Hard Candy - Andrew Vachss [60]
"He doesn't know where we're going?"
"He doesn't care. He's with me—that's where he's going."
105
WE PULLED up behind Lily's. Max got out. He'd go inside, tell them to open the back door for us.
I lit another smoke, offering her one. "There's a woman inside. Her name's Lily. She's a good friend. Of me and Max both. She's the one I want you to talk to, okay?"
"About what?"
"She'll do that part. All you have to do is what you say you always do…tell the truth."
"Is she gonna ask me about Train?"
"Not the way Reba asks questions."
I got a blank look back. Train didn't tell all his people how his fleshy polygraph worked.
"Never mind," I told her. "Lily's a certified social worker. You know what that is?"
"Like a shrink?"
"Yeah, sort of Anyway, the point is that she's not allowed to repeat anything she's told. Anything you say to her is confidential. That's the law."
"But…"
"Elvira, listen to me, little girl. You think any of those kids running around in karate outfits could stop Max? This talk with Lily—it's for you. I know you don't understand that. I know you don't trust me. You don't have to. We made a deal. I took you out of Train's joint and I let you go back. He can't stop me and my friends. I have to find out some things and I want Lily to talk with you. You do that and we're done."
"What if I don't?" Not pouting, curious.
"Then I'm going to ask Train."
"He said you'd be back. He's never wrong."
"You think about that. You decide how I'm coming back." I'd been searching for the right button. Tried one more. "You want to protect Train, talking to Lily's the way to do it, understand?"
"My mother…"
"Is out of this."
"She says you're hers. Her old boyfriend."
"What does Train say?"
"How did you…? He said you were nobody's child. That's what he said: 'That man is nobody's child.'"
"You know what he meant?"
"Maybe."
I threw my smoke out the window.
"I'll talk to her," the girl said finally.
The back door opened and I led her inside.
106
I INTRODUCED Lily and Elvira. Watched for the hundredth time as waves came off Lily, enveloping the kid, excluding me. "She has a calm center," Immaculata explained it to me once. "Like Max." They walked down the hall together.
Max was probably in the gym, wrestling with the kids. That wasn't for me. I had some time to kill, so I found an empty office, put my feet on the desk, closed my eyes. I had things to think about.
When I opened my eyes, Immaculata was sitting on the desk, her hand on my ankle.
"You're awake?"
"Sure."
"Burke, I don't have much time to talk. You must let Max help you. It is very important."
"Help me what?"
"Whatever it is you're doing. It doesn't matter."
"Yeah, big fucking help he is. You know what he did yesterday?"
"He told me."
"He tell you he almost turned a lousy roust into a Class A felony?"
"Max is your brother. He is in great pain. Men don't know how to take some things. Some gifts. He cannot forget what you did. To save our baby. What it cost you. He must believe he is helping you or he cannot feel whole."
"Mac, you know what Max does?"
"I am his wife. He is the father of our child. You remember when we met?"
I remembered. A night subway run. Me carrying the goods, dressed like a bum. The Mole at the other end of the train, a satchel full of explosives. And Max the Silent sitting across from me, looking like a tired, drained old man. Three punks got on the train. Looked me over.
Wouldn't bother with a wino. Started on Max. Asking him for ten bucks for a cup of coffee, shoving him around. No big deal—we only had a couple of more express stops to go. It was going okay until Immaculata saw the action. Dressed like a Vietnamese bar girl, as out of place on that subway as a clock in a casino. She charged the punks, telling them to leave the old man alone. One pulled out a pair of brass knuckles, giggling at the new prey. Max took them all out quicksilver–fast—just flashes and sounds. He shed his filthy raincoat and the tired old man became