he?s running for mayor. One thing I left out: Salvatore carries a sawed-off pool cue in his shoulder
holster. It?s about eighteen inches long and it?s always catching on things, which doesn?t seem to
bother him a bit. Zapata is standing by the door. That?s their idea of backup.
When we arrived, Zapata split. He?s on the prowl for Nance and Chevos. That makes me feel real
fine, because if Chevos and Nance are within a hundred miles of here, Zapata will find them. I?ll
make book on it.
We join Salvatore and Mortimer at the table and then I see why this Mortimer Flitch has got that
screwy look on his face. Salvatore has his pool cue between Morti men?s legs and every once in a
while he gives the cue a little jerk and rings Mortimer?s bells.
“Tell him what you told me there, Mort,” Salvatore says, and bong! he rings the bells and Mortimer
starts singing like the fat lady in the opera.
“I got in a little trouble in Louisville about two months ago and—”
Bong! “Tell „em what for,” says Salvatore.
“Beating up this chippie. She had it coming—
Bong! “Forget the apologies,” says Salvatore.
“Anyway, the DA was all over me and—”
Bong! “Tell „em why,” says Salvatore.
“It, uh, it—”
Bong!
“It was my fifth offense. Anyway, I give a call to a friend of mine, does a little street business in
Cincy, and he says forget it out there, things are real hot, I should try calling Johnny O?Brian down
here. So I did and he sends me the ticket.”
Mortimer stopped to catch his breath and Salvatore gave him another little shot.
“Tell „em about the hotel and all,” he says.
“Look, O?Brian did me all right. I could get blitzed over this.” Bong! “„Told „em about the fuckin?
hotel, weed.”
“He gets me a suite here in the Breakers, gives me two G?s, and says I got a couple of weeks to line
up some ladies. It?s a sixty-forty split. He gets the forty.”
Salvatore looked over at me and smiled.
“What else you want to know?”
“Did you bring any ladies with you?” I asked.
“Uh-.-”
Bong!
