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Authors: Thomas DePrima
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sighed wearily. There was nothing in writing, so it would be my word against that of Harris. "Very well, Mr. Harris," I said as I turned to leave.
"Wait, I have another job for you."
I stopped, turned, and stared at him intently. "I don't work for people who cheat me. I checked the paperwork on Smith. You were out a hundred thousand if I hadn't found him for you. The recovery fee should have been ten thousand, and my share would have been five thousand. I agreed to take the case for a mere thousand solely to acquaint you with my services. Then you want to chisel me out of half that paltry amount. Good day, Mr. Harris."
I was almost to the locked gate in the counter when Harris caught up with me. He'd obviously thought I was only posturing at first.
"Wait, wait. C'mon back a minute, kid."
The office staff stared after us as I allowed Harris to pull me back into his office.
"Okay, here's another five hundred," he said as he produced the money from a cashbox stuffed with bills. "I don't owe it to you, mind you, but I want you to find another skip for me, so I'll pay it."
I counted the proffered bills and added them to the original envelope before re-stuffing it into my pocket. "Who's the next one?" I asked as I took out my small notebook and a pen.
"Desmond Sutton. Male, black, five foot eight, one hundred fifty pounds."
"Arraignment date, time, and court?"
"August second, two p.m., at the Criminal Court Building on Broadway."
"Charge?"
"Possession of narcotics with intent to sell."
"Bail amount?"
Harris hesitated but knew it was public record and could be learned with a simple phone call. "Fifty thousand."
"Very well. I'll find your skip for twenty-five hundred dollars. That's twenty-five hundred to me, regardless of what you pay Vinny and the others."
"Twenty-five hundred? No way. I'll give you a thousand."
"Twenty-five hundred, or I take my services elsewhere. As I said, the first find was only to introduce you to what I can do. I find the ones no one else can find. Don't waste my time, Mr. Harris."
Harris mumbled under his breath. "Okay. Twenty-five hundred."
"I'll call you as soon as I find him."
"The twenty-five hundred is only good if he's still in the city. If he's out of the state, the price drops to a thousand."
"I'll call if he's still in the city."
"Call no matter where he is."
"Not unless the price remains at twenty-five hundred."
"It costs more if I have to send people out of state to get him."
"Forty-seven thousand, five hundred more?"
"Call and I'll tell you what I'll pay when I know where he is."
* * *
I could have called an hour later but I waited for two days. I was just about to call Harris when he called me.
"I thought you could find anybody?"
"I can."
"But you haven't found Sutton."
"I located him two days ago. He's out of state though."
"I told you to call no matter where he is."
"You also said you wouldn't pay the twenty-five hundred if he was out of state."
"I'll give you two grand."
"I'm hanging up now Mr. Harris. Call me if you decide to pay the whole twenty-five hundred. It won't cost you very much to retrieve him."
"What's that mean? Is he close? Connecticut?"
"Good-bye, Mr. Harris."
"Wait. Wait a minute, goddammit."
"I'm listening."
"Okay, I'll pay you twenty-two fifty."
"You're getting closer to learning where your guy is, but you're not there yet."
I could hear Harris muttering to himself. Finally, "Okay, twenty-five hundred. But he'd better be close."
"Have your boys ready to roll at nine tomorrow morning. Sutton's in Newark. Not much further from your office than Brooklyn."
"Newark? Why didn't you call? That's not outta state."
"Last I heard, Newark was in Jersey."
"It's just across the Hudson, for christssake. You didn't have to hold me up. I would have paid the twenty-five hundred if I'd known he was in Newark."
"Then you've got nothing to gripe about."
"How do you know he'll be there tomorrow morning?"
"He works all night peddling drugs on the
"Wait, I have another job for you."
I stopped, turned, and stared at him intently. "I don't work for people who cheat me. I checked the paperwork on Smith. You were out a hundred thousand if I hadn't found him for you. The recovery fee should have been ten thousand, and my share would have been five thousand. I agreed to take the case for a mere thousand solely to acquaint you with my services. Then you want to chisel me out of half that paltry amount. Good day, Mr. Harris."
I was almost to the locked gate in the counter when Harris caught up with me. He'd obviously thought I was only posturing at first.
"Wait, wait. C'mon back a minute, kid."
The office staff stared after us as I allowed Harris to pull me back into his office.
"Okay, here's another five hundred," he said as he produced the money from a cashbox stuffed with bills. "I don't owe it to you, mind you, but I want you to find another skip for me, so I'll pay it."
I counted the proffered bills and added them to the original envelope before re-stuffing it into my pocket. "Who's the next one?" I asked as I took out my small notebook and a pen.
"Desmond Sutton. Male, black, five foot eight, one hundred fifty pounds."
"Arraignment date, time, and court?"
"August second, two p.m., at the Criminal Court Building on Broadway."
"Charge?"
"Possession of narcotics with intent to sell."
"Bail amount?"
Harris hesitated but knew it was public record and could be learned with a simple phone call. "Fifty thousand."
"Very well. I'll find your skip for twenty-five hundred dollars. That's twenty-five hundred to me, regardless of what you pay Vinny and the others."
"Twenty-five hundred? No way. I'll give you a thousand."
"Twenty-five hundred, or I take my services elsewhere. As I said, the first find was only to introduce you to what I can do. I find the ones no one else can find. Don't waste my time, Mr. Harris."
Harris mumbled under his breath. "Okay. Twenty-five hundred."
"I'll call you as soon as I find him."
"The twenty-five hundred is only good if he's still in the city. If he's out of the state, the price drops to a thousand."
"I'll call if he's still in the city."
"Call no matter where he is."
"Not unless the price remains at twenty-five hundred."
"It costs more if I have to send people out of state to get him."
"Forty-seven thousand, five hundred more?"
"Call and I'll tell you what I'll pay when I know where he is."
* * *
I could have called an hour later but I waited for two days. I was just about to call Harris when he called me.
"I thought you could find anybody?"
"I can."
"But you haven't found Sutton."
"I located him two days ago. He's out of state though."
"I told you to call no matter where he is."
"You also said you wouldn't pay the twenty-five hundred if he was out of state."
"I'll give you two grand."
"I'm hanging up now Mr. Harris. Call me if you decide to pay the whole twenty-five hundred. It won't cost you very much to retrieve him."
"What's that mean? Is he close? Connecticut?"
"Good-bye, Mr. Harris."
"Wait. Wait a minute, goddammit."
"I'm listening."
"Okay, I'll pay you twenty-two fifty."
"You're getting closer to learning where your guy is, but you're not there yet."
I could hear Harris muttering to himself. Finally, "Okay, twenty-five hundred. But he'd better be close."
"Have your boys ready to roll at nine tomorrow morning. Sutton's in Newark. Not much further from your office than Brooklyn."
"Newark? Why didn't you call? That's not outta state."
"Last I heard, Newark was in Jersey."
"It's just across the Hudson, for christssake. You didn't have to hold me up. I would have paid the twenty-five hundred if I'd known he was in Newark."
"Then you've got nothing to gripe about."
"How do you know he'll be there tomorrow morning?"
"He works all night peddling drugs on the
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