Money Men

FREEWAY. Kelly grabbed the microphone from the glove compartment as Diamond swung his car off at Lincoln Boulevard.

'Three tango three one, this is your old partner. My man's coming atcha. We're a couple minutes away…'

Carr's Handie-Talkie was clipped to his belt. He pressed the transmit button twice to acknowledge Kelly's message. He continued to peer through the vent. The tin edge was marking his forehead. His eyes and nose were completely inside the vent opening. He knew full well this was a violation of law. He could hear the judge now. 'The defendant had a reasonable expectation of privacy as he relaxed in his room. If the agent could have observed him without removing the vent cover, he wouldn't have violated his constitutional rights. But since the agent removed the vent he infringed…'

'We just pulled into the motel,' Kelly said.

A knock on the door. Ronnie sat up, swung his feet to the floor, crossed to the door, and opened it.

Red Diamond looked pale. 'How ya feeling, baby?'

'Fine,' Ronnie said. He backed up. Red came in. Ronnie shut and locked the door.

Red rubbed his hands nervously and looked around. 'Where's your old lady? I been wanting to meet her.'

'She went out to down some paper,' Ronnie said. 'Have a seat.'

'Do you have any questions?' Red sat down but got right up again. 'We should get going.'

'Yeah. How does this guy know my name?' Ronnie pulled on pants and shirt. 'You and me were the only ones who-'

Red had turned on the radio. Rock-and-roll drowned out Ronnie's words.

Carr turned his ear toward the vent, but it didn't help.

Ronnie walked into the bathroom. Red paced and bit his nails. Ronnie came out a few minutes later, shaved and combed. He sat down on the bed and put on his shoes while Red kept talking to him. He nodded his head over and over again.

Carr looked at his watch. It was 6:00 P.M.

Ronnie got off the bed, collected his wallet and change from the dresser, and put them in his pocket.

Red flipped off the radio.

'Where are we going?' Ronnie asked.

'He's in room twelve nineteen at the Plaza penthouse. I called the hotel just a few minutes ago. I've been there before. There's a fire exit at either end of the hallway. When it's over, we can go down the steps to the next floor and get the elevator there. We'll have our car in the big parking lot outside. We can hop back on the freeway before the cops have a chance to get there.'

Ronnie picked up a bottle of after-shave from the dresser, poured, and slapped it to his face with both hands. 'How much money do you think he'll have in the room?' He capped the bottle again.

'Probably a real load,' Red said. 'But no matter what, Dio must be snuffed. Him and his fucking gunsel. It's them or us. They may know what you look like, so get your piece out as soon as we go in the door. Get the drop on 'em, and we'll search the place. Once we find his poke, dump both of 'em right then, wipe the shotgun, drop it, and we get the fuck out.' Red fumbled in his shirt pocket for a Pall Mall and hung it on a sticky lower lip.

'I still can't figure out how they knew it was me last week,' Ronnie said.

'Don't matter. They did.' The Pall Mail jiggled as Red talked. He looked at his watch, lit the cigarette, and coughed a few times. 'We gotta get going.'

Ronnie shrugged into a jacket, and they walked out the door.

Carr said, 'Pick me up,' into the Handie-Talkie.

Diamond and Boyce drove onto Lincoln Boulevard as Kelly pulled in the back entrance of the motel parking lot. Carr ran outside and jumped in.

'Don't lose 'em now, Jack.'

'Any ideas where they're going?' Kelly said. He stepped on the gas.

'My guess is the downtown bus depot to pick up the sawed-off.'

'Jesus!' Kelly kept his eyes on the road. 'Could you hear them talking in there? What'd they say?'

Carr didn't answer.

The traffic was stop and go all the way downtown. Diamond pulled up in front of the bus depot and parked. Boyce got out and went in the main entrance. He blended in with a crowd of old people, sailors, and Mexican illegals.

Carr followed him through the waiting area, then lost sight of him when a group of children rushed by. He was gone.

Carr grabbed a bus driver by the arm and asked where the rental lockers were. He rushed up to the banks of lockers and almost bumped into Boyce removing a heavy black attaché case from a locker. The young man looked around nervously. Putting the case under his arm, he strode carefully, slowly back toward the main entrance.

Carr rushed out of the depot and got back in the front seat with Kelly.

'He picked up his piece,' Carr said.

Kelly's eyes were big. He reached for the microphone.

Carr grabbed his hand. 'No,' he said.

'But shouldn't we tell …?'

Carr shook his head. He stared at Diamond's vehicle, parked up the block. Boyce sauntered out of the depot, the case still under his arm, and got in Diamond's car.

Kelly spoke harshly. 'I say let's take him right now. He's in possession.'

Carr kept his eyes on the other vehicle. Diamond started up and pulled slowly around the corner. Kelly followed.

'I think we should wait,' Carr said. 'Nothing to lose by waiting a little while.'

'Fuck waiting,' Kelly said. 'Let's run 'em off the road. Right now. If he so much as looks at his attaché case, I'll waste both of them.'

'It's not time yet.' Carr had his eyes on Diamond's Chevy. Back onto the freeway. Kelly's Irish face was red now, as red as Carr had ever seen it. Kelly kept glancing at Carr as he changed lanes to keep up with Diamond. The red Chevy cruised smoothly in and out of traffic and got off at National Boulevard.

'What the hell is wrong with you?' Kelly said. 'I hope you're ready to take the responsibility if this freak stops right now, sticks up a liquor store, and kills the owner. You're acting strange. What's wrong? Maybe you've lost your nerve, but I haven't. We've fooled with these animals long enough. I want to stop 'em and finish the thing here and now.'

Carr continued to look at the road.

Diamond's Chevy took a right turn into a hotel parking lot. Carr picked up the binoculars. Boyce did something with the case on the front seat of the car. He threw some crumpled pink paper out of the passenger window.

'You follow them in,' Carr said. 'I'll meet you in the lobby.' He flung open the car door and, being careful to stay out of sight of Boyce and Diamond, ran across the crowded parking lot and into the plush, modern hotel lobby. He found a telephone, picked up the receiver, and dialed.

Ronnie ripped off the last bit of pink wrapping paper. His hands felt sweaty. He pulled the beaver tail back, noted that a twelve-gauge round was chambered and ready to fire. He flicked off the safety. He laid the weapon back in the case and closed the lid gently, clicking only one latch.

'Got any ear plugs?'

'What?'

'Ear plugs. My ears rang for two days when I did that guy in the hotel room. This sawed-off is a loud mutha-fuckin' piece.' He was making a joke.

Red forced a laugh. He slapped the young man's thigh. 'Ear plugs, ear plugs.' He chuckled nervously. 'That'd be a real friggin' tip-off, wouldn't it? To walk in wearing a set of ear plugs.' His stomach made a powerful growl. He rubbed his navel.

Ronnie stared blankly at the hotel. 'I once robbed a bank on the same day I was released from Chino. I took