clock.'
'Weekends?'
'Never seen him.'
'So you call him at work to report.'
'Nope. He calls us. I don't even know where he works.'
'So where do you send the bill?' I said.
'Don't,' Francis said. 'He come in every Friday and paid us for the week ahead.'
'Check?'
'Cash.'
'Doesn't that seem a little funny to you?'
'Sure,' Francis said, 'but it was a lot of cash.'
'Why would a guy have you tail his wife and go to so much trouble to conceal his identity?' I said.
'Figured we could always find him if we had to,' Francis said. 'We got his home address.'
'Maybe,' I said.
Francis was still sitting tilted back, hands behind his head. He remained in that position for another moment then slowly picked his feet up and put them on the ground. The chair tilted forward. He unlaced his hands and put them palms down on his desktop and drummed his fingertips lightly.
'You think it ain't him?' Francis said.
'You ever see them together?'
'Just that one time.'
'What's he look like?'
'Medium-size blond guy,' Francis said. 'Very blond, little mustache. Rimless glasses. Looks in shape.'
I nodded.
'Yeah,' I said. 'Sounds like him.'
18
I went to see Elmer O'Neill at his office in a converted gas station in Arlington. The gas pumps were gone but the low concrete pedestal on which they'd once sat was still there.
'I see what you mean about low overhead,' I said when I went in.
'Overhead any lower,' Elmer said, 'and I couldn't stand up straight.'
'Right in the heart of the action, too,' I said.
'Whaddya need?' Elmer said.
'Bernard Eisen,' I said. 'What'd he look like?'
'Guy hired me to tail his wife?'
'Yep.'
'Blond guy, little mustache, glasses.'
'How'd he pay you?'
E lmer squinted at me. 'What's goin' on?' he said.
'Just confirming a few loose ends,' I said.
'The hell you are,' Elmer said. 'Why do you want to know how he paid me?'
I grinned.
'Hard to throw one past you,' I said.
'Don't forget it.'
'He pay you cash?' I said.
'Why do you want to know?'
'Bernie has a history of bad checks,' I said. 'Just wondered if he bounced one on you.'
'Hell no,' Elmer said. 'Nobody's bouncing nothing on Elmer O'Neill.'
'So his check was good?'
'Better than that,' Elmer said proudly. 'He paid cash. Up front.'
'Cash don't bounce,' I said.
'You got that right,' Elmer said.
