“And here’s the kicker,” Crow said. “This hypothetical guy doesn’t want to do it. He doesn’t want to kill the mother and he doesn’t want to drag the daughter down to Florida.”
“Why?” Jesse said.
“Guy’s got his reasons,” Crow said. “But hypothetically, he’s already annoyed the hell out of the members of a Latino gang in Marshport. And Louis won’t be too thrilled with this hypothetical guy, who took a lot of dough up front from Louis and is now not doing what he was signed up for.”
“So why doesn’t our hypothetical friend tuck his hypothetical ass under him and scoot?” Jesse said.
“Probably wouldn’t be his style,” Crow said.
“And he doesn’t quite want to bail on these women,” Jesse said.
“Something like that,” Crow said. “If he was an actual guy.”
Jesse was nodding his head slowly. Crow waited.
“Okay,” Jesse said. “I can’t stand this hypothetical crap anymore. We’re off the record.”
“Which means?” Crow said.
“Which means I won’t use anything you say against you,” Jesse said.
Crow looked at him for a time.
“Good,” Crow said.
“So you got Louis Francisco on your ass,” Jesse said, “and I assume he has a lot of resources for getting on your ass.”
“He does,” Crow said. “On the other hand, I got kind of a hard ass.”
From across the room, Molly said, “Uh-huh!”
Crow looked at her and grinned.
“And,” Jesse said, “you got a Latino gang on your ass for a reason not yet specified.”
“Correct.”
“And you want me to keep track of these women while you deal with your other problems.”
“Correct.”
Jesse was quiet for a moment.
Then he said, “What’s in this for me?”
“Do the right thing?” Crow said.
Jesse stared at him.
“Crow,” Jesse said, “how many people you killed in your life?”
“It’s bush to count,” Crow said.
“And you think I’ll do it because it’s the right thing to do?”
“Yeah.”
“What makes you so sure.”
“It’s the way you are,” Crow said.
“How the hell do you know the way I am?” Jesse said.
“I know,” Crow said.
