Чарли Стелла - Johnny Porno

Nancy had followed her ex-husband to Woodhaven in Queens. She watched from half a block away as he parked at the curb in front of a blue colonial house with a Cadillac parked in the driveway. Louis got out of his car and looked the Cadillac over, leaning on the passenger door to look inside before walking down the driveway and disappearing from her view. She drove to the far corner and parked in front of a small discount store. It was a one way street and Louis would have to pass her when he left.

She decided to make a few calls from a pay phone while she waited. She started with Marie Albano to see what was going on there but the old bag hung up on her three times in a row before Nancy gave up. She had two dimes left when she called Nathan at his sister’s house.

“It’s me,” she said as soon as he picked up. “Please don’t hang up.”

“What is it now?” Nathan said.

“I’m sorry, Nathan. I really am.”

“What do you want, Nan?”

“I need your help.”

“You can’t have it.”

“It’s for John. For my son.”

“I wish I could believe you, but I don’t.”

“Please, Nathan. I mean it.”

“What happened?”

“Meet me someplace.”

“No. Tell me what happened or I’m hanging up.”

She sniffled into the phone.

“I’ll count to three,” Nathan said.

“I need money,” Nancy told him.

Nathan hung up.

She returned to her car and waited for Louis.

“You two live together?” Louis asked Sharon and Jimmy.

“He wishes,” Sharon said.

“I’m serious,” Louis said. “Are you two an item I don’t know about?”

“You count an occasional blow job,” Jimmy said, “call it whatever you want. Why? What’s the difference?”

“Bricklayers should have to work as hard,” Sharon said.

The three of them were alone in the house after the others had left with the money Louis had to pay them because they knew he had it to buy the car. He had to use more of the money he’d taken from John Albano and the mob. Louis picked up on something between the big man and Sharon, something that wasn’t right. He’d asked if they lived together and could feel his color drain when he learned they were friends.

It was then Louis knew he’d been scammed. The paperwork for the car was on the coffee table where he’d dropped it once he saw the book value was a lot less than Sharon had said.

First off, he had no idea the car was three years old. The blue book on it was almost two thousand less than what he had agreed to pay. Even if the guy Jimmy claimed to have waiting to buy it paid five above book, Louis would still be coming out with a lot less than what he had when he walked in the place.

Then there were the dents he found on the driver’s side door, the side he hadn’t bothered to look at because he’d just assumed the car was in mint condition. At the least it needed bodywork. God knew what the engine sounded like.

“I’m feeling kind of fucked here,” he said. “I mean those guys being here and all. I feel like you set me up.”

“Those were friends of mine,” the big man said. “Just like you’re a friend of mine. I did them a favor and I’m doing you one. You think about it, I did you one letting you pay them before they did a number on you.”

“And how much they gonna kickback to you for getting me to walk in here all flush?”

“If you’re talking about their appreciation, I may well see a small gratuity, but what’s that got to do with you and this car you don’t seem so anxious to buy anymore?”

“That car is a piece of shit,” Louis said.

“Except you got a guy on the hook wants to buy it.”

“What he wants is the car in the movie,” Louis said. “Something tells me that one didn’t have the dents this one has.”

“Now you’re accusing me of hustling you? That supposed to be gratitude?”

Louis looked to Sharon. “Thanks,” he told her.

“Hey,” she said. “I did what you asked me to do.”

“Look, kid, you want the thing or not?” Jimmy said. “I got someplace I gotta be soon and you’re looking like you might be on the toilet all night. I could’ve asked you where the fuck you got that money you’re lugging around in that bag of yours, you’re so flush all of a sudden, but I didn’t. It’s not my business. You’re a bright kid and a hustler, I figure you had a score selling that shit the kids smoke or maybe you actually won a few bucks somewhere. Whatever the fuck, I don’t really care. I got other business besides yours. What’s it gonna be?”

Louis took a deep breath and said, “This guy gonna show up with the money and buy the thing?”

“What he told me, yeah.”

“He gets here and he still wants the car at a price I won’t lose on it, I’ll buy it.”

“He gets here, he still wants the car you didn’t buy yet, I’ll sell it,” Sharon said. “Whatta ya take me for, a moron?”

Louis looked from the paperwork on the table to Jimmy to Sharon and then back to the paperwork. His knees nearly buckled when he stooped to open the bag.

Detective Levin restrained Detective Brice from a fistfight with a federal agent outside the Brooklyn House of Detention. Brice and the fed had gotten into it over a temporary court order charging Detective Sean Kelly with police corruption rather than granting federal jurisdiction. After an exchange of several sets of insults, Brice had suggested the fed remove his sunglasses since it was about to rain. When a group of NYPD officers laughed at the comment, the fed took the first swing. Brice swung back and a short melee ensued.

Levin walked an out-of-breath Brice toward the curb. “You’re taking things pretty personal for a guy wants nothing to do with IA,” Levin said.

“It’s got nothing to do with IA,” Brice said. “That brownnosing punk. The hell does he care about jurisdiction?”

“You’re probably right about him being a brownnoser, but you need to get over it before we go back inside. You really commandeer a car or just robbed one?”

Brice wasn’t smiling.

“Look, you should get six commendations for following Albano,” Levin said. “That turned out to be smart.”

“And you should get fired,” Brice said.

“Let’s not get into that now. I still may get fired.”

Levin took Brice’s left arm and tried to guide him toward the building. Brice jerked his arm away.

“Why go back there?” he said. “I thought it’s settled.”

“It’ll piss Kelly off.”

“What will?”

“My being there.”

“You want to go back inside just to piss off Kelly?”

“Yes.”

Brice spotted a hot dog vendor across the street. “I need a soda first,” he said.

They had crossed the street and were drinking Yoo-Hoo chocolate drinks when a special agent in charge identified himself. “Flynn,” he said. “I’m the SAC on a federal investigation involving Eddie Vento.”

“Congratulations,” Levin said.

“You’re his friend,” Flynn said. “He here now or what?”

“I’m whose friend?” Levin said.

“Don’t fuck with me, Detective. I’m not in the mood.”

Levin turned to Brice. “You know what he’s talking about?”

“Not a clue,” Brice said.

Flynn handed Levin the badge. “Special Agent Stebenow,” he said. “He left this for me. He left it here. Where is he?”

“Hey, I barely know the guy,” Levin said. “He left a message for me to contact you. I did that. I don’t know anything else.” He handed the badge back to Flynn.

“He left a message means he knows you. How would he know you?”