– Actually, the cat’s fine. Bolo has taken a liking to him and is making sure he’s well fed, rested and groomed.

Fuck!

– Roman, let’s talk.

– Go ahead.

– I want out and I want to know if that is possible at this point. Can I be put in the clear?

– That would be pretty tough at this point.

– Tough, but possible?

He’s silent again. In the background I can hear traffic sounds. He must have stepped outside the precinct house.

– I’ve been watching the news. Did I mention that, Roman?

– No.

– Well, I have, and I have this theory. See, I think someone is connecting the dots. Connecting the bar to me to Yvonne to me to Russ to me and connecting all of it to you. I think you’re getting asked questions about what the fuck is going on. And I think pretty soon, your credibility is going to be shit and you’re gonna beneeding that money to get lost with. So you better find a way to help me out before I decide to just keep it for myself.

– It will be difficult, but not impossible to get you in the clear.

– What will it take?

– Beyond the money, it will take just one more thing.

I close my eyes.

– What’s that?

– We’ll need a fall guy.

On the bed, Russ turns in his sleep and makes a little sighing noise.

– Yeah, I’ve got one of those.

Roman is so very happy to hear that Russ is back in town. We hack out the details. Roman gets the money. I get some semblance of my life.And the cat. Russ gets plugged into the frame that puts both me and Roman in the clear. I have questions.

– What if the rest of the cops don’t buy it?

– They will. Miner has a criminal record, he is the subject of an existing investigation and he’s already involved in this case up to his neck. Now listen: Unbeknownst to you, he left the key. When he came back to get the key, it had already been stolen from you by persons unknown. He did not believe your story and so began to hunt you across the city in order to get the key and, in the process, murdered your girl and instigated the slaughter at the bar.

– What happens when Russ denies it?

– He won’t.

I think about the implications of those two words.

– I don’t want him dead, Roman. I won’t give him to you just to kill him.

– Not to worry, we need Miner alive to confess. And confess he will. He’ll see that extended police custody allows him his best chance of survival. It will keep him in good stead with me and away from the brothersDuRanté.

– The brothersDuRanté?

– Ed and Paris, Ed and Paris DuRanté.

Great names.I have to give it to these guys: they all have great names.

– And what about Ed and Paris, what happens to them?

– The brothers are the subject of a nationalmanhunt, they will soon be forced to flee the area. And if they are ever found by the police, they will go down in the hail of bullets that is waiting for them.

– What about me?

– You stay in hiding until the news breaks that Miner has been captured. At which point you turn yourself in and explain that you were hiding because you were confused and afraid. You turn yourself over to me and only me. I will then ease your passage through the criminal justice system with the aid of my good name and a considerable amount of cash. With luck, we’ll both be heroes. Just relax. Soon this will be over and they’ll make you into a movie of the week.

I’m not stupid. I don’t trust him.

– Henry?

– Don’t call me that.

– It’s your name, right?

– Don’t call me that. You want to use my name, you call me Hank.

– Very well. Hank, you must relax. It will all go fine if you do not panic. It’s not out of reach, Hank. Your old life, it’s not out of reach.

And with no other choice that I can see, I do it. I make the deal and I don’t panic. We set up a time and place to make the exchange. He wants me to bring the cash, I refuse and tell him he can have the key, but he’ll have to use it himself. He insists and I hang up the phone and let him wait a couple minutes before I call back. He agrees to accept Russ and the key. He tells me to stay hidden until after dark and he tells me to keep an eye on the news. I tell him to make sure that Bud is in one piece tonight and he says good-bye.

I hang up the phone and get some Advil from the first-aid kit. I want to call a grocery and have them deliver some more beer, but when I look at the TV, I realize I’m gonna have to live without. The long-awaited press conference has begun and they’re flashing my booking photo from the other night and talking about how dangerous I am.

I watch TV for a while and think about that beer I drank. The clock says 3:15 when I peter out again, tired. I’m so fucking tired. I take a pillow from the bed and toss it on the carpet in front of the door. Now that I have a little time to think, I’m remembering some important stuff. The Giants play at 4:05P.M. West Coast time and the Mets at 7:30P.M. EST. I set the alarm for 7:00P.M. The meet with Roman is at 10:00. We’ll have to leave by 9:00 to get set up, but I should be able to watch at least three or four innings. I lie down on the floor and you’d be surprised just how easy it is to fall asleep. No dreams.

My first thought when I wake up is that the alarm didn’t go off. I know I’m supposed to be up for something and I can’t remember if it’s work or a date or a doctor’s appointment or what the fuck. Then I see that I’m on the floor and the pieces fall back into place, including the empty bed.

In my sleep, I’ve rolled away from the door. Now I see that what woke me was the door bumping lightly into my side. It’s closing! The fucking door is being pulled closed from the outside right now! I’m awake.

Still on the floor, I grab the edge of the door before it can close all the way. My fingers get a little squashed, but he’s trying to be quiet and gentle, so it doesn’t hurt much. I have a good grip now and yank back as hard as I can. He resists for a moment,then thinks better of it. The door flies in at me as he changes his pull to a push. I catch most of it on my left shoulder. It knocks me all the way onto my back and he has a head start. Through the now open door, I see him taking his first big step down the hall toward the elevator.

I lunge up into a sitting position, throw myself into the hall and claw at his ankles. I hook a finger in the cuff of his right pants leg, but he kicks back, freeing himself and knocking me further off balance. I’m trying to go after him and get up at the same time and I end up in a ridiculous crawl crouch, stumbling behind him. I can see that he’s going to beat me to the elevators, but unless there’s one waiting for him, I should catch up to him there. I see a little flash of chrome in his right hand. He has the gun. He picked my pocket while I was asleep and he has his little.22 back. The sight of the gun slows me. I’m not sure I want to catch him if he has the gun. As I consider this, he suddenly and for no apparent reason turns to the left and plows straight into the wall.

He rebounds off the wall and pauses a moment to shake his head. I take two giant steps, throw myself at him and grab his right leg as he steps forward. He goes down full length, no time to use his arms to break his fall. The gun is bounced out of his hand and slides a few feet down the hall. I scramble up onto his back, pin his arms with my knees and grab him by the neck with my left hand. With my right, I reach out and scoop up the gun. I stick the barrel up against his cheek. His mouth is muffled by the carpet, but I hear him.

– Like, chill, man! Chill!

I dig the barrel in deeper.

– Yes, I get it, Hank! Chill, man!

I disentangle myself from him, keeping the gun in place. We stand up together.

– The room, Russ.

– Yeah, man, like, the room. No problem.

We walk the few yards back to our room and no doors open, no one looks out to see what the ruckus is about. I love this hotel. I close the door behind us and relock it, including the little chain. Russ is looking at his face in the mirror over the dresser, inspecting the carpet burn on his chin. I can’t help it; as I go past him, I give him a little shove in the back. He falls right into the mirror, banging his forehead hard enough to cause a small crack in the glass. He straightens and then slides down to the floor along the dresser drawers, which make little clunking noises as he goes. He sits there, holding his head.