The Killing Man

holding the tooth had been snapped off, but the wire bracings that attached to adjacent teeth were intact.

I asked him, 'What were you holding on to this for?'

The old guy threw up his hands. 'Shoot, mister, them things cost money. If that guy came back looking for it, I could work a fiver out of him.'

I shook my head as if I didn't believe him.

'You think I'm kidding? Last year I had a pair of glasses that got under the hydraulic rig somehow. Glass was broke, but the rims was real gold. I got six bucks for it.'

'When was that?'

'I dunno. It was winter. Cold as hell out.'

'Where was Smiley?'

'He took that week off. I came in before he got back to make sure the heat was up. Smiley don't like to waste no money.'

'When's he coming back this time?'

'Tomorrow,' Jason told me. 'He don't like all this crap going on here.'

'Then I'll come back tomorrow.'

'What about my tooth?'

'Tell you what,' I said. 'If I can't find who it fits, I'll give it back to you.'

'Cops don't give nothin' back.'

'You're probably right,' I told him.

One block over I found the neighborhood coffee shop. I expected it to be the usual dilapidated slop chute that you come across in these areas, but the little old Italian lady who ran the place had it as neat as her own kitchen. When I walked in I must have had a pleased look on my face because she laughed and said, 'Surprise, eh. You are surprise. Everybody new here is surprise.'

I slid onto a stool and ordered an egg sandwich and coffee.

'Bacon?'

'Why not? Sounds good.'

She nodded and turned to her stove. 'And the big eggs I got. No little mediums. For the men who work hard, I got extra large.'

'Sounds great.'

'You don't work here, no?'

'Nope. I had something to do at Smiley's, but he's not there.'

'Ah, fancy man Smiley. I used to tell my Tony, Smiley was a fancy man.'

She poured my coffee and I asked her, 'What's a fancy man?'

She shrugged and wagged her head. 'Little man, too big pants. Likes to make a big show. He wants change for a twenty for a doughnut. You want your egg over?'

'Real easy. Don't break the yolk.'

She buttered the bread, laid four slices of bacon on it and deftly put the egg on top. She watched me tap the yolk with my knife, spread it over the bacon and slap the lid on it. When I took my first bite I could feel the yolk roll down my chin. She laughed. 'Only the sexy men, they eat like that.'

'Delicious,' I told her. Then: 'Guy over there said Smiley would be back tomorrow.'

'Sure, he come back,' she agreed. 'He'll buy coffee, give me a twenty. Big shot. Him and the ponies. I told my Tony he was a no-good fancy.'

'Doesn't he ever lose?'

'Smiley the fancy man? Never. He's the big shot who never loses.'

I finished my sandwich, gave her the right change with a dollar tip and said, 'Just so you don't figure me for a fancy man.'

For another hour I walked around Smiley's block talking to the guys who worked there. Nobody seemed to care much for Smiley at all. He got some odd jobs in his shop, but nothing that would mean big bucks. It was the track that kept Smiley a step above everybody else.

One of the guys didn't even believe that. 'Shit, man, he goes to the track when there ain't no track running. He likes to make like he takes a plane somewhere, but shit, he's broke before he goes. When he gets back he has a bundle.'

'So he goes to OTB.'

'You kidding? Smiley goin' legal to Off Track Betting? A bookie, maybe, but no OTB.'

'He's got some great luck,' I said.

'Balls. You know what I think? I think he's got an in with somebody. Guys what can move the odds around and tell him who to pick.'

'Where would he get clout like that?' I asked him.

After he thought about it, he nodded. 'Yeah. So he's still a phony. So he's got money sometimes.' He spit on the ground and went back to work.

There was nothing more here to see. When tomorrow came I'd come back to talk to Smiley. Him I wanted to see.

* * *

Burke Reedey finished with his patients, washed up and came into the office. He sat down and rubbed his face with his hands. 'Feel like a drink?'

I shook my head. 'Not now.'

He opened a bottom drawer, found a mini-bottle of Scotch and poured it into a glass. He toasted me with 'Souvenir of the airlines,' poured it down and wiped his lips. 'Velda's doing fine, you know.'

'They told me when I called. When will she be free to talk?'

'If you don't overdo it, you can go anytime. Her face is going to be a mess for another week, but she'll get back to normal. That blow she took was so massive we want to make sure that there is no permanent injury.'

'And what would that be?'

'For one thing, a possible memory loss. So far there's no indication of that. When are you going up?'

'Tonight.'

'Good. She'll be glad to see you.' He grinned and added, 'You know, of course, she's in love with you.'

'We've been working together quite a while,' I said.

'Quit working and get married. Man, you can't see the forest for the trees. That's some woman.'

'In my business the longevity factor is pretty lousy, Doctor. It makes business for you and a mess out of marriages.' I changed the subject and handed him the broken partial plate from the garage.

He took it, turned it around and looked at it from all angles. 'What am I supposed to say about it?'

'What are the chances of having this identified?'

'I assume you mean by the police?'

'Right.'

'Well, they send dental X rays, photos of partials and full dental plates and patients' charts around the country. I don't know what percentage results in an accurate identification by the technicians who did the work, but I know there have been numerous successes.' He reached out and dropped the partial in my hand. 'A display this small wouldn't be easy to track. Its very simplicity is the trouble.'

'Damn,' I said.

'The police are pretty resourceful, Mike. Their modern technology is awesome.'

'Sure, when it can be concentrated.'

'Can't you narrow this down any?'

I gave him a nice grin. 'Burkey-boy, you are one hell of a smart medicine man.' I flipped the partial in the air, caught it and dropped it in my pocket.

Burke reached in the drawer and pulled out a small pill-sample envelope. 'Let's be neat with that thing.'

He watched me drop it in, seal it shut and put it away again. I told him thanks for his trouble, went down to the street and waved at a passing cab.

Pat rolled the tooth between his fingers before he laid it on top of the desk. 'You come up with the damnedest things, Mike.'

'Your guys didn't do a good sweep on that garage.'