“He’s good with everything. Is your friend armed?”
“He has a shotgun, but he keeps it locked in a cabinet in the kitchen, so it won’t be at hand. When the job’s done, your man should just take the boat back to the marina and tie it up, then drive away.”
“You understand, something like this will be expensive?”
“What did you have in mind?”
“Fifty thousand dollars, half up front, the rest when the job is done.”
“I can manage forty, twenty now.”
“You’ll have to manage fifty.”
Evan pretended to think it over for a few seconds, then he nodded. “All right,” he said, “but there are time constraints. I need it done tonight if possible.”
Manny looked at his watch. “That may be possible. If not, then tomorrow night.”
“No later than that,” Evan said. He took the envelope from the briefcase and removed three bundles of $10,000 each. He removed five thousand from one bundle, then slid the stack toward Manny.
“I don’t give receipts,” Manny said, raking the money into a desk drawer. “How can I reach you?”
Evan wrote down the number of his throwaway cell phone and handed it to him.
“I’m expecting a call from my man soon,” Manny said. “I’ll call you when I know. Here’s how we do the final payment: You and I will meet for a drink around the time of the work being done. When I get a call that it’s complete, you pay the rest.”
“How will I know he’s dead?” Evan asked.
“You can drive up there and take his pulse if you want to, but you pay when I get the call. Wally will tell you that I don’t welsh on deals. Anything goes wrong, you get all your money back.”
“I’d rather be out of the state when it happens,” Evan said.
“We’ll be in a public place where I’m known. The waitress and the bartender will remember you, but not me. You’ll have a solid alibi.”
A cell phone rang, and Manny took it from a drawer. “Yeah?” He listened for a moment. “Good news.” He covered the phone and said to Evan, “It’s my guy,” then he continued. “What’s your ETA?” He listened some more. “Are you up for something good tonight? It’s a couple of hours north of here. The usual price. Good. Instead of my picking you up, rent a car. Call me when you’re on your way, and we’ll meet at that place we met last time, say four o’clock? I’ll have all the details and the first payment. See you then.” Manny hung up.
“He’s available tonight,” he said to Evan.
“Good.”
“You and I will meet at a restaurant called the Steak Shack. It’s on this street, about two blocks down.” Manny pointed.
“Good.”
“Seven-thirty and bring the rest of the money.”
“I’ll see you then,” Evan said. The two men shook hands, and Evan left.
Manny stood at the rear window and watched Evan get into a car and drive away, then he called Larry again.
“Yes?”
“Listen, the job is going to involve a boat.”
“I don’t do boats.”
“Put Gigi on.”
“Hello?”
“Listen, kiddo, I need your help for an important job tonight. It needs to be done from a boat, and Larry doesn’t mess with boats.”
“I already found that out,” she said. “He’s useless. How long is this going to take?”
“You’ll be done by nine tonight. Larry’s renting a car, and we’ll meet at a place he knows, where I’ll give you the details.”
“How much?”
“Ten grand for very little work in advance. All you have to do is get him to a dock in the boat.”
“All right, I’ll see you later.” She hung up. Manny sat down at his desk, pleased with himself. This one was going to be a piece of cake, and it would make up for the failure in Key West.
57
STONE AND DINO looked up to see Evan and the car coming. He stopped, and they got inside, Stone behind the wheel.
“How’d it go?” he asked.
“Perfectly,” Evan replied. “He searched me and the briefcase for a wire, but he didn’t find anything. While I was there he got a call from his hit man, and we’re on for tonight.”
“Hey, that’s quick service!” Dino said.
“I told him to use the boat, as we’d planned.”
Stone got on the phone to Tommy Sculley. “Hey, Tommy, we’re on for tonight.”
“Tonight? I’d better get my ass in gear. I’ve alerted the county sheriff, and they’re standing by. I guess I’d better seaplane it up there and land on the waterway. It’s the fastest way to Mike’s place from Key West.”
Evan spoke up. “Put it on speaker.”
Stone did.
“Tommy,” Evan said, “I told him Mike has a drink on his back porch at sunset every night, so you need to be there while it’s still broad daylight.”
“Okay, I’ll alert everybody.”
“Something else: I’m going to meet Manny White at a place in South Beach called the Steak Shack, at seven-thirty. He’s to get a call there when the job is done, and I’ll give him the rest of the money. The bartender and the waitress are supposed to be my alibi.”
“You done good, kid,” Tommy said. “The sheriff’s guys will bust the hit man when he brings the boat back to the marina, and the state cops can bust Manny as soon as the money changes hands.”
“Tommy,” Stone said, “for God’s sake tell the state cops to be careful. This is apparently a restaurant where Manny is well known, and we don’t want to spook him by having cops at half the tables. Have them look in from outside, or Evan can phone them when it’s done. They can bust Manny on his way out of the place.”
“Okay, okay, I get it,” Tommy said. “Where are you two guys gonna be?”
Stone looked at Dino. “What’s your preference?”
“We’re here, let’s stay here,” Dino said. “We can go in with the state cops after the money changes hands. Anyway, I’d like to see the look on Manny’s face.”
“Me too,” Stone said. “You get that, Tommy?”
“I got it. Just don’t let Manny spot you, or he’ll walk out.”
“Evan recorded their whole conversation,” Stone said, “so we’ll have him, anyway.”
“Wait a minute,” Evan said, “I just thought of something.”
“What?”
“I didn’t get everything recorded.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m afraid I got a little too clever. I wrote down part of it on a pad, the part where I tell him I want the guy killed, and showed it to him instead of speaking.”
Stone groaned. “You get that, Tommy?”
“Yeah, I got it. Evan, you’ve got to get it all recorded tonight when you meet Manny. Don’t write things down this time, okay?”
“Okay, Tommy,” Evan said. “I’m sorry.”
“Just do a good job tonight, and we’ll bag everybody.”
“I swear I will,” Evan said.
Suddenly, Dino yelled, “Everybody duck!”
Everybody ducked.
“What’s this about, Dino?” Stone asked.
“It’s Manny, he just drove past us.”
“Did he see us?”
“I don’t think so, but man, was that close. He’s way up the street now, so you can sit up.”
Everybody sat up.
“I heard that,” Tommy said. “Did you guys just blow this whole deal?”
“I think we’re okay, Tommy,” Dino said. “He didn’t see us.”
MANNY WHITE DROVE down Collins Avenue and onto the mainland, toward Florida City. An hour later he pulled up at a diner, near where the Florida Turnpike started, and went inside. Larry Lee and Gigi Jones were at a corner booth. Manny slid in beside them and laid his briefcase on the table. A waitress approached. “What can I get you?”