out of the holster and dropped it in the pocket of my coat and stepped away from him. He didn't move. He stood with his face pressed against the wall, his hands at his sides.
'Gimme a day, two at the most, I'm working on a thing. I'll have the money by tomorrow,' he said.
'I'm not here about money,' I said.
'What do you want?' he said into the wall.
'I want to know why four stiffs came to my office and threatened me if I didn't drop the Ellis Alves case.'
'I don't know,' he said. 'Why should I know.'
I stepped in close to him and dug a left into his kidneys. He gasped and sagged a little against the wall.
'You sent them,' I said.
'I don't even know who you are,' he said.
'My name's Spenser. You know a guy named Tommy Miller?'
'Yeah.'
'You sending the sluggers to my office got anything to do with him?'
'I don't know what you're…'
I hit him again in the same kidney. He made a kind of a yelp and his knees sagged. He turned toward me and slid his back down the wall until he was sitting on the floor, his fat legs splayed out in front of him.There was blood on the corner of his mouth. It took him a couple of tries to speak.
'Yeah. Tommy said he wanted you roughed up. I owed him a favor. I sent out some guys.'
'Why'd you owe him a favor?'
'He, ah, he helped me out when I got nabbed.'
'How?'
'Got rid of some stuff.'
'Evidence?'
'Yeah.'
'What are friends for,' I said.
'No harm done,' Parisi mumbled. 'Nobody roughed you up. We was only going to scare you.'
'If you scare me again,' I said, 'I will come back and kick your teeth out.'
'No trouble,' Parisi said. 'No trouble.'
'Sure,' I said and walked out.
Chapter 24
SUSAN GAVE A speech to a conference of professional women at the Hotel Meridien. I stood, slightly restless, in the back and listened, and afterwards we went to the august, high-ceilinged bar on the second floor for a drink. Maybe two.
'Podium magic,' I said to Susan and raised my beer glass toward her in salute.
'Did you think I was good?'
'Wouldn't the term `podium magic' imply that?' I said.
She smiled.
'Okay, I'll be more direct. Say more about how wonderful I was.'
'You were profound, witty, graceful…'
'And stunning,' Susan said.
'Isn't appraising a woman's appearance a sexist indiscretion?' I said.
'Absolutely,' Susan said. 'Do I look especially stunning in this dress?'
The dress was black and simple with a short skirt. She did look stunning in it, but it wasn't the dress. She still harbored the illusion that what she wore made a large difference in how she looked. I had years ago given up explaining to her that whatever she wore she was beautiful, and clothes generally benefited from being on her.
'Especially,' I said.
Susan was having a martini, straight up, with olives. I was drinking Rolling Rock beer.
'If we had a child it wouldn't have to be icky like Erika,' Susan said.
'Not to us,' I said.
'I mean, she's had an odd and difficult childhood. No father, and Elayna is a dear friend, but she's a little flappy.'
'Boy,' I said, 'sometimes I have trouble following you when you lapse into professional jargon.'
'We might be very good parents.'
