Waltz of Shadows

30

Price poured himself a drink and perched on the chair. He said to Doc, “Where’s your stash? Don’t look dumb. Go get it and be back pronto.”

“I don’t keep it at the house,” Doc said.

“Sure you do,” Price said. “Guy with your interests, I bet you got it close for those nights Bambi wants to sleep. She sleep on the same side your wife slept on, Doc? Huh? Quit jerking me around and go get it.”

Doc got up and left the room. He came back with a small cardboard box. He gave it to Price, went over and sat on the couch and looked pouty.

Price got out of his chair, put the box on the table and removed the lid. He picked up a couple of photographs and looked at them and put them back on top of the stack. He thumbed through the remainder, said, “You like this, huh?” He put the lid on the box. “All right, Doc, you can keep this stuff. My best wishes. But I got an idea, and you’re going to love it. In fact, I insist you love it. What you’re going to do is you’re going to do what Jake did for you. You’re going to recruit. You’re going to go to Fat Boy and say you’ve made a friend, and this friend wants to buy some pictures. Say what you want, but you lick Fat Boy’s dick enough he likes you.”

“I can’t do that,” Doc said. “I get caught in a lie, he’ll kill me.”

“You don’t do it,” Price said, “the state of Texas will kill you.”

“I guess I can talk to him,” Doc said.

“Who’s the friend going to be?” I asked.

“He knows me and you and your brother,” Price said. “Virgil would be good.”

“Whoa,” Virgil said. “I’m an attorney, not a Christmas turkey. He’s probably seen me around.”

“But he doesn’t know you on sight, does he?” Price said.

“I guess not,” Virgil said.

“I got to figure how I want it to play out,” Price said, “but basically, the whole thing’s simple. We make some arrangements, and we kill Fat Boy and Snake.”

“Shit,” Virgil said. “I don’t know. I got to think this over a little.”

“What about the two cops?” I asked.

“We kill them, too,” Price said, then turned to Doc. “You tell Fat Boy you want everybody you’ve met at the mill to be there, because you want this friend of yours to know there’s cops involved, so he’ll feel safe from the law.”

“And if he won’t do that?” Doc said.

“You insist,” Price said. “Be polite, but firm. Tell Fat Boy this guy wants to spill some big jack for some pleasure, but you’ve told him cops are involved, and he wants to see them to know for sure he’s got support in the law enforcement arena. Say he wants to see some badges or something. Say he knows a couple other guys interested in this sort of thing and they got big money. Say what you got to say.”

“What if Fat Boy snookered me?” Doc said. “What if those two guys don’t work for the cops?”

“They do,” Price said.

“I thought you said those descriptions could fit anybody,” Doc said.

“They could,” Price said. “But so happens they fit a couple cops I know, and they work with Fat Boy on lots of things. They been bucking for detective, and a lot of their collars have been gotten with his help. They’re the ones answered the call over at your nephew’s place that night, Small. I had to think on it a while before I said anything, but I’m saying it now. It’s Frank Harper and Buck Minton. It fits. There’s been dirt floating around their heads ever since I been Chief.”

“But,” I said, “since the dirt was connected to your dirt and Fat Boy, you didn’t push too hard, did you?”

“I watch for me first,” Price said, “then everyone else gets a turn if there’s room left over.”