The Gentlemen's Hour

162

Boone drives to La Jolla.

The Hole.

Rabbit and Echo are on duty in front of the house. Rabbit pats Boone down while Echo gets on the horn and then comes back and says it’s okay for Boone to go in. Or out.

Red Eddie’s lying on a floatie in the pool, sipping some fruity drink with an umbrella in it. His ankle bracelet is wrapped in a plastic Baggie. Dahmer’s stretched out on a floating cushion nearby. Eddie cranes his neck up, squints into the sun, and says, “Boonie, an unexpected pleasure! You could have just sent a card.”

Red Eddie’s pidgin Hawaiian comes in and out like the tide. It depends on his mood and intent. Today, he’s all Wharton Business.

“Fuck you, Eddie.”

“Not exactly the Hallmark sentiment I was expecting.” Eddie says, “but pithy, nevertheless.”

“Stay out of my life.”

“Even to save it, Boone?” Eddie asks. “It’s not just a past-tense question—the cartel is very upset with you, costing them all this money and trouble. They’re not so happy with me, either, wiping out two of their boys and one of their best interrogators. When things settle for them, they’ll be coming for both of us.”

“Look out for yourself,” Boone says. “Not me.”

Eddie paddles to the edge of the pool and sets his drink down. Then he rolls off the floatie into the water, dives down to cool himself, comes back up, and says, “This is the problem with that, Boone: I owe you. My son’s life. My life, too. How can I ever stop repaying that? I can’t. So you will just have to learn to accept my care and largesse—a little more graciously, please.”

“I just came to tell you that Corey Blasingame didn’t kill—”

“I already heard,” Eddie says. “Do you think that I’m without resources in the hallways of power? I am informed that it was Trevor Bodin who murdered my calabash cousin. Is that correct?”

Boone doesn’t answer, but says, “I suppose it’s useless to ask you to refrain from doing what you’re going to do.”

“Supposition correct.”

“Even if Kelly wouldn’t want you to do it?”

“I never respond to ‘even ifs,’” Eddie says. “Aloha, Boone.”

“Drown.”

Boone walks away.

“Nice,” Eddie says. He dives again, comes up, and yells at Rabbit, “What, you think my drink is going to swim over here by itself, da kine?”

Rabbit hustles for the drink.