“The payment’s in the offer. You turned it down, you got no bitch.” I turned to go. Hawk was between us and the door. His hands resting delicately on his hips.
“Hawk,” Powers said. “Shepard don’t leave.”
“Hundred thousand’s a lotta vegetable matter, King,” Hawk said.
“Hawk’s right, Mr. Powers.” Macey on the bed had dropped his Journal and brought out a neat-looking little.25 automatic with a pearl handle and nickel plating. Probably matched his cuff links.
“What’s in it for you, Spencer?” Powers said.
“Thirty percent,” I said. “You can use it to pay off Shepard’s loan.”
Powers was quiet. We all were. It was like a stop frame in instant replay.
Hawk at ease in front of the door. Shepard with his skin squeezing tight on his body, Macey with his cute gun. Powers sitting at the table, thinking.
The window was behind him and the light coming in framed him like a back-lit photograph. The little tendrils of fuzz in the double-knit were silhouetted and clear along his coat sleeves and the tops of the shoulders. The mutton-chop sideburns where the whiskers individuated at the outer edge were more gold than copper against the light.
“Who’s your customer?” King said. Hawk whistled shave-and-a-haircut-two-bits between his teeth. Softly.
“If I told you that I probably wouldn’t be needed as go-between, would I?”
Powers turned his lip up again and giggled. Then he turned to the thin guy. “Macey,” he said, “I got some golf to play. Set this thing up.” He looked at me. “This better be straight,” he said. “If it ain’t you are going to be pushing up your fucking daisies. You unnerstand? Fucking daisies you’ll be pushing up.” He got up and walked past me toward the door.
“Daisies,” I said.
He went out. Macey put the.25 away and said, “Okay, let’s get to work.”
I said, “Is he going to play golf in his Anderson-Little cutaway?”
“He’s going to change in the clubhouse,” Macey said. “Haven’t you ever played golf?”
“Naw, we were into aggravated assault when I was a kid.”
Macey smiled once, on and off like a blinking light. Hawk went and lay down on the bed and closed his eyes. Shepard went stiffly to the bureau where the booze was and made a big drink. Macey sat down at the round table and I joined him. “Okay,” he said, “give me the deal.”
Chapter 21
There wasn’t all that much to set up with Macey yet. I told him I’d have to get in touch with the other principals first and get back to him, but that the 100 grand was firm and he should start getting in touch with his sources.
“The guns would be top dollar,” Macey said. “There’s the risk factor, and the added problem of market impact. Large quantity like this causes ripples, as you must know.”
“I know. And I know you can manage it. That’s why I came to you.”
Macey said, “Um-hum” and took a business card from the breast pocket of his seersucker suit. “Call me,” he said, “when you’ve talked to the other party.”
I took the card and put it in my wallet. “We’re in business then,” I said.
“Certainly,” Macey said. “Assuming the deal is as you represent it.”
“Yeah, that too,” I said. “That means if we’re in business that you folks will lay off old Harv here. Right?”
“Of course,” Macey said. “You heard Mr. Powers. We borrow and lend, we’re not animals. There’s no problem there.”
“Maybe not,” I said. “But I want a little more reassurance. Hawk?”
Hawk was motionless on the bed, his hands folded over his solar plexus, his eyes closed. Without opening his eyes he said, “Shepard’ll be okay.”
I nodded. “Okay,” I said. “Let’s go, Harv.”
Shepard put down what was left of his drink, and went out of the room without even looking around. I followed him. Nobody said goodbye.
When we got in my car and started out of the parking lot, Shepard said, “How do we know they’ll keep their word?”
“About staying off your back?” I said.
Shepard nodded.
“Hawk said so,” I said.
“Hawk? The nigger? He’s the one beat me up last time.”
“He keeps his word,” I said. “And I told you before, call him Hawk. I’m not going to tell you again.”
“Yeah, sure, sorry, I forgot. But, Jesus, trusting him. I mean the guy Macey seems reasonable, like a guy you can do business with… But Hawk.”
“You don’t know anything,” I said. “Macey would take out your eyeballs for a dollar. You think he’s a guy you
