Hard Candy - Andrew Vachss [77]
It was one of the numbers stored in Candy's phone.
131
JULIO LEFT A MESSAGE for me at Mama's. I called him at his club.
"What d'you want, old man? You think I'm setting up a meeting now, you're crazy. You got nothing to threaten me with."
He sounded strong, alive. In control. "Who said anything about threats? Cut that out. Talk sense. We're on the same side. Your problem disappeared with my problem, okay? I'm gonna make some moves of my own now. There's one little thing…"
"What?"
"The bitch, she has something for me. Something I wrote down once. She says she'll give it back, I give her a present."
"Why tell me?"
"She's a crazy woman, you know that. She has something stuck in her head, there's no talking to her. She wants to give it to you. You bring it to me, you take the present back to her. Then it's done."
"Get somebody else."
"I would. It's her, okay? You know what she's like."
"I'm not going to see her."
"Hey! Somebody's gotta do it. I'll take care of you, don't worry."
"And then we're quits."
"On my honor."
132
I CALLED STREGA. "You called him?"
"Yes."
"You couldn't leave it alone?"
"Don't be mad. You know I told you the truth. And he wants the letter. It's in the way now. The little man has big plans."
133
I HEARD the slug muffle the phone with his greasy hand. "The guy wants Don Julio."
"I'm here," he snapped into the phone.
"She says she'll hand it over to me. Out in the open. She wants to see it happen."
"What's that mean?"
"It means you come. Alone. I come. Alone. She drives up. Hands me what you want while you watch. Goes back to her car. I give you the letter for the present you have for her. You wait while I take it over to her. I get in my car and we all go home."
"My boys won't like me going anywhere alone."
"You're the boss, right? Who cares what they like."
"All right. Where?"
"You know her. Queens it's got to be. You're coming from Shea Stadium, okay? On the Grand Central. Just before La Guardia, there's a gas station. You pull over there, where there's a railing. You can park the car, walk down to the water. Where guys fish in the summertime. Got it?"
"Yeah."
"She says tomorrow. Eleven o'clock in the morning. You park all the way to the right. She'll be there, parked to the left. I pull in between you. Get it done."
"I'll be there."
I called Strega. Told her what tomorrow was going to be.
134
WESLEY said Julio was on the house. A trade for the don. But the don had been Wesley's killing. All his. Danielle's father had turned me into a dog. A hunting dog that fetched his raw meat back. He had to pay. Wesley said he'd do that freak. In his soundproof basement. Train was a trade. Not all mine, but enough.
I couldn't let Wesley within shooting range of Strega—the monster might feel the heat. And strike. Strega. The witch–bitch. She'd set it up this way. "You wouldn't let anything happen to me." Wesley was out.
At eight–thirty, I swung into the gas station. Told the guy to fill it up. Max got out to go to the men's room. The pump jockey filled the tank, took my money. I drove off alone.
A couple of minutes after eleven, I backed into the lot. Strega's BMW on my left, Julio's Caddy on the right. I swung the Plymouth between them. Got out, opened my trunk, left it open. Walked to Julio's car. His window snicked down. I put my head inside, checked the back seat. Empty.
"Get out, Julio."
He showed me a thick envelope. "I thought you were supposed to get the letter first."
"I am. I want you to open the trunk. Make sure you came alone. Mine's already open, you want to look."
He got out, a sneer on his face. Unlocked the trunk. Empty.
"I'll be right back," I told him.
"Burke, wait a minute." His gloved hand on my arm. "I got no more troubles, you understand? Except her. Crazy people, they're always trouble. They stay trouble."
"Why tell me?"
"I know you