'You do,' he said.
I nodded.
'We want to take him down,' I said.
'We?'
'Me and a friend of mine.'
'Friend who was almost shot to death last year?'
'Yes.'
'Blames Boots?'
'We know Boots had something to do with it,' I said. 'You been keeping tabs on us?'
Epstein grinned at me.
'We don't like Boots, either,' he said.
'You've been keeping tabs on Boots,' I said.
Epstein pointed at me in affirmation.
'And up we popped,' I said.
'You and Hawk,' Epstein said.
'So what can you tell me?'
'You first,' he said.
'Off the record,' I said.
'You expect to engage in criminal activity in this venture?' Epstein said.
'Just being careful,' I said. 'It is possible that Hawk might, unknowingly, violate a federal statute.'
'I work for the federal government,' Epstein said. 'I am not unfamiliar with criminal activity.'
'Good point,' I said. 'So, off the record?'
Epstein nodded, and chewed some more lettuce. I told him the part about Hawk and the Ukrainians, and Hawk getting shot, and us dismantling Boots's operation to even things up. I trusted Epstein. I'd worked with him before. I told him about Tony Marcus and Brock Rimbaud, and the adventures we'd had in Marshport. Epstein listened silently while he ate his salad.
'I heard there was a Ukrainian guy got himself popped over on Blue Hill Ave a while ago.'
'People are often popped on Blue Hill Ave,' I said.
'Most of them aren't Ukrainian.'
'Well,' I said. 'Not all of them, certainly.'
'You and Hawk in on that?'
I smiled.
'I'll take that as a yes,' Epstein said.
The waiter brought him some broiled scallops. Epstein started on them at once. I continued with my lobster stew.
'You talk to Ives at all?' Epstein said.
'Ives?'
'Yeah. You talk with him?'
'Why would I talk with Ives?' I said.
Epstein shrugged.
'I know you know him,' Epstein said. 'Got the Ukrainian connection. Ives is on the foreign side of things.'
'You been in touch with Ives,' I said.
'Yes.'
'So you know I talked with him, because he told you.'
Epstein stabbed a scallop with his fork and disposed of it.
'Well, since you put it that way,' he said. 'Yes.'
'We needed a tough guy that spoke Ukrainian,' I said. 'I figured Ives would be a better source than Berlitz.'
'He gave you the Gray Man,' Epstein said between scallops.
I sat back and put my spoon down.
'Rugar,' I said.
'His name changes more often than his appearance,' Epstein said. 'I always call him the Gray Man.'
