Ken Bruen - Bust

“Did you say fook to me?”

“I told you not to look at me.”

“Bollix, I’m legging it.”

“I don’t think that would be a wise idea.”

Popeye paused, half-standing, then sat down again and said, “Why not?”

“Think about it. You need this guy out of the way as much as I do. You don’t know what evidence the police have on you. Maybe you left something in my house that night – something you forgot. Or maybe they found some of your blood or hair there or they got something off that piece of shit you left on my rug – thanks very much for that, by the way. What was that, your idea of a fucking housewarming present? It wasn’t very bright, with DNA and all that other shit the cops have these days. I don’t know what it feels like to die by lethal injection, but I imagine it’s not very pleasant.”

Popeye stayed still for a few more seconds then settled back down in the seat and stared straight ahead. Finally he said, “So where does the crippled fuck live?”

“First let’s talk about the important shite,” Max said, trying to put on a brogue, wanting to give Popeye a taste of his own. “My money. I want to revise the offer I made to you over the phone this morning.”

“You said twenty large.”

Max loved the way Popeye’s tone was weakening. Jesus Christ, Max felt the power going straight to his head.

“Yeah, well, a lot has changed since then,” Max said. “For instance, you’ve made it on to the NYPD’s Most Wanted list, so I’ve decided you owe me a freebie for this one.”

“Like fuck I do.”

Max ignored this, said, “You have as much stake now in this as I do. You can’t disappear until this Rosa guy is out of the way and you know it.”

Popeye’s eyes narrowed into slits.

“How will you find his address?”

“I already called Information,” Max said. “They told me they didn’t have any Bobby Rosas. I said, what about Robert Rosas? They had one in the West Village – the fudgepacking district. The Rosa I met didn’t look like a guy who talks into the mike, if you know what I mean. They also had one at one hundred West Eighty-ninth so I said gimme that one.”

“But how you know it’s the same fellah?”

“I did something you’re not used to doing – I used my fucking head. I called the building and said to the doorman, ‘Does a Robert Rosa in a wheelchair live at your address?’ The guy said ‘Yeah,’ and I hung up. You have any more stupid questions?”

Popeye started to say something, but Max interrupted and, with his best Oirish accent said, “Good, then you can get the bejaysus out of here.”

Popeye looked stunned for a couple of seconds, mumbling something about “tinkers.” Then he stood up and said, “You shouldn’t take the Lord’s name in vain, tis bad luck.”

About twenty minutes later, when Max got out of the cab in front of his townhouse, a man said, “You Max Fisher?”

Looking at the guy, Max thought, Jesus Christ, what now?

The guy took out his shiny gold badge and said, “Ortiz – Homicide. I think you better come with me.”

The doorbell rang and Bobby said, “Come in,” sitting in his wheelchair about ten feet from the door, his Glock 27 compact pistol resting on his lap. In walked Max Fisher’s executive assistant. She was wearing a short red leather skirt, matching pumps and a tight top. Like the other night at the hotel, her hair was big and blown dry, but tonight she had on thick red lipstick, plenty of eye makeup, and silver hoop earrings.

After looking her up and down again and then waiting a couple of seconds, Bobby wanted to say, Holy fuckin’ shit, but went with “Can I help you with something?”

“Sorry to bother you like this,” she said. “I mean I would’ve called, or tried to call and tell you I was coming over, but I didn’t think I’d have time. It’s just I heard my boss talking on the phone today and I had to come over to warn you.”

Man, that Irish accent was sexy as hell. He was trying to remember whether he’d ever banged an Irish chick. He had – a few of them – but they were Irish-American. They didn’t sound like this girl, that’s for sure.

“Warn me about what?” he asked, hiding the gun between his leg and the side of his chair.

“I think you’re in big trouble,” she said. “My boss said he’s sending somebody over here to hurt you, or maybe worse. I don’t know what’s going on, but I heard him mention your name and address.”

Bobby stared at her for a few seconds. She was biting her lower lip, in a naughty schoolgirl way, and he wished he could give her something else to bite on. He wondered if she’d dressed up just for him. The other night, at the hotel, she’d been wearing jeans and a tube top.

“So who’s this guy that’s gonna come after me?” he asked.

“He calls himself Popeye.”

“Popeye? I gotta look out for Olive Oyl too?”

Angela smiled, said, “I just heard Max talking about Popeye.”

“And how does Max know a guy like this ‘Popeye’?”

Angela shrugged.

“Is he the guy with the gray hair and the screwed-up mouth I saw a sketch of on the news?”

“I really don’t know anything else,” Angela said. “I mean I guess it could be the same guy.”

Bobby looked her up and down again, said, “Wanna sit down?” and Angela said, “Sure.”

As Angela passed by Bobby caught a whiff of her perfume and said, “You’re wearing Joy.”

“Yeah,” Angela said, smiling. “How’d you know?”

“I bought some of it for an old girlfriend one time. I love that smell.”

Bobby watched her sit down on the couch. He liked the noise her leather skirt made when she crossed her right leg over her left. She was exactly the type of girl Bobby would have gone crazy for before he got shot. He would have taken her to one of those classy Italian restaurants downtown in the West Village, then to some club on Seventh Avenue, and then back to his place for an all-night screw fest.

“This is a really big place you got here,” Angela said looking around. “You live here all by your own self?”

“Yeah,” Bobby said. Then he lifted himself up in his wheelchair to do a pressure-relief and said, “But I’ll probably sell it one of these days and move into something smaller.” Noticing an empty pizza box on the coffee table and glasses half-filled with soda on the end pieces he said, “Sorry it’s such a dump.”

“Oh, don’t be ridiculous,” Angela said. “If you want to know a secret, my apartment’s a real mess too.”

Bobby was staring at Angela’s mouth, loving how when she stopped talking her lips stayed slightly apart. He said, “So you know why Max wants this Popeye guy to kill me, don’t you?”

“No,” Angela said.

“You don’t know anything about the pictures?”

Angela shook her head.

“Well,” Bobby said, “I sort of took these pictures the other night of you and your boss… in that hotel room.”

Bobby was watching Angela’s reaction closely. She seemed genuinely surprised, but he couldn’t tell for sure.

“You’re saying you were the guy who-”

Bobby nodded.

“And you took pictures of me and Max…”

The funny thing was, it almost seemed the idea was getting her hot. He nodded again.

“I can’t believe this,” Angela said, but not in an angry way. “What are you, a detective or something? Did somebody pay you to follow us?”

Bobby laughed.

“No, it was just chance. It could have been any two people. It didn’t have to be you and your boss.”