'And you haven't seen him since?'
'Sure I did. A couple of times, on the street in the neighborhood.
Then I got the word, somebody's lookin' for the guy, so I hung around a little. Stood on the corner where I could keep an eye on the house. Had coffee next door to it so I could see who's goin' in and out. He's still there.' He showed me a bashful smile. 'I asked some questions, you know? There's a broad he's living with, it's her apartment. I found out, you know, which apartment it is.'
'What's the address?'
He shot a look at Danny Boy, who nodded. He took another pull from his bottle of Red Stripe. 'He better not know where this came from.'
I didn't say anything.
'All right,' he said. 'Two eighty-eight East Twenty-fifth, that's near the corner of Second. There's a coffee shop on that corner serves you a good meal reasonable. Good Polish food.'
'Which apartment?'
'Fourth floor in the back. Name on the bell is Lepcourt. I don't know if that's the broad's name or what.'
I wrote all this down, closed my notebook. I told Brian that I wouldn't want Motley to know about our conversation.
He said, 'No fuckin' way, man. I ain't talked to him since they switched him outta E-block. I ain't gonna talk to him now.'
'You haven't said a word to him?'
'What for? I seen him, you know, an' I reckanized him right off.
He's got this funny-shaped head, kind of a long face. If you seen him once you'd never miss him. Me, I got a face your eyes'll slide right over.
He looked at me the other day, Motley, looked at me on the street. His eyes never even slowed down. He didn't reckanize me.' Another shy smile. 'A week from today you won't reckanize me.'
He seemed proud of this. I looked at Danny Boy, who flashed two fingers at me. I got out my wallet and took out four $50 bills. I folded them, palmed them, and reached across the table to slip them into Brian's hand. He took the money and dropped his hand into his lap, holding the money out of sight while he had a look at it. When he looked up the smile was back. 'That's decent,' he said. 'That's real decent.'
'One question.'
'Shoot.'
'Why rat him out?'
He looked at me. 'Why not? We was never friends. A guy's gotta turn a buck, you know that.'
'Sure.'
'Anyway,' he said, 'he's a real bad fucker. You know that, don't you? Shit, you gotta know it.'
'I know it.'
'That woman he's living with? I bet he kills her, man. Maybe he killed her already.'
'Why?'
'I guess he likes it or something. I heard him talkin' about it one time. He said women didn't last, they got used up quick. After a while you had to kill 'em and get a new one. I never forgot that, not just what he said but how he said it. You hear all kinds of shit, but I never heard nothing like that.' He took another pull on his beer and put the bottle down. 'I gotta go,' he said. 'I owe for the beer or are you taking care of that?'
'It's taken care of,' Danny Boy said.
'I only drank half of it. It's okay, though. Anybody wants the rest of it, feel free.' He got to his feet. 'I hope you get him,' he said. 'A guy like that don't belong on the street.'
'No, he doesn't.'
'The thing is,' he said, 'he don't belong in the joint, either.'
I said, 'What do you think?'
'What do I think, Matthew? I think he's one of Nature's noblemen.
Generous, too. I don't suppose you'd care to finish his bottle of beer.'
'Not just now.'
'I think I'll stay with Stoly myself. What do I think? I don't think he told you any lies. Your friend may not still be on Twenty-fifth Street, but it won't be because Brian tipped him off.'
'I think he's scared of him.'
'So do I.'
'But somebody else gave a very convincing performance of fear the other night, and then she led me right into a trap.' I ran down what had happened on Attorney Street. He thought about it while he refilled his glass.
'You walked right into it,' he said.
'I know.'
'This doesn't have that kind of feel to it,' he said. 'Then again, our Brian didn't show up with character
