“So we’re just going to sit here forever?”
“In another couple days,” Jesse said, “we’ll double-team them.”
“Use two cars?”
“Yes.”
“You and me in two cars?”
“Yes.”
“So this is sort of like training.”
“Sort of,” Jesse said.
“That’ll be so cool,” Simpson said.
Jesse nodded.
Across the street, Vinnie Morris came up the stairs in front of the office and out onto Tremont.
“That the receptionist?” Simpson said.
Jesse smiled. “That’s the shooter,” he said. “Vinnie Morris.”
“Doesn’t look like anything special,” Simpson said.
“He’s supposed to be very good,” Jesse said. “Look at me and we’ll pretend to be talking.”
“Look at you?”
“Yes. Nod your head. I’m saying something really important which is why we’re sitting here in the parked car. You understand?”
Suitcase was looking at Jesse, nodding his head vigorously.
“You think he’d get wise seeing us sitting here?”
“He might,” Jesse said. “Guys like him and Gino are very careful.”
“That why we’re using my car today?” Simpson said. “So they won’t see the same one twice in a row?”
“That’s right,” Jesse said.
Simpson continued to nod overtly. Jesse grinned.
“And don’t overact,” he said.
In the outside mirror Jesse watched Vinnie Morris move up the street toward the sandwich shop where Simpson had bought them coffee when they’d arrived. In a few minutes he came back carrying coffee in a tall paper cup.
“Think he’s been talking to your mother?” Jesse said.
“Nobody talks to my mom,” Simpson said. “They listen.”
Vinnie Morris went back down the stairs into the office again. The truck windows were open. There was no breeze. Jesse could smell the hot smell of the sidewalk. In the middle of the afternoon, Brian Kelly came by and tapped on the side window.
“It’s okay,” Jesse said. “He’s a cop.”
Kelly squeezed into the front seat of the truck beside Simpson.
Jesse introduced them.
“You got anything?” Jesse said to Kelly.
“Nope, I was going to ask you the same thing.”
“We got two more shelter girls left a forwarding number. This time Alan Garner.”
“Who’s he?”
“Gino’s receptionist.”
“And main squeeze?”
“I don’t know, does Gino usually squeeze his receptionists?”
“Usually part of the job description,” Kelly said. “Or so they tell me at OCU.”
“You mean these guys are gay?” Simpson said.
“I’m guessing about Garner,” Kelly said. “But Gino’s pretty certain.”
“I want to put Garner and Gino under surveillance. You got anybody you can spare?”
“I look like the CO?” Kelly said. “I can spare me. On my own time.”
“How come you need more guys, Jesse?”
“You need a couple on Garner and a couple on Gino,” Jesse said. “What about Vinnie?” he said to Kelly.
Kelly shook his head.
“Vinnie does what he does,” Kelly said. “For hire. You’re looking for a missing kid, or something like that, Vinnie
