you'll be hearing from my boys Wednesday. And you'll be paying up. One way or another I'll be collecting from you.’

‘I'll be looking forward to it,' I said.

'You think you're so fucking smart.' He shook his head. He started walking towards the counter and his two thugs got up to join him. The waitress came out of the kitchen with his steak wrapped up and he took it from her.

'Thanks, darling,' he said, 'dinner's on my buddy sitting over there.' One of his thugs, Jamie, got a chuckle out of that. I watched as the three of them left the diner, got into a Range Rover and drove off.

I finished my dinner and then called the waitress over and asked for a piece of pecan pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a cup of coffee. She was about to walk away, hesitated, and showed me an awkward smile.

'Those are some friends you've got,' she remarked.

'They sure are,' I agreed. The thought hit me that Manny and Junior and Dan Pleasant were the closest things I had to friends these days, and I started laughing. It wasn't really funny, at least not entirely, but it was something. She must have thought I was nuts.

Everything would've been solved if Junior had been willing to either move Manny out of state or to keep Phil from visiting him. But I knew no amount of convincing would change Junior's mind. It would have to be something else. I was sure Manny was working out a deal with Phil. There was no doubt about that. I wondered briefly whether Junior was in on the discussions and decided he wasn't. He enjoyed what he did too much and wouldn't want to give up what he had. When Manny confessed it would come as a surprise to him. It would probably shatter him to find out that his old man was a rat after all. At least I'd be able to get a little consolation out of that.

I wasn't too worried about his boys trying to collect from me. I had gone out on jobs with both of them in the past, and while they Were tough and vicious, they weren't used to their victims fighting back. You get somewhat spoiled when the guy you're beating is always cowering on his knees. Maybe I'd surprise them – take one of them out quickly and then deal with the other. What bothered me more was the whole setup. It smelled like something Manny would come up with to tie me to Ferguson's murder. I wondered briefly about it, but then decided it didn't matter. I had more important things to worry about and, anyway, Wednesday was a long way away. Hopefully, I'd be far from Bradley by then.

I finished my pie and ice cream and lingered somewhat over my coffee before heading out. I had only driven a mile from the diner when someone flashed their lights behind me. I looked in my rearview mirror and saw Dan Pleasant in his pickup truck waving me over. I pulled over to the side of the road and waited for him to pull up behind me. He got out of his truck, casually walked to my passenger side, rapped on the window, and then opened the door and sat inside.

'Why don't you drive around,' he said.

I shifted the car into first gear and pulled back onto the road. 'How'd you know where to find me?' I asked.

Out of the corner of my eye I could see Dan smiling pleasantly. 'One of my deputies, Hal Wheely, spotted you sitting in the Star Diner with Junior and gave me a call. I've been waiting out here close to a half-hour for you to finish up. I'll tell you, Joe, that was an interesting situation you got yourself into last night. The police report read like a bad Hollywood script. I would've thought you'd try to be smarter and keep a low profile.'

'It was just one of those things,' I said.

'Just one of those things?' Dan chuckled softly. I guess that's one way of describing it. So tell me, Joe, did it happen the way you said it?'

'Yeah, pretty much.'

He seemed somewhat amused as he studied the area where I had been scratched. 'Looks like she did a pretty good job on you,' he said.

'It's not too bad. I'll live.'

'I can just picture it.' He chuckled again. 'Little Clara Coakley luring you with her nice ass and small tits and you falling for it hook, line and sinker. Even with her small tits she's a good-looking girl, but let me explain the ropes to you. You're forty, a disgraced ex-cop, a felon, no job, no prospects, and at best average looking. There're not too many twenty-something-year-old girls, especially attractive ones like Clara, who'd have any interest in you.'

"Thanks for the pep talk. Did one of your deputies spot her car parked near my parents'?’

‘What do you think, Joe?’

‘Pretty much that.'

'After those two boys were brought to the emergency ward, the hospital called my office. Our DA friend should have called me also, but I guess it slipped his mind. Any case, I dragged myself out of a warm bed for you, Joe. I visited your Bradley police station, read the police report, and thought I'd help clear the matter up quickly. Let me tell you what I was hoping. That you'd be smart enough to make a deal with our DA friend. Nothing outrageous, just something fair like you don't file charges against his little girl and he leaves sleeping dogs lie. Or in our case, cancer-ridden dogs. Tell me you did that.'

