?I never bluff,? Kelly says. ?You came after me with a gun. I kill you, it?s self-defense all the way. Right, Mr. Prosecutor??
?Absolutely. Any reasonable person would have been in fear for his life.?
?Yeah, I almost shit myself from fear. Now, open the door.?
I obey, but slowly, the dog watching me all the way.
?Okay,? says Kelly, his voice strained from the effort of holding Quinn immobile, ?just so we?re all clear. First, I'm going to let this piece of shit go. Then Penn and I are going to walk off this tub. And you two, after licking your wounds, are going to realize that business is business. You crossed the line when you brought Penn?s family into this, and I?'ve pointed out your mistake. Now we?re all going to go our separate ways.?
?Are we?? says Sands. ?I think we have some unfinished business. You killed two of my dogs last night. I had an investment in those animals.?
?Consider it overhead. Now, I know what you?re thinking. As soon as the door closes, Quinn will say, ?We?'ve got to kill that bastard. I'm not spending the rest of my life looking over my shoulder for him.? But you don'?t have to do that, you see? For two reasons. First, because I'm a man of my word. We?re backing off. And second, because it would be a waste of time. You?d never see me coming anyway.?
Sands is smiling again, but the effect is more frightening than a scowl on a normal person. ?Before you go, Mr. Kelly, let me tell you something about myself. I don'?t often do that, but you'?ve earned it, so I'?ll make an exception. You ever hear of the Shankill Butchers??
Kelly thinks for a few seconds. ?Northern Ireland. They were a Prod bunch, right? Mass murderers. More gangsters than political.?
?One of the bloodiest gangs as ever stalked the streets of Belfast. Scum, really. Grabbed Catholics at random off the streets and tortured them. Cut them to ribbons, beat them to death. When they couldn'?t get Catholics, they took whatever they found. I know,
because I worked with them now and again, on legitimate UDF missions. For a while they were protected by the Brits because they occasionally topped an IRA man or two. But eventually, everyone on both sides knew something had to be done.?
?My arm?s getting tired,? Kelly says. ?Can you cut to the chase??
Sands smiles, then rubs the Bully Kutta?s head and speaks in a barely audible voice. ?I killed their headman, Mr. Kelly. When two armies of killers who couldn'?t agree on a fucking thing for thirty years decided one of their own needed killing, they came to me. And I wasn'?t even twenty. Oh, it?s a famous murder. Never solved.?
?What?s your point??
?Let?s don'?t be making threats that it?s in neither of our interests to back up. We?re both tough boys, but there?s room in the jungle for both of us. At least until Mr. Hull and I conclude our business. We have a cease-fire until then.?
?That'?s exactly what we came to get.?
?After that, we can renegotiate new terms, if you like. I hear you may be looking for work soon.? Sands gives me a pointed look. ?
go back to worrying about city ordinances and garden clubs. However, if you should come across that data that Jessup copied, make sure it gets to me. If you find out somebody else has it, you do the same. No copies. No games. Are we clear??
?No problem,? I say. ?It?s your property anyway.?
?Right.? Sands doesn?'t move, but the sense of dismissal is unmistakable. ?I think we?re done here, gentlemen.?
In a burst of motion almost as fast as the one with which he restrained Quinn, Kelly disengages from the Irishman and bounds to his feet. Then he takes the gun from me, and we back out of the office, the dog watching us like a wolf cheated of a kill.
?I'?ll leave the gun with your doorman,? Kelly says. ?Have a grand day altogether, gentlemen.?
The doors hiss closed.
Outside, stepping off the far end of the gangplank, I finally take my first easy breath.
?I know that was tense,? Kelly says, ?but it was necessary. Especially if I'm leaving town for a few hours to get Annie back.?
?Why did you provoke them like that??
?Guys like that only understand one thing. Force. I wanted them to know who they'?re dealing with, and I wanted more information about Sands than we had before. I accomplished both things.?
?You did that, all right. Sands shocked me when he asked about the USB drive. I?'ve assumed they had that for a while now.?
?I think Quinn has it,? Kelly says. ?But he?s keeping it for himself. It?s his ace in the hole if the Po sting goes bad. A chip in the game with Hull. That'?s one reason Quinn flipped out and attacked me. I was dead right about him getting positioned to stab his boss in the back.?
?Do you think it?s really safe to bring Annie back??
?As long as we stick to the agreement. They have nothing to gain by antagonizing you further, and now they understand they have a lot to lose.?
?What do you mean??
?They know we?ll bypass the law as easily as they will. That'?s something they needed to know.?
I look into Kelly?s eyes for a while but say nothing. When I start to shake his hand, he turns and starts walking toward the parking lot.
?What?s the matter??
?Quinn?s bound to be watching us. We don'?t want anything that looks like a good-bye scene. We want them thinking I'm right around the corner, day and night.?
?Sorry.?
Kelly laughs softly as I catch up to him. ?That felt good, didn't it??
The last knot of tension is starting to uncoil in me. ?I?'ve got to say, seeing Quinn on the floor with the knife to his throat beat any courtroom moment I ever had. How did you get the knife in there??
?Flint doesn?'t show up on the wands. No metal.?
?Where was it hidden??
?Lower back, in the little valley over my spine. I guess it?s my version of Walt Garrity?s derringer necklace. People miss it all the time.?
?A flint knife,? I marvel. ?A caveman?s weapon.?
Kelly turns back and gives me a serious look. ?Remember what I told Caitlin last night. We?re still in the cave. It?s just bigger now.? He pats my shoulder. ?Tonight you?re going to eat dinner with your little girl. Let?s get to the airport.?
CHAPTER
37
