“It sounded like—”
“It sounded like just what I said. Don?t stray off the dime, Jake. I want information, period. You?re a
lawyer and you always stick to due process. I?d like a little of that to rub off on Stick.”
“I got a feeling he?s not going to get a lot of help in that respect from Morehead?s bunch.”
“That?s what I mean,” Cisco said. “Give the lad a little balance, okay?”
“What if I need some professional backup?” I asked.
“He wouldn?t be in the Freeze if he wasn?t first class, and you know it,” Cisco growled. “You get in
trouble, he?s as good a man to have at the back door as you could ask. All I?m saying is, if we do
happen to turn up a RICO case, I want it to be airtight. No illegal wiretaps, no hacking their
computers. Nothing that won?t hold up in court.?
“Yeah, okay,”! said.
Cisco couldn?t resist throwing in a little jab.
“Maybe he can get you to file a report now and again, once a week or so, y?know.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Dutch has a computer setup. You can tie directly into our terminal in Washington.”
“Right,” I said, and before I could move on to something else, he added sarcastically, “Maybe he can
help you a little in that area.”
“Sure thing.”
“Stick sent the „Tagliani photos up to me in his weekly report; that?s how we made them.”
I was beginning to hate this kid they called Stick, already. He sounded like a miserable little eager
heaver.
“How long you in town for?” I asked.
“I?m in town to say hello,” Cisco answered. “I head back to Washington tomorrow.
“Aw, and just when the fun?s starting.”
“Somebody has to put food on the table. We?re in the middle of the annual battle of the budget—
which reminds me, you?re two months behind in your expense reports and you haven?t filed a field
report for—”
“Tell me more about this Stick fellow,” I said, trying to avoid another issue.
Mazzola paused. “I want those expense reports,” he said. “Clear?”
“Right. You got „em.”
“Now, about Parver. Before he came with us, he was a D.C. plainclothes, then a narc, then he worked
on the D.C. mob squad. Before all that he did time in Nam. Army intelligence or something. He?s
tough enough.