'I thought about it, but no, I didn't.'

'Damn it!' He punched the dashboard. His face screwed up into a snarl, the type you'd see on a wounded animal. Just as quickly it was gone and his pleasant smile was back. He sighed, still smiling pleasantly, 'Joe, Joe, Joe. Why didn't you do that? I really thought you'd be smart enough to do that.'

'Because it wouldn't have done any good,' I said.

'I think it could've done a lot of good.'

'No, it wouldn't. He would've brought charges against his daughter without blinking an eye. If I had offered him a deal it would have only made him dig harder. Besides, he knows no jury around here would convict her.'

Dan thought over what I said and shook his head. 'I think you're outguessing yourself. You're probably right about Clara walking with nothing but a slap on her pretty behind, but it would still be a nasty business and I don't think he'd want to put her through that. Why don't you do us both a favor and visit Coakley tomorrow and threaten to press charges against Clara.'

'Trust me, I was there with Phil last night. I saw the way he was taking it. If I tried suggesting a deal, he'd bring me up on obstruction of justice charges.'

'Well, Joe,' he said, 'you know that I like to play the percentages. I thought this would be a simpler and less risky way to resolve our problem, but it's your call. As long as you resolve it, I'm satisfied. I have to tell you, though, time is ticking away. I'd really like to see our problem resolved with Plan A, but I'm afraid I might have to go to Plan B soon.'

'I wasn't bluffing years ago when I told you about my safety deposit box.'

'I didn't think you were.'

'You'll do jail time if anything happens to me.'

'I know I will.' He gave a heavy sigh. 'But, Joe, as I told you before, I like to play the percentages. If Manny talks, which I consider a certainty, I'll go away for a very long time. From what you've told me about the contents of your safety deposit box, I think the only thing that can hurt me is that tape. I've talked to a lawyer and I'm pretty sure your journal won't be able to cause me too much damage. Some, but not much. In any case, purely from a percentage point of view, I'm better off with that scenario than with Manny talking. From a personal point of view, I'd hate to do it. I like you, Joe, and I'm not terribly fond of either our DA or Manny.'

'And you think you can get away with murdering me?'

He made a sour face and shrugged. 'Again, I'd hate to go in that direction, but yes, I think so. You get picked up by my deputies, a struggle ensues, and then we have the inevitable outcome.'

'And you've had practice with that.'

'Joe, I'm not saying one way or the other.'

'You're not thinking clearly,' I said. 'If I were to drop dead right now it wouldn't stop Phil from trying to coax a confession out of Manny.'

Dan was still smiling pleasantly, but his smile seemed frozen on his face. 'I'm playing the percentages with that also. I think if you're out of the picture, Coakley will let things drop. I might be wrong. We'll see. On another subject, you visit Manny yet?'

I nodded.

'And did you reach the same opinion as me – that he's about to screw us?'

'I saw him while Phil was reading him the Bible. You're right, he's not the Manny I used to know. He's a scared man who's trying to bargain his way into heaven. My guess, he's trying to work out a deal with his lawyer to protect Junior.'

'Sonofabitch!' Dan exploded. I saw Harold Grayson a few days ago and he couldn't look me in the eye. Damn, I should've known better. Joe, as a friend, I'm telling you to make a choice and get it over with. Manny or Coakley, either one. Just get it done. Time's running out, understand?'

I didn't say anything.

He took a deep breath and let it out loudly. 'Even without Plan B, I know you wouldn't want to spend the rest of your days in prison. So act smart now, okay? If you don't think you can make a deal with our DA friend, then choose between them and get it done.'

We drove in silence for a while. I turned my car around and headed back to his pickup truck. He let out another heavy sigh and asked me about my dinner with Junior.

'I thought I could talk sense into that psycho. All he has to do is either move his old man out of state or keep Phil from visiting him, but he won't consider it. According to Junior, his old man's not a rat and that's all there is to it.'

'I could've saved you the trouble. I tried talking to Junior a few weeks ago. He's not right in the head. And he's certainly a one hundred percent certifiable psycho. Of course, that's nothing we didn't already know.'

'He could barely control himself when I pushed him about Manny confessing,' I said.

'I can imagine that.' His eyes crinkled with amusement. 'Junior's got some complex concerning his old man. You should see it, Joe, if Manny so much as raises his voice to him or reprimands him, Junior goes pale as a sheet. Probably wets himself also. He's not capable of standing up to Manny about anything, especially questioning who can visit him or where he's going to live out his final days. If it were that simple, I would've taken care of this weeks ago.'

