[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
."That's weird, because he sure as hell knows you.In case you're wondering, he gave me Leon's name.Your other four gorillas helped fill in the blanks.""Bullshit." With less conviction this time."Ham, gorillas, loup-garou.Sound like you talkin' about some kinda zoo.""Hey, that's not bad." The stranger grinned."Too bad for you, these apes could talk.Did you see Congo, by the way? They weren't quite that advanced but they came up with the answers I needed."The Cajun's mind was reeling; he had no small difficulty keeping the reaction from his face.He knew the pig DuBois, of course.As for the others, if he found out any of his men had spoken to this stranger, any stranger, he would see them dead before the week was out."I don't know what you want with me," he said at last.It sounded lame, but he could think of nothing else to say without tipping his hand, in some way Page 60ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmladmitting guilty knowledge of the crimes this stranger was discussing."That's okay," the stranger said."Mostly, the reason why I'm here is to remind you that there's different kinds of justice, see? Sometimes the system works all right, but other times it gets clogged like a drain, and little bits of crud start floating to the top.See what I'm saying?""Can't say that I do.""Okay, let's put it this way.I'm the plumber.When the drain backs up, I have to ream it out.I don't involve the courts, see what I'm saying?""That supposed to be a threat?"The stranger smiled, stepped forward, reached down with his right hand for a corner of the wooden table.With his thumb and forefinger, he pinched the inch-thick oak and gave a twist, as if it were nothing, and a jagged piece of wood snapped right off in his hand.It left a scalloped wound perhaps two inches wide, as if the father of all termites had been gnawing on the table."Call it food for thought," the stranger said, as he advanced and slipped the piece of wood into Fortier's hand.That said, he brushed past the Cajun godfather and rapped his knuckles on the metal door."We're done in here," he told the guard outside.Armand Fortier was trembling in his chains when Eulus Carroll came to fetch him back, and he couldn't have said if it was fear or rage.Perhaps some combination of the two."Let's go, shithead," the black man ordered."Not so fast," said Fortier."I need to use the telephone."A PHONE CALL from the joint could only be bad news.First thing, the convicts always had to call collect, since none of them had calling cards inside, and that meant money out of pocket if you took the call.Worse yet, as soon as Bettencourt found out it was Atlanta calling, then he knew it had to be Armand, and Armand never simply called to pass the time of day, much less to share glad tidings.He called to give instructions or to bitch and moan, more often all of the above, the orders springing typically from some complaint that had occurred to him while he was sitting on his ass and killing time.Still, turning down the call wasn't an option.Bettencourt's houseman was under orders to accept the charges, and he found Merle in the playroom, working on a solitary game of nine ball."Boss's on the phone," he said, and wandered off to God knew where.Merle felt like yelling after him that he was the boss, but it would have been a waste of breath, aside from downright dangerous.Instead, he made a beeline for the nearest telephone and lifted the receiver."Hey, Armand.""Hey, Merle.""Is this line like, you know, safe?""How should I know?" Armand snapped at him."I'm callin' from the damn joint.""Oh, yeah.What's up?""What's up is I just had a visitor," the Cajun godfather replied."Who is that?""I didn't catch his name, all right?"That seemed a little odd to Merle, a total stranger showing up to visit at the federal pen and he forgets to give his name, but Bettencourt suspected that wasn't the problem Fortier had called up to discuss."So, what'd he want?""Came by to tell me he been talkin' to some boys down your way," Fortier replied."My boys." You could at least have said our boys, Merle thought, but kept it to himself.And said, "Talkin' about what?""This thing with Leon," Fortier replied."Aw, merde.""You see now why I'm callin'?""Yeah, I think so.This guy give you Leon's name?""Come out with it like it was nothin'," Armand said."Made like he knew all about that other business, too."Merle had to puzzle over that one for a moment.Other business? Finally, it came to him that Fortier was making reference to the purge of prosecution Page 61ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlwitnesses for which Leon had been retained.The knowledge made his flesh crawl uncomfortably.The way he felt right now, his mama would have said someone had walked across his grave.But how the hell could they do that, when he was still alive?"He say what boys was talkin'?" Bettencourt inquired."One name he give me," Armand said."The pig man."Pig man.Pig man? Wait, he had it! "Yeah, okay.Who else?""I said one name! You got spuds in your ears?" When Merle made no reply, the Cajun godfather continued."Another thing.Some shit about Leon and Gypsies.""Gypsies?""That's what I said! You got a fuckin' parrot on your shoulder?"Bettencourt was reaching up to check before he caught himself, "Uh-uh," he said [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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."That's