Hawk made a self-deprecating gesture with his hands as if to say, It was easy.
“It never seemed a good idea to believe in it,” Hawk said. “Always seemed easier to me to stay intact if you didn’t.”
We were quiet. The coffee was gone. The sun that had slanted in and squared our table had moved on toward the service bar.
“Erin was right,” I said.
“About me?” Hawk said.
“Yeah,” I said. “You’ve paid a big price.”
“Never said I didn’t.”
“And sometimes it hurts,” I said.
It was as far as I’d ever pushed him.
“Un huh.”
It was as far as he’d ever gone.
CHAPTER 44
Across the dining area, Tony Marcus came strolling in from the outer lobby. Billy loomed behind him. Tony saw us across the room and they came to the table.
“Get me couple of those chocolate croissant,” Marcus said. “Some coffee, three sugars, lotta cream.”
Billy went silently to the counter. I’d never heard him speak. Would he order or just point at what he wanted? Marcus sat. He spoke to Hawk. He always spoke to Hawk. Unless he had to, he never spoke to me, or looked at me.
“What do you need now, Hawk?” Tony said.
“Need somebody to take the fall for Devona and Crystal Jefferson,” Hawk said. “Told you that before.”
“And I gave you the kid, Johnson,” Marcus said.
“He didn’t do it,” Hawk said.
Marcus shrugged. “So what? He probably did something. Bag him for this.”
“You did it, Tony.”
Marcus shrugged again. “So what?”
“You wanted to remind the gang kids how tough you were. Must be a little tricky doing business with the gang kids, them being kind of crazy and all.”
“You got that right,” Marcus said.
“So you had Billy ace the kid, Devona.”
“Got their attention,” Marcus said. “Nobody saw the baby.” Another shrug. “Shit happens.”
Billy came back with the coffee and croissants, and Marcus bit off half of one and chewed it carefully.
“Billy used a nine,” Hawk said.
Billy was standing near his boss, blocking out most of the light on that side of the room. Hawk leaned back a little more in his chair and looked at him.
“I’ll bet you didn’t get rid of it,” Hawk said. “Dump some fourteen-year-old ghetto broad who’s going to notice? I’ll bet you still got the piece.”
Billy made an almost indiscernible gesture toward his right hip and caught himself.
Hawk grinned.
“Bet you carrying it now,” Hawk said.
Marcus finished chewing his croissant.
He said, “Cut the bullshit, Hawk. So Billy dusted the kid, so I told him, so the kid thinks he’ll testify. So what? That’s all bullshit. Even if he gets to talk, nobody is going to believe him, a gangbanger punk? I got twenty people will swear Billy and I were playing cards in Albany, Georgia, when it happened.”
“Albany, Georgia?” I said.
“Wherever you like,” Marcus said. “So cut the bullshit and tell me what you want.”
Hawk grinned at him.
Across the room, Quirk and Belson strolled in from the outer lobby and walked toward the table. Marcus didn’t notice. There were a couple of other cops that I recognized, in plainclothes, lingering near the entryway. Hawk opened his teal jacket and there was a microphone pinned to the black silk T-shirt.
“Peekaboo,” Hawk said.
Marcus stared at the microphone.
“A wire,” he said. “You wore a fucking wire on me, you Tom motherfucker.”
“Told you somebody had to roll over for those two girls,” Hawk said.
