Hooligans

“No less than you,” I replied, althot.gh I was sorry the moment I said it. They were all in it up to their

eyeballs. Murder, kidnapping, arson—all could be proven, regardless of whether or not we broke

down Cohen, Donleavy, an d Seaborn and opened up the pyramid. They were all smart enough to

know you can only hang once. One or two more murders couldn?t have bothered them less, so I cut

the smart talk and hoped that Doe wouldn?t figure it out too.

“So why are we here?” I asked.

“It?s a scientific experiment,” Pravano said. “We want to see how long it takes for a Fed to wet his

pants.”

“There?s a lady in the room,” I said.

“She?s got rotten taste,” he snarled.

“Your dance partner?s no trophy winner,” I snapped back.

He let it pass. “Don?t try nothing spectacular, okay, to impress the lady, like the thing with Turk back

there in town. Keep away from the windows. Don?t make no racket, bust up the furniture, start no

fires, that kind of shit. We got people outside and people watching that.” He jerked a thumb toward

the monitor. “You fuck with that, I?ll let Turk come in and blow off your goddamn balls, if you got

any.”

He left.

“Who was that!” Doe cried.

“One of the Seven Dwarfs,” I said, and tried a chuckle. It sounded more like a dirge.

Zapata was sitting sidesaddle on his hog, smoking a Fatima and watching the traffic go by, when

Stick got there.

“He?s in that strip joint over there, drinking Scotch and checking crotch,” the Mexican said. “What

the hell?s going on?”

“Costello and his bunch ditched the boys. They?re out pleasure cruising on Costello?s boat.”

“1 know. I been watching this Weasel „cause I heard him and Nance were, y?know, kinda tight, if that

psycho has any friends. Anyways, he don?t go on the boat. So I figure maybe he?s gonna meet Nance

and I shag him. He comes over here. Is that what it?s all about?”

“Dutch wants to have a talk with Weasel,” Stick said. “Let?s go over and see can we ease him out of

there without starting a riot.”