'I can tell,' Ronnie said. 'You too.'
'You know anything about Dean Walker?'
'Police chief out here, isn't he?'
'Know more than that?'
'Nope.'
'How do you know that?'
'I'm alert,' Ronnie said.
'What about Mark Ratliff?'
'Movie producer,' Ronnie said, 'except he don't produce no movies.'
'Anything else?'
'Nope.'
'And how do you know about him?'
Ronnie smiled the thin smile again. 'Alertness,' he said.
'I'm pretty alert myself,' I said. 'And I notice that Morris is hiring me to do what he said he'd kill me for a month ago.'
'Things change,' Ronnie said.
'But you wouldn't know why?'
'I wouldn't,' Ronnie said. 'Like I said, Morris only tells me what he thinks I need to know.'
'Why don't I believe you?' I said.
'Because you're a cynical and suspicious guy?' Ronnie said.
'That must be it,' I said.
We sat. Hawk leaned. I tried to think of some clever way to trick Ronnie into telling more than he wanted to. I couldn't. I was cynical and suspicious, but not that bright.
'Tell Morris that I will decline his kind offer, and if anything happens to Mary Lou Buckman I will come to L.A. and fry his ass.'
'I'll pass that on,' Ronnie said.
He got up and headed for his car. Hawk watched him all the way. Chollo didn't move but I realized he was watching Ronnie, too. Ronnie went around his car and opened the driver's-side door. He looked back at us.
'Have a nice day,' he said.
Then he got in the car and closed the door and backed it slowly out of the driveway.
Chapter 45
IT WAS BERNARD'S turn to cook breakfast. He valued presentation. He always put out a tablecloth and matching flatware. He put the juice in a pitcher and the milk in another. No cartons on the table. He served the meals from the counter instead of slopping the food out of the cooking pan at the table. Today he was serving apricot pancakes with syrup made from some sort of cactus pear.
'Bernard,' Tedy Sapp said, 'you sure you're straight?'
'Damned right I'm straight,' Bernard said. 'Anybody says I'm not I'll fight him.'
Sapp grinned.
'When a gay guy calls you queer, it's not an insult,' he said.
'You think I wouldn't fight you?' Bernard said.
'I think you would,' Sapp said. 'Just not for long.'
Bernard put three pancakes on a dinner plate and brought it to the table.
'Well you just mess with me,' he said. 'We'll find out how long.'
Sapp's grin grew wider.
He said, 'I wouldn't mess with you Bernard.'
Bernard put my pancakes down in front of me. They were carefully arranged on the plate so that they didn't overlap. I put just enough honey on and cut off a bite and ate it.
When I had swallowed, I said, 'You can really cook for a straight guy, Bernard.'
'Don't you start with me,' he said.
'Why would Morris Tannenbaum send Ronnie here?' Chollo said.
'I figure he got double-crossed,' I said.
'By who?'
'Everybody involved.'
