“But-”
“And what the hell are you even doing here?” Uh-oh. Bernie was starting to lose his temper in the way he only did with Leda.
“We were invited, of course,” Leda said, starting to lose hers right back. “For breakfast. Thad’s being so nice, in case you haven’t noticed. Arn has a very cool idea for a script with a major role for an actor of Charlie’s age, and Thad’s-”
“Get in the car,” Bernie said, raising his voice over hers, actually making the air tremble. “Take Charlie home. Don’t come back here.”
Whenever Bernie wanted Leda to do something, she either just straight out didn’t do it, or put up such a huge fight that Bernie gave up, or changed it into something else that got Bernie all confused. In short, she never simply did it, not ever.
Until now. Leda took Charlie’s hand, led him to the minivan, got in. As they drove off down the mountain road, Bernie calmed down; I could feel it. “You’re a brave boy,” he said, so quietly I almost didn’t hear. Meaning me, of course, although his gaze was on the minivan.
“What’s that word?” Bernie said, turning to Jiggs. “Charade?” First I’d heard of it, so no surprise Bernie seemed uncertain; we’re a lot alike in some ways, don’t forget. “The charade, Jiggsy,” he went on, “is over.”
“Don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Sure you do,” Bernie said. “The murder of April Spears. Thad made a full confession.”
“You’re lying.”
“I even know you cleaned off the knife,” Bernie said. “And helped Thad flee the scene of the crime, making you at least an accessory, possibly an accomplice-I’ll have to read up.”
Jiggs glared at Bernie and said nothing. Perps had that right, so it was cool with me. Was Jiggs a perp? Big- time, for what he’d done to Charlie. And there might have been even more to it. I waited to find out.
“What I don’t know,” Bernie said, “is whether you were skimming from the payments.”
Jiggs kept glaring. He kind of swelled up, like an explosion was coming. Good luck with that, amigo, you down there and us up here. A big vein, thick as this huge worm I’d once dug up-a bit of a shocker, when all you’re trying to do is locate an old bone-pulsed in the side of his neck, and then, like he just couldn’t hold it in an instant longer, out came a loud “Huh?”
“A minor point, but I’d like to clear it up,” Bernie said. “Manny was skimming, so why not you?”
“I’m not a parasite, you goddamn-” Jiggs began and then cut himself off.
“Maybe you’re a killer instead,” Bernie said.
“Setting me up?” Jiggs said. “Forget it. I never laid a finger on her. Wasn’t there that night, and I can prove it.”
“Who said anything about April?” Bernie said. “I’m talking about Manny.”
Jiggs was silent for a few moments. I watched the worm in his neck. When it got to pulsing pretty fast, he said, “Why would I kill that little prick?”
“Killing the blackmailer is one of those classic go-to moves,” Bernie said.
“Doesn’t mean shit,” said Jiggs. “I didn’t do it.”
“But you knew he was dead.”
Jiggs made the slightest little nod.
“How come you didn’t tell Thad?” Bernie said.
“Wouldn’t have made any difference,” Jiggs said. “All it woulda done is upset him, and that’s not my job.”
“What is your job?” Bernie said.
“Looking out for Thad, what do you think?”
“How much does he pay you?”
“He doesn’t have to pay me squat. I’d do it for nothing.”
“Why?”
“I’m loyal,” Jiggs said. “Probably not a concept you understand.”
Had I ever heard anything crazier? The biting urge started up in my teeth, also crazy, since we had Jiggs where we wanted him, meaning the biting period had come to an end. By the time I got all that confusion back under control, or close to it, Jiggs was saying, “… a great artist. He’ll be remembered long after you and I are dead.”
“So will Heinrich Himmler,” Bernie said.
“Who’s he?” said Jiggs.
Bernie smiled. “You win,” he said. He held out his hand, as though to help Jiggs to his feet.
Jiggs ignored Bernie’s hand. His eyes narrowed. “I win? What does that mean?”
“It means I’m offering you a deal,” Bernie said. “If you cooperate, I’ll get you booked on something trivial for what went down today-threatening, harassment, that kind of thing. If you don’t cooperate, it’s the whole enchilada-kidnapping, assault with intent, possession of a deadly weapon.”
“Weapon?”
Bernie pointed to our car door, still cuffed to Jiggs’s wrist, but I wasn’t really paying attention. The whole enchilada! How often had I heard that? Had an enchilada ever put in an appearance? Never. Forget about a whole one-how about just some measly enchilada crumbs? So I was hoping pretty hard that Jiggs would walk away from the deal and maybe I’d get my chance at last.
“… cooperate how?” Jiggs was saying.
“Set up a meeting for me,” Bernie said.
“With who?” Jiggs said. A clever look glinted in his eyes. “Thad’s management?”
“In a way,” said Bernie. “I’m talking about Ramon Cardinal.”
Jiggs gazed up at Bernie, his eyes narrowing more. “What do you want with him?”
“Have a drink, kick back,” Bernie said.
“He’s not the type.”
“What type is he?”
Jiggs shrugged. “I haven’t seen him in years.”
“But he must have contacted you, and recently,” Bernie said. “There’s got to be some new system for making the payments now that Manny’s gone.”
Jiggs said nothing. He watched Bernie real carefully, the way perps did when they started getting hip to the fact that Bernie was always the smartest human in the room. And we weren’t even in a room right now, meaning he was the smartest human in the great outdoors! No one was hipper to the fact than me.
“Plus you’re a sharp guy, Jiggs,” Bernie went on. “So when he called, you got his number. I’m betting it’s on your cell phone.”
“Don’t have it on me,” Jiggs said.
“Jiggs? I can see the outline on your pocket.”
Jiggs reached into the pocket of his jeans, gave Bernie the phone.
Bernie squatted down like a catcher, getting closer to Jiggs. He winced the tiniest bit from his leg wound, but you had to be watching real close to spot it. “You’re going to request a face-to-face meeting,” he said, “just the two of you.”
“What if he says no?”
“Tell him you want to make one final payment, a big one on condition it’s also the last.”
“There’s never a last payment with bloodsuckers like him,” Jiggs said.
“You’ll have to do some make-believe,” Bernie said.
“Make-believe?” said Jiggs.
“Like acting,” Bernie told him. “Pretend you’re too dumb to know there’s never an end with bloodsuckers like him. I have faith in you.”
“You’re an asshole, you know that?” Jiggs said.
“The time for recrimination is over,” Bernie said. He pressed a few keys on Jiggs’s phone, checked the screen. “This it?” he said, turning the phone so Jiggs could see. Jiggs nodded. Bernie gave him the phone. “Say you want to meet in the park across from city hall.”
Jiggs made the call, had a brief talk, clicked off.
