'My name's Spenser.'
I was hoping the name would strike fear into Los Diablos.
'So what?' Yang said.
Beside me, Major Johnson snickered.
'I know your brother,' I said. 'Animal.'
'So?'
'I need to know if you got him some handguns,' I said.
'Why you need to know that?' Yang said.
'I'm a private detective,' I said. 'I'm working on a case. It won't involve Animal.'
'How I know that?' Yang said.
'He say something,' Major said, 'it be true.'
'You say so,' Yang said to Major.
'I do. He say something, you can take it right down the First National Bank of Cha-Cha and deposit it.'
Yang nodded.
'I don't know nothing about no guns,' he said to me.
'Would have been last January,' I said. 'Four clean pieces and ammo.'
'Why I tell you shit?' Yang said.
'I tole him you would,' Major said.
Yang looked hard at him across the hood of the Chevy Impala he was behind. Major waited. Yang was silent. Behind him, the two carloads of backup stood silently. I spotted at least a shotgun among them. I didn't know for sure what else. They stayed behind the cars. I had no idea what kind of ordnance Major's people had broken out. They were behind us, and I didn't want to violate the moment by turning to look. Far behind me was the sound of traffic on the expressway. In the parking lot, I could hear car doors open and slam, and car engines start up, as late shoppers and store employees headed home.
'You trust him?' Yang said to Major.
'Man do what he say he do,' Major said. 'Like me.'
Yang nodded. More staring. More traffic sounds. One of Yang's men coughed and tried to stifle it. We waited.
'My brother got big muscles and no brain,' Yang said.
'Some question about the size of his cojones, too,' I said.
'Yeah,' Yang said. 'I know. Why I sent him out there to East Cow Fuck.'
'Last January,' I said.
'A Browning, a Colt, two Glocks,' Yang said. 'No history, extra magazines, lotta bullets.'
'How much?' I said.
'Fifteen hundred,' Yang said. 'The works.'
'Cheap,' I said.
'He's my brother,' Yang said. 'I didn't make no profit.'
'He did,' I said. 'He had three grand to spend.'
Yang was silent for a moment, then he said, 'That would be Luis.'
'He say what the guns were for?'
'No. '
'They were used in a bunch of murders out in Dowling.'
'You ain't involving my brother,' Yang said.
'Not if I don't have to.'
'You rat him,' Yang said, 'I kill you.'
'I don't want him,' I said. 'I'll do what I can.'
'You better do it,' Yang said.
'Don't be threatening my man,' Major said.
'Major, you and me already lived longer than we was supposed to.' Yang's voice was flat. 'I said what I said.'
'You fuck with my man,' Major said, 'and we see 'bout that.'
'I ain't heavy,' I said. 'I'm his brother.'
Major choked off a laugh beside me. Yang gave me a hard look, and then it was over. Our side backed down