I decided it wouldn't be a good idea to mention about Junior siccing his thugs on me to collect thirty grand. Instead I told him how Junior had invited me to his basement to show me a new game room.

'He did that, huh?' Dan said, laughing slightly.

'Yep.'

'I guess for him it probably is a game room,' he said. 'What's he got down there?'

'Junior's built himself a soundproof room with two items in it; a butcher's table and a furnace.'

Dan rubbed a hand across his eyes. I glanced over and saw that his smile had faded. He looked different, weary, his boyish features gone.

'Manny's been sick for about a year now,' he said. 'He was always a ruthless, tough bastard, but he was sane and his bottom line was business. You could work with him. Since Junior's taken over, it's been different. The guy's a sadistic nut job who gets off on showing the world what a badass he is. Money's secondary with him. If I didn't have to worry about consequences with Manny, I would've taken Junior into the woods months ago and put a bullet in his head.'

Dan stopped to push a hand through his hair and scratch the back of his head. When he looked back at me, he gave me a faint, almost apologetic smile.

'Let me tell you about this special room he built,' he continued. 'This college kid up in Burlington was supposedly manufacturing and distributing crystal meth without Junior's blessing. A few months ago this kid disappears without a trace, and then a rumor starts circulating about Junior's special room and how Junior had this college kid brought there and tied to the butcher's table. According to the rumor, Junior chopped the kid up with a meat cleaver and burned the body parts in the furnace. I had to investigate it. Even though I knew it could end up biting me in the ass with Manny, I had to look into it. So I got a search warrant and sure enough I found a soundproof room with nothing in it but a butcher's table and a furnace. Forensics went over it with a fine-tooth comb but Junior must have scrubbed it clean.'

'And you would've arrested Junior if you found anything?'

'I would've had to,' he said. 'I know this must sound out of character for me, but I would've had to take my chances with Manny. Some things you just can't ignore. But I promise you this; when Manny checks out Junior will be following close behind.'

I had gotten back to Dan's truck. I swung a quick U-turn and pulled up behind it.

He turned to me and placed a hand on my arm in a brotherly sort of way. His pleasant smile was back on, but it didn't quite erase the weariness around his eyes. 'Look, Joe,' he said, 'I know it's been almost eight years. As a friend I've taken care of things. Go to Kelley's, have yourself a good time.'

He started to get out of my car but stopped and faced me again. 'You've got two days left, Joe. Take care of it, okay?'

I half heard myself asking how I was supposed to get to Manny while he was being monitored twenty-four hours a day in the hospital.

'You're a smart man, think of something. If you can't there's always our DA friend.'

'If anything happens to Phil I'm the first guy they'll go after,' I said.

He stared at me for what seemed like minutes. 'Worst case get yourself a hunting rifle and wait outside his door Monday night. I'll make sure my boys bungle the investigation.'

I knew he was lying. I also knew the Bradley police would take charge of any murder within the city limits. If the Bradley police got a strong whiff that I was involved, which they would, then his deputies would step in and take care of me. Maybe he wouldn't even take that chance and would have his deputies waiting nearby to deal with me on the spot. He was simply improvising on Plan B where Phil and I both ended up dead.

As he was getting into his truck, I yelled out to him, asking him what Manny had on him. He ignored my question. Before driving off he rolled down his window and gave me a halfhearted wave.

I sat in my car numb. I don't think I ever felt the level of despair that I felt right then. Not even after my sentencing. Not even after Elaine had dumped me and had my divorce papers delivered by courier while I sat locked away in jail. 1 felt like I could barely move, as if all my strength had bled out of me.

The other day when I left jail I was determined not to cause any more damage in my life. But that was short lived. In less than a day I put two boys in the hospital and God knows what I did to Clara Coakley. And now all I could think about was murder. Because Dan was right, that was the only way out, or at least the only way out I could see. It had to be Manny or Phil. The problem was I didn't see any way to get to Manny and I'd already done so much damage to Phil. The idea of doing any more just made me weaker.

At that moment, sitting in my car, I don't think I ever felt lower in my life. It all seemed so pointless. If I had a gun I probably would've used it. And during that moment of great despair all I could think about was Kelley's; as if they could offer me some sort of salvation. At least help me get through the next few hours.