“You are going to need me on your side,”
Hasty said finally. “And don’t forget
it.”
“I’m counting on you, Hasty.”
“You could count.on me more,” Hasty said,
“if I had a better idea of what you’re
doing.”
Jesse finished his coffee and put the cup down carefully in the saucer.
“You’ll be among the first to
know,” Jesse said and got off the stool. “Coffee on you?” he said.
Hasty nodded. Jesse stopped at the end of the counter to say hello to a couple of postal clerks having pie and coffee on break. Then he left the Village Room and walked back across the common toward the police station.
They were in Hasty’s car cruising Route 128, north toward Gloucester.
“Mistake,” Jo Jo said.
“No, he has to go. He’ll ruin everything if he doesn’t.”
“You 6an’t kill the chief of
police,” Jo Jo said, “and think it’ll
keep things quiet. You seen that state cop, what-sisname.”
“Healy.”
“Yeah. You think that he’s going to kiss it off when the second police chief in less than a year dies in this fucking town?”
“It’s a risk we’ll have to
take,” Hasty said. “We’re too close to
the arms deal. The arms deal is crucial.”
“What’s this ‘we’
shit, paleface? I’m the guy has to do the clip.”
“We’re in this together, Jo Jo.”
Jo Jo looked almost amused.
“Sure,” he said. “Why
don’t we ace Lou Burke?”
q/i?
265
,
“Yea. lie’s e only ing eots ou to Torn
Cson.
Bke md e eofion’s gonzolla.“
“u BkeT” in sd. “I’ve
own u Bue for .”
“I dump m,” lo o sd, “de e y, me
it lk he tk off tr Stone susndm.”
“u’s one of us,” in sd.
“‘s a orm.”
)“d you ey n’t going to find som out
· e wild west in finger m, say, ye, he’s e guy blew Torn Con up? d you when ey get at ey won’t um, d when ey um you ink he won’t spill’s fng 7”
“u wouldn’t k.”
“You so, huh7 I don’t ow how ey do it in ng Monna…”
“Wyong,” Hd.
“aver,” Jo Jo sd. “I
don’t ow if ey elec-cu you or hg you or do it wi injection or a cng firing uad, but just say you’u Bue d you’re sitng in jl d ey tell you ey e going to hg you or, if you don’t he at idea, you cve us song d may we won’t.
You i Lou’s goa say gie at n, baby?”
“e you d to 11 Jes Stone?” Hmked.
“I ain’t ad,” Jo Jo sd.
