The Fury - Jason Pinter [78]
O'Donnell, was hidden away somewhere trying to drain
the poisons and impulses from his body. Jack had been
on the sauce for years, yet during that time he'd risen
to the highest ranks of his profession. There were
numerous examples of functioning alcoholics, drug
addicts, people who achieved despite carrying the
disease. I mean, I lived and worked in New York, which
probably had the highest ratio of functioning addicts in
the world. It would only make sense that if a person
worked in that industry, they would be corrupted in
some way, body or soul or both.
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Jason Pinter
When I saw Stephen Gaines outside of my office
building, his face pale, sweat streaking down his gaunt
frame, it was clear he'd been wasted away by both.
Scotty Callahan sat there holding his glass while I
tried to force his words from my mind, trying to will
them to be false. Scotty didn't seem to care one way or
another. Now that I had the information, it was no
concern to him what I did with it.
And I could tell by the way he sat there eating,
drinking, staring at his food, his mind completely
oblivious to the anguish building inside me...this was
not the face of a man lying to save his ass. There might
have even been a slight catharsis in telling me.
Stephen Gaines wasn't just some random junkie, but
in fact one of the leaders of this organization--718 En
terprises. No doubt Stephen knew what that stood for,
who worked in it, how widely it reached. Perhaps that's
what he wanted to tell me. It's what I would have heard
had I stopped. It's what he would have done that night,
while a killer roamed the streets waiting for him to come
home.
"You only met him once," I said to Scotty. "Just
once."
"Just once," he said, holding up one finger. Then he
burped, and a shred of pastrami tumbled over his lower
lip. He slurped it back up.
"What about Kyle?" I said. "How much does he
know."
Scotty put down his drink. He leaned over until I
could smell the meat on his breath. His eyes narrowed,
and for a moment my anger and frustration was replaced
by the possibility that this guy might take a swing at me.
The Fury
229
"You leave him the hell out of this," Scotty said. "His
mom is sick. He brings home enough to pay her bills,
and doesn't want or ask for any trouble. None of us are
trying to get anyone hurt. You want to drag me through
the mud, tell people I'm dealing, it'll suck but maybe I
deserve it. You screw with Kyle's life, it's not just him
but his family. I don't know you, Henry, but you'd have
to be one heartless son of a bitch to do something like
that."
"I need to know what he knows," I said, my voice
trying to explain without any hostility. "It's my family,
too. My father was arrested for the murder of Stephen
Gaines."
Scotty sat back at though slapped. The breath seemed
to have left him. For a moment he said nothing, then he
shook his head. "I'm sorry," he said softly.
"Thanks," I replied.
"So that's what this is really about," Scotty said.
"Finding the truth to get your pops off the hook."
"That's right."
"Then I don't know what to say. I meant what I said
about Kyle. I'll tell you anything you want. I know
Kyle didn't know Gaines any more than I did. He met
him once, for an interview kind of thing. And we both
have to check in at the office, make sure our receipts
match up with what we're selling."
"Can you give me the name of whoever handles
that?" I said.
"It's always different," Scotty said. "And they never
tell us their names."
"What happens if you screw up?" I asked.
Scotty sighed, said, "I guess you should ask Stephen."
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Jason Pinter
We said nothing, as I processed what Scotty had said
and he finished off the last of his cream soda. My milk
shake sat lonely and untouched. If he was desperate
enough for money to resort to drugs, I guess he valued
a free meal when it came his way.
After the plates had been cleared and I'd taken care
of the tab, we both stood up and headed toward the door.
I followed him, my legs feeling rubbery.
The air outside