“Things come to me,” I said. “Because of my business I hear things.”
“And what?s been comin? at you, man?” the lean, ebony mobster said, still smiling.
“It comes to me that a Cincinnati gangster named Tagliani and his outfit came down here to set up
shop. They wanted the Front Street action, but they knew they had to get past you, one way or
another. They may have had some local help moving in here—that?s up for grabs right now—but one
person Tagliani definitely did not have help from was Stoney Titan, and since you and Stoney have a
deal, they couldn?t ease you out. It comes to me that the Taglianis decided to try the water, find out
just how tough you were, so they sent an Ohio hoodlum named Cherry McGee in to test you. He
couldn?t take you, so Tagliani managed to frame you, and after you did your clock, you came out and
blew McGee up, along with a couple of his pistols.
“Meantime, they started taking over, squeezing in here and there. They started dealing heavy drugs,
mostly cocaine, to service the big rollers from out of town, which, it comes to me, is not your style.
They also had big money, and that?s where they started hurting you. They were squeezing you out
because they had the financing.
“So it comes to me that you decided to make one big move, a coke connection in South America that
would net you maybe twenty, thirty mil on the street plus bite a big hole in their trade.
“Then, last Sunday, Tagliani hijacked your load, killed your people, and burned the boat, which left
you without your goods and owing the connections that fronted you. So, it comes to me, you declared
war and started wasting Taglianis. And then when Harry Raines got hot under the collar over all the
shooting, you put him away.”
I paused for a moment and then said, “That?s the way it comes to me.”
He took off the sunglasses and bored holes in me with cast iron eyes.
“Dog lover, you?re so full of shit you?re contagious,” Graves murmured, without humour. “Comes to
you, my ass.”
“I said that?s the way it comes to me, I didn?t say that?s the way it was. But that?s how it could be
played, if enough people wanted it done that way.”
He leaned back and toyed with the glasses. Now I had his interest.
“Okay,” he whispered, “how do you think it was?”
“Well, here?s the way it wasn?t. I don?t think you killed any of the Tagliani clan, except maybe
McGee and some of his gang. And I don?t think you put Harry Raines away. Not only that, but I can
probably prove you didn?t.”
“That?s damn nice of you, brother,” he said. “What do you want rue to do in return, marry your
sister?”
