are, she?s on the circuit. The mob moves them around like that.”
“How about pimps?” Charlie One Ear queried.
“Sure, the same thing. Maybe I can tie a pimp to some outfit in Cincy or Chicago. Next step is, who?s
he working for? How did he get here? Pimps don?t move from town to town. What I mean is, they
don?t free-lance. They move when the heat?s on. They usually work for the man. He tells them where
to go.”
“So what?s different about Dunetown?” Salvatore said. “That?s pretty common, isn?t it?”
“What?s different is that the Tagliani family is here,” Stick threw in.
“Right,” I said. “If I can make a connection between here and someplace else, that?s the start of an
interstate case. If I can tie it to Tagliani?s mob, that?s part two. If I can prove it, then I can take it to
the Justice Department. That?s three, and then it?s their problem. Anything else I lay off on you guys.
I?m not here to make collars, okay?”
“All that is by way of telling us you?re looking for out-of-town talent, correct?” Charlie One Ear said.
“Right. I?d also like to know the names of companies owned by the Triad. Where they bank. Who
they do business with. What kind of straight businesses they?re into.”
“That?s a little outta our line,” Zapata said.
“The key man is the accountant, Cohen,” I said. “He?s the bagman. Unless he?s changed his MO, he
makes three or four pickups a day, never at the same spots. He carries a little black satchel, like one of
those old-fashioned doctor?s bags, and it?s probably full of cash. That?s the skim, the money they need
to wash.”
“The TGG,” offered Charlie One Ear.
“Correct.”
“This is street money, right?” Stick said, playing along with me. “Gambling, prostitution, dope, that
kind of thing.”
I nodded.
“So why don?t we just grab the bag away from the little shit and take a look?” Zapata suggested.
“For one thing, he?s probably got four r five cannons escorting him,” I said.
“Yes,” Charlie One Ear said snidely. “It?s also against the law. It?s called robbery. One to five for first
offense, which might not be applicable in your case.”
Zapata looked at him and laughed.
“They don?t usually put their swag in the bank,” Salvatore offered.
“I agree,” I said. “But Cohen?s a crafty son of a bitch. He may have something worked out at the
hank.
