'Gotta get the trust-fund money first,' Hawk said. 'And Boots be all we got for that.'
I drank some coffee.
' 'Less we can find somebody else to endow the kid's future,' I said.
'Vinnie?' Hawk said.
I looked at Vinnie, leaning his head against the leather upholstery in the backseat of Hawk's Jaguar. His eyes were closed as he listened to the music.
'I see your point,' I said. 'So, we gotta rescue him.'
'Is that a bitch?' Hawk said.
'It is,' I said.
Hawk smiled and did a flawless Stan Laurel.
'A fine mess I've got us into this time, Ollie.'
'Well,' I said, 'unless Leonard had a hidden agenda when he warned us about getting the Gray Man out of harm's way, we can assume it'll start at City Hall.'
'Agreed,' Hawk said.
'So there should be a lot of diversionary activity.'
'Should,' Hawk said.
'Which might work for us,' I said.
'Always see the glass half full, don't you,' Hawk said.
'A cockeyed optimist,' I said.
'We engineered this sucker,' Hawk said. 'We can't just warn Boots ahead of time. We blow the whole deal.'
'Hoist on our own petard,' I said.
From the backseat, holding his earphones away from his ears, Vinnie said, 'You know a petard is a land mine?'
Hawk and I looked at each other.
'I did know that,' I said.
Vinnie shrugged slightly and put the earphones back in his ears.
'Hard to plan anything,' Hawk said, 'till we know what Tony going to do.'
'We know he's starting at City Hall,' I said. 'Let's call the Gray Man.'
'Okay,' Hawk said. 'You in, Vinnie?'
Vinnie opened his eyes for a moment.
'Sure,' he said and closed his eyes.
48
THE GRAY MAN met us in the parking lot of a bait-and-tackle shop near the marina on Ocean Way, a few blocks east of City Hall. He got into the backseat of Hawk's car with Vinnie. Neither one paid any attention to the other.
'Tony Marcus gonna try for Boots,' Hawk said.
'Where?' the Gray Man said.
'Probably City Hall.'
'When?'
'Don't know,' Hawk said. 'Soon.'
'Are you participating?' the Gray Man said.
'We gonna get Boots out,' Hawk said.
'Out?'
' 'Fore he dies,' Hawk said, 'Boots gonna give me money for Luther Gillespie's kid.'
'Ah,' the Gray Man said. 'Yes. You want it all.'
'Un-huh.'
'Do you need me to shoot, or can I help you better by remaining covert.'
'Need you to get us in to Boots, or Boots out to us,' Hawk said.
The Gray Man nodded.
'Without revealing myself,' the Gray Man said.
