Elmore Leonard - 52 pickup

Standing up extending his hand, Leo gave him a big smile. Mitchell took the hand firmly, giving the limp thick flesh a little pressure, and heard Leo's voice catch as he said, "I'm glad you could make it. I didn't meeeeean… to take you away from your work." There was a hint of relief in his expression as the waitress came over and Mitchell sat down. "What would you like?"

"Nothing," Mitchell said.

"Well, I might as well have another one," Leo said to the waitress, "long as you're here." As the waitress left he took a moderate sip of his vodka drink and looked over at the bar and toward the front, avoiding Mitchell's gaze.

"Place does pretty well for the afternoon," Leo said. "I bet they got some go-go in here they could do even better."

"Three-thirty and eleven-thirty they do their business," Mitchell said, "when the shifts let out."

"I imagine it's strictly shot and a beer, huh?"

"I imagine," Mitchell said. He waited, in no hurry, watching Leo sipping at the drink, then lighting a cigarette, working up his nerve.

"I understand," Leo said, "you finally got in touch with Alan, the guy you were looking for?"

"I saw him," Mitchell said. "Then he came out to see me. He tell you about it?"

"He mentioned it. Ah, fine," Leo said to the waitress, taking the fresh drink and handing her his empty. He stirred the drink for a moment. "What I been wondering, why you told him it was me who said where to find him."

"I didn't tell him it was you."

"He said you did. He said"-Leo grinned-"your exact words, your friend told me, Leo Frank."

"Somebody's mistaken," Mitchell said. "I didn't tell him anything."

"Well, why would he tell me that?"

"You know him better than I do," Mitchell said. "Why would he?"

Leo thought about it. He took about a third of his drink and thought about it some more.

"I don't know. It was like he was blaming it all on me."

"Blaming what all on you?"

"I mean, well, you know. What he talked to you about, the deal? It fell through, didn't it?"

"He told you that?"

"Well, see, I really don't know much about it, you know? I was just trying to get you two guys together. As a favor is all. And he says you said it was me told you where to find him."

"Leo," Mitchell said, "I know you, I know Alan and I know the colored guy. I got his name, Robert Shy, and the number off his driver's license. I know where all of you live or work. I know it's you three that killed a girl named Cynthia Fisher and I know it's you three I have to pay to get out of this. Leo, why don't you have another drink?"

He could smell Leo's after-shave. The man seemed afraid to move, sitting there holding onto his glass and looking directly at Mitchell now. He tried a little drink, shaking his head.

"You got it wrong if you think I'm in on it. Alan told you that?" Like he couldn't believe it.

"Leo," Mitchell said, "why don't we quit beating around? I made a deal with Alan. Evidently he hasn't told you about it yet. Or the colored guy. He came to see me, he didn't know about it either."

"Alan said you couldn't pay, you owe the government."

Mitchell nodded. "That's what the colored guy said."

"Bobby came to see you?"

"Leo, let's talk about Alan. I made him an offer. I said I'd give you guys fifty-two thousand bucks, because that's all I can afford to pay. He looked at my books, he said all right, he'd settle for that. I said, you're going to split with your partners? I don't want them on my back, I want it done. He says, of course."

"He told us you didn't have any money. You owed the government."

"Leo, I know that. You want to talk about that, talk to Alan."

"Son of a bitch. I knew something was going on."

"You want another drink?" Mitchell looked over toward the bar. He didn't see Jazik now. "I'll have one with you."

"The son of a bitch. Yeah, vodka and Seven."

Mitchell raised an arm to the waitress and held up two fingers.

"I knew it," Leo was saying, "by the way he acted, the way he talked, he was pulling something."

"If you expect me to feel sorry for you," Mitchell said, "that's quite a bit to ask, isn't it? Under the circumstances." He was surprised at his own tone and the fact he could be calm and talk to Leo and not punch him through the wall. When the waitress brought their drinks, Mitchell raised his glass.

"I'm sorry I can't wish you luck, buddy. But I'm sure you can understand I don't give a shit what happens to you. Or to Alan, or the colored guy, Bobby."

Leo took a drink. "I'm telling you I'm not as involved in this as you might think."

"Well, you're sort of mixed up in it then."

"It was Alan's idea."

"I believe it," Mitchell said.

"What they did to the girl? Honest to God, I told them I wouldn't have any part of it."

"You were there though, weren't you?"

"You can't prove that."

"I'm not trying to prove anything," Mitchell said. "I'm trying to get this settled, over with. Even if I have to pay fifty-two thousand. I've made that clear."

"You pay and it's over with all right," Leo said. "He's already set it up. Once you pay him he puts Bobby on you. Or he does it himself. Jesus, for all I know they're both in it. They were together yesterday. Bobby knows Alan was pulling something, but they're still hanging around together."

"Like they're taking you out of the picture," Mitchell said, "splitting two ways."

"I don't know. Christ, you never know what he's thinking, Alan, he's got a weird fucking mind."

"I don't know either," Mitchell said. "But I have to take his word and pay, or else I face a murder charge with a good case against me."

Leo was staring at him, thinking. After a moment he leaned in close to the table. "What if you went to the cops on your own? Told them the whole story."

"I think the odds are I'd go to jail."

"No. I back you up. We make a deal with the cops. I testify against Alan and Bobby. I go on the stand, say they killed the girl-if the cops'll let me plead, I don't know, say just to the blackmail part. And that's the truth, I was never for killing the girl."

"I don't know," Mitchell said. "It'd be only your word. They'd still have a case against me."

"What case?"

"The girl's body. My gun, the film-"

"You want to know something?" Leo said. "There is no girl's body."

"What do you mean?"

"It's at the bottom of Lake Erie, in all the pollution and shit."

"Since when?"

"Since they did it. You believe she's on ice somewhere because you can't take a chance she isn't. Right? Alan figured that. You see her killed and that's what you remember. It sticks in your mind. It scares the shit out of you and you agree to pay. Only now you know Alan and Bobby did it. They can't take a chance. You pay or you don't, either way they kill you."

"Or us," Mitchell said. He was silent a moment. "What about the films?"

"In the lake with the girl."

"And my gun?"

Leo hesitated. "It's somewhere else. Case they need it again."

"If nothing can be proved against me," Mitchell said, "then I'm out of it, huh?"

"You can think so," Leo said, "but they're still going to kill you, whether you pay or not. Listen, they do it easy."

Mitchell watched Leo finish his drink. He picked up his own glass, untouched, and placed it in front of Leo.

"For the road."

"You going?"

"Why, we have anything else to talk about?"

"I'm telling you they're going to kill you." Leo was tense, staring at him again. "You haven't said anything about what you're going to do."

"I don't know yet," Mitchell said. "Think about it, I guess. Or wait and see what happens to you. Then I'll know if they're serious or not."

The way Ed Jazik's car was facing, away from the bar, into a vacant lot, he could watch Mitchell's Grand Prix through his rearview mirror. Coming out a few minutes ago he had looked at Mitchell's car and had come very close to smashing a window and doing the job right then. But Mitchell probably had seen him inside. Or he might come out too soon. When Mitchell did come out, and Jazik watched him drive the short distance up the road and turn into his plant, he was glad he waited. It would've been easier to smash the window and do it here, but doing it over in the plant parking lot would be better, because his employees would come running out the back door and see it. The shift changed in a half-hour. Then give it another half-hour or so, wait till after the office employees all went home, then go over there. Pull in the drive, turn around to be facing out and keep the engine running. Take about half a minute.