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'Numbers check out?'

'Yeah, Harry, thanks,' Charon said, waving on the way out.

'Somebody get the fuckin' phone,' Piaggi growled. Who the hell would be calling here, anyway? It was one of the Philly guys who walked over, taking the time to light a cigarette.

'Yeah?' The man turned. 'Henry, it's for you.'

'What the hell?' Tucker walked over.

'Hi, Henry,' Kelly said. He'd wired a field phone into the building's telephone line, cutting it off from the outside world. He sat there, next to the canvas-covered instrument, having rung the other end just by turning the crank. It seemed rather primitive, but it was something familiar and comfortable to him, and it worked.

'Who's this?'-

'The name's Kelly, John Kelly,' he told him.

'So who's John Kelly?'

'Four of you killed Pam. You're the only one left, Henry,' the voice said. 'I got the rest. Now it's your turn.' Tucker turned and looked around the room as though he expected to find the voice there. Was this some kind of sick joke that they were playing on him?

'How - how'd you get this number? Where are you?'

'Close enough, Henry,' Kelly told him. 'You nice and comfy in there with your friends?'

'Look, I don't know who you are -'

'I told you who I am. You're in there with Tony Piaggi. I saw you at his restaurant the other night. How was your dinner, by the way? Mine was just great,' the voice taunted.

Tucker stood straight up, his hand tight on the phone. 'So what the fuck are you gonna do, boy?'

'I ain't gonna kiss you on both cheeks, boy. I got Rick, and I got Billy, and I got Burt, and now I'm going to get you. Do me a favor, put Mr Piaggi on the line', the voice suggested.

'Tony, you better come here,' Tucker said.

'What is it, Henry?' Piaggi tripped on his chatr getting up. So damned tired from аll this. Those bastards in Philly better have the cash all ready. Henry handed him the phone.

'Who's this?'

'Those two guys on the boat, the ones you gave to Henry? I got 'em. I got the other two this morning, too.'

'What the fuck is this?'

'You figure it out.' The line went dead. Piaggi looked over at his partner, and since he couldn't get an answer from the phone, he'd get one from Tucker.

'Henry, what the hell is this?'

Okay, let's see what that stirred up. Kelly allowed himself a sip of water and a Snickers. He was on the third story of the building. Some sort of warehouse, he thought, massively constructed of reinforced concrete, a good place to be when The Bomb went off. The tactical problem was an interesting one. He couldn't just burst inside. Even if he'd had a machine gun - he didn't - four against one was long odds, especially when you didn't know what was inside the door, especially when stealth was something you couldn't count on as an ally, and so he'd try another approach. He'd never done anything like this before, but from his perch he could cover every door of the building. The windows in the back were bricked up. The only ways out were under his sight, and at just over a hundred yards, he hoped that they'd try it. Kelly shouldered the rifle, but kept his head up, sweeping left and right in an even, patient way.

'It's him,' Henry said quietly so the others couldn't hear.

'Who?'

'The guy who did all those pushers, the guy who got Billy and the rest, the guy who did the ship. It's him.'

'Well, who the fuck is him, Henry?'

'I don't know, goddamn it!' The voice was higher now, and the other two heads looked up. Tucker got more control of himself. 'He says he wants us to come out.'

'Oh, that's just great - what are we up against? Wait a minute.' Riaggi lifted the phone but got no dial tone. 'What the hell?'

Kelly heard the buzz and lifted his handset. 'Yeah, what is it?'

'Who the fuck are you?'

'It's Tony, right? Why did you have to kill Doris, Tony? She wasn't any danger to you. Now I have to do you, too.'

'I didn't -'

'You know what I mean, but thanks for bringing those two down here. I wanted to tie that loose end up, but I didn't expect