'Coupla Mai Tais,' Bernard said.
The bartender went away. Bernard looked at me sidelong with his head tilted.
'Whaddya doing here?' he said.
'I'm looking for you,' I said.
'Why?'
'Confidential,' I said.
The bartender came back with two Mai Tais and set them on the bar on little paper napkins.
Bernard said to Terry, 'Take your Mai Tai couple a stools down the bar, while I talk with this guy.'
'Sure,' Terry said, and picked up her drink and her napkin and moved down to the end of the bar. She didn't seem to mind.
When we were alone, Bernard said, 'So?'
'Still got that short Colt?'
'Sure.'
'Want to make some money?'
'How much?'
'A lot.'
'Sure.'
'You want to know what you have to do?' I said.
'Let's get right to the amount,' Bernard said.
I told him.
'And expenses?' Bernard said.
'Yes.'
'Okay,' he said. 'What do you need done?'
I told him.
'Hawk in on it?' he said.
'Yes.'
'Some others?'
'Yes.'
'How many?'
'So far, counting you and me, five.'
'You got some others guys in mind?'
'I'm working west,' I said.
'L.A.?' he said.
'Yes.'
'Okay. What's first?'
'First,' I said, 'is you drive down to Potshot and rent us a house. Talk to a local broker down there, J. George Taylor.'
I handed him one of my business cards with Taylor's name and address on the back.
'House should be big enough for six, seven guys. Use any name you want as long as it matches your car registration. Move in. When you got a phone, call me. Don't say anything much to anybody about anything.'
Bernard looked at me disgustedly.
'Don't talk? What do I look like, Blabbermouth Barbie? I done this kind a work before.'
'Good to hear,' I said.
'And I'm a cash-and-carry business. Up front.'
I took a checkbook from my inside pocket and wrote out a check and ripped it out and handed it to Bernard. He looked at it to make sure it was done properly, then he folded it and put it in his wallet.
'This clears, I'll head down to Potshot,' he said. 'I'll let you know.'
I stood. Bernard jerked his head at Terry, who smiled and picked up her drink and moved back down the bar beside him.
'Nice to have met you,' she said to me.
'You too,' I said.
Bernard gestured at the bartender.
