'Whatever game you're playing, pal,' Jumbo said, 'I'm not fucking playing.'
'Alex and Augie,' I said.
Jumbo clamped his mouth shut.
'AABeau Film Partners,' I said.
Jumbo opened the box of candy in his lap and ate a chocolate.
'Alice DeLauria,' I said. 'Your agent.'
Jumbo ate another chocolate.
'Nicky Fellscroft,' I said. 'Your agent's father.'
Jumbo seemed absorbed with his candy.
'Stephano DeLauria,' I said. 'Your agent's husband.'
Jumbo ate some more candy.
'You know any of those people?' I said.
'No.'
'Now, Jumbo,' I said. 'Don't be an idiot. One of them is your agent. You know Alice DeLauria?'
'Yeah, sure,' Jumbo said. 'But I don't know none of those other fuckers.'
'You have any idea what any of them do?'
Jumbo's face attempted what might have been a sly look.
'Alice DeLauria is an agent,' he said.
I said, 'Now we're cooking, Jumbo. How about her father?'
Jumbo shook his head and chewed on a caramel.
'What's Z doing for you?' Jumbo said.
'Z?' I said.
'You said he's working for you,' Jumbo said. 'He been telling you shit?'
Jumbo had gone through the top layer of chocolates in the box. He took the crinkly little sheet of divider paper out and dropped it on the floor.
'We talk,' I said.
Jumbo ate a candy.
'Well, he's fulla shit,' Jumbo said.
'Lot of that going around,' I said.
'Well, it ain't coming from me. I don't know nothing 'bout any of those people, except Alice.'
I nodded.
'So how come Silver and Ratoff came to my office and spoke on your behalf.'
'I don't know,' Jumbo said. 'What'd they say.'
'They told me, sort of, to buzz off,' I said.
'Maybe you should listen to them,' Jumbo said.
He was unconsciously feeling the chocolates, apparently counting how many were left.
'That hole you mentioned that Ms. Fiore and I might end up in?' I said.
'Yeah?'
He ate a candy. Probably caramel, because it took some chewing.
'Who's going to dig it?' I said.
'You're digging your own hole,' Jumbo said.
'And who will push us into it?' I said. 'And why?'
Jumbo shook his head.
'You'll find out,' he said.
Rita had been watching quietly. Now she spoke.
'Jumbo,' Rita said. 'The point is, he will. You don't know him as I do. He'll find out what happened to Dawn Lopata. He'll find out why everyone he listed is so interested in you. Everything. Remember, we were originally hired to help you.'
'I don't need no help.'
'Lemme tell you why you might,' I said.
Jumbo rolled his eyes and popped another chocolate.