weird, because he sure as hell knows you.In case you're wondering, he gave me Leon's name.Your other four gorillas helped fill in the blanks.""Bullshit." With less conviction this time."Ham, gorillas, loup-garou.Sound like you talkin' about some kinda zoo.""Hey, that's not bad." The stranger grinned."Too bad for you, these apes could talk.Did you see Congo, by the way? They weren't quite that advanced but they came up with the answers I needed."The Cajun's mind was reeling; he had no small difficulty keeping the reaction from his face.He knew the pig DuBois, of course.As for the others, if he found out any of his men had spoken to this stranger, any stranger, he would see them dead before the week was out."I don't know what you want with me," he said at last.It sounded lame, but he could think of nothing else to say without tipping his hand, in some way Page 60ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmladmitting guilty knowledge of the crimes this stranger was discussing."That's okay," the stranger said."Mostly, the reason why I'm here is to remind you that there's different kinds of justice, see? Sometimes the system works all right, but other times it gets clogged like a drain, and little bits of crud start floating to the top.See what I'm saying?""Can't say that I do.""Okay, let's put it this way.I'm the plumber.When the drain backs up, I have to ream it out.I don't involve the courts, see what I'm saying?""That supposed to be a threat?"The stranger smiled, stepped forward, reached down with his right hand for a corner of the wooden table.With his thumb and forefinger, he pinched the inch-thick oak and gave a twist, as if it were nothing, and a jagged piece of wood snapped right off in his hand.It left a scalloped wound perhaps two inches wide, as if the father of all termites had been gnawing on the table."Call it food for thought," the stranger said, as he advanced and slipped the piece of wood into Fortier's hand.That said, he brushed past the Cajun godfather and rapped his knuckles on the metal door."We're done in here," he told the guard outside.Armand Fortier was trembling in his chains when Eulus Carroll came to fetch him back, and he couldn't have said if it was fear or rage.Perhaps some combination of the two."Let's go, shithead," the black man ordered."Not so fast," said Fortier."I need to use the telephone."A PHONE CALL from the joint could only be bad news.First thing, the convicts always had to call collect, since none of them had calling cards inside, and that meant money out of pocket if you took the call.Worse yet, as soon as Bettencourt found out it was Atlanta calling, then he knew it had to be Armand, and Armand never simply called to pass the time of day, much less to share glad tidings.He called to give instructions or to bitch and moan, more often all of the above, the orders springing typically from some complaint that had occurred to him while he was sitting on his ass and killing time.Still, turning down the call wasn't an option.Bettencourt's houseman was under orders to accept the charges, and he found Merle in the playroom, working on a solitary game of nine ball."Boss's on the phone," he said, and wandered off to God knew where.Merle felt like yelling after him that he was the boss, but it would have been a waste of breath, aside from downright dangerous.Instead, he made a beeline for the nearest telephone and lifted the receiver."Hey, Armand.""Hey, Merle.""Is this line like, you know, safe?""How should I know?" Armand snapped at him."I'm callin' from the damn joint.""Oh, yeah.What's up?""What's up is I just had a visitor," the Cajun godfather replied."Who is that?""I didn't catch his name, all right?"That seemed a little odd to Merle, a total stranger showing up to visit at the federal pen and he forgets to give his name, but Bettencourt suspected that wasn't the problem Fortier had called up to discuss."So, what'd he want?""Came by to tell me he been talkin' to some boys down your way," Fortier replied."My boys." You could at least have said our boys, Merle thought, but kept it to himself.And said, "Talkin' about what?""This thing with Leon," Fortier replied."Aw, merde.""You see now why I'm callin'?""Yeah, I think so.This guy give you Leon's name?""Come out with it like it was nothin'," Armand said."Made like he knew all about that other business, too."Merle had to puzzle over that one for a moment.Other business? Finally, it came to him that Fortier was making reference to the purge of prosecution Page 61ABC Amber Palm Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abcpalm.htmlwitnesses for which Leon had been retained.The knowledge made his flesh crawl uncomfortably.The way he felt right now, his mama would have said someone had walked across his grave.But how the hell could they do that, when he was still alive?"He say what boys was talkin'?" Bettencourt inquired."One name he give me," Armand said."The pig man."Pig man.Pig man? Wait, he had it! "Yeah, okay.Who else?""I said one name! You got spuds in your ears?" When Merle made no reply, the Cajun godfather continued."Another thing.Some shit about Leon and Gypsies.""Gypsies?""That's what I said! You got a fuckin' parrot on your shoulder?"Bettencourt was reaching up to check before he caught himself, "Uh-uh," he said [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]