Read Online Hot Poppies by Reggie Nadelson - Free Book Online

still black, the skin smooth, the body maintained by a trainer who’s at his office every day, the snazzy suits perfectly cut.
    When I first got to New York, Lippert, who’s a federal prosecutor with a fiefdom all his own, helped me get a job, then a Green Card. When I got sworn in as a citizen, he was there. I paid him back with help on several cases—his obsession was wiping out the Russian mob in Brighton Beach—and that was that. Recently, Sonny had been cross-designated from Brooklyn to Manhattan, to the Southern District. This means his office is on the edge of Chinatown, not far from where I live. Not far enough.
    He’s a real hot-shot with dozens of investigators who work for him and he oils his relationships with all the bureaus, but especially the police. Most times, it gets him what he needs.
    â€œI’m sorry. I’ve got a few problems, Sonny.”
    He drank his seltzer. “You can drink that horse piss?” he said, pointing at the coffee, shutting his eyes as if the idea gave him pain. “What kind of problems, man? Look, it’s me that owes you this time. I know about the girl at Abramsky’s, I had to figure you’d take an interest, being Hillel’s your friend. I’m your friend, man, and I don’t want to babysit your sorry ass again, OK?”
    â€œDon’t patronize me, Sonny.”
    â€œJerry Chen is very smart. He knows which side his bread is buttered on, so to speak. He keeps in touch. He’s an obliging fellow. They think of me as one of them.”
    â€œThe Chinese, you mean?”
    â€œA cop, man.” Sonny Lippert had been a cop a long time ago. He loves it. He walks the walk. Talks the talk. It makes his wife cringe with embarrassment, but he doesn’t care.
    I was never that kind of cop. I didn’t go to other cops’ houses much. People would say, “So what’s it like being a cop?” I don’t know.
    â€œArtie? Man? You with me?”
    â€œSo you’re a cop. So that means everyone I take a meeting with reports to you on it?”
    â€œI don’t know. Might only be Jerry Chen, babe.” He looked out the window. “Don’t get involved in this thing, Art, sweetheart, not without telling me.”
    â€œYou’re not interested in the Chinese, Sonny.”
    â€œRussians, Chinese, it’s all the same. Cubans. Albanians. There’s Vietnamese in East Berlin shooting AKs. There’s East Germans swiping nukes from the Russkis. There’s crazies in Hungary cutting up Arabs for body parts. The whole frigging commie bunch got let out of jail. And they’re everywhere. They’re here. They want a big piece of pie. They want the whole pie. You think Russians and Chinese don’t get into bed together? They been doing it to each other in the ass since the 1950s. Before that. Where’s your historical perspective, Art, babe? Wait until China really gets its hands on Hong Kong and the financial dominoes go down all in a row. Just wait for it.”
    â€œThank you for the history lesson. You ever heard of a Mr Snap, Sonny?”
    â€œWhat the fuck’s a Mr Snap?”
    â€œA guy that takes pictures of Chinese girls.”
    â€œFor you, I’ll ask around. You know I’m your friend, Art, and I want you to take care, OK? I already know that you got your head banged in a warehouse by some dirtbag. Next time they’ll cut your head off. Chinatown might be around the corner, man, but it’s not your turf. You need eyes there, an ear. You need a whole etiquette book. There are rules. Behaving like the schmendrick you obviously are could end up them dissecting you. You fuck around, they’ll carve you up like Peking duck.”
    â€œI like Peking duck.”
    â€œVery nice, Art. Very funny. Talk to me, man, I’ll help you. Like we always help each other. Anyhow, I can get you something you want.” Sonny stretched his legs. He wore beautiful