Read Online Small Vices by Robert B. Parker - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Robert B. Parker
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the corner of Berkeley and Boylston. He was wearing starched jeans and high top Nikes, and a blue denim shirt under a black leather field jacket. He had on a pair of Oakley sun glasses with cerulean blue reflective lenses.
"You think my new shades are cool?" Hawk said.
"Cold," I said. "Can you see, wearing them indoors?"
"No. But they too cool to take off."
I drank some Kenya coffee. "Bright and sweet," I said.
"Told you," Hawk said.
"You come up with anything that clears Ellis Alves?" I said.
"No. You adopt a kid yet?"
"No."
"You been annoying somebody though," Hawk said.
"That's sort of my job description," I said. "You wanna give me a list?"
"Ain't got the time to cover them all, but somebody's looking to have you killed."
"Moi?"
"Vinnie called me. Said one of the guys works for Gino told him there was a guy looking to have you killed."
"He want Vinnie to do it?"
"Don't know," Hawk said. "That's all Vinnie told me. He's full time with Gino now. He wouldn't be freelancing anyway."
"How much they paying," I said.
"Now that's ego," Hawk said.
"Well, how would I feel if somebody was offering five hundred bucks?"
"Be embarrassing, wouldn't it," Hawk said.
He was still looking down at the street. It was a dandy fall morning, and a lot of people were hurrying around in the Back Bay like they had important things to do.
"Lotta nice looking women walk past your office," Hawk said.
"Hoping to catch a glimpse of me."
Hawk turned and came back and sat down in one of my client chairs. His jacket was open. I could see the butt of a gun under his left arm. I could see myself in his reflective glasses.
"You working on anything but Ellis Alves?" he said.
"Nope."
"So you probably stirring something up that somebody don't want stirred up," Hawk said.
"Unless it's someone I've offended previously and they're just getting around to it."
"Ellis Alves case makes more sense," Hawk said.
"Yes."
"So if it is, it mean maybe there is something wrong with the way Alves went to jail."
"Vinnie didn't give you any idea who wants this done?" I said.
"I don't think he knows," Hawk said. "He does, I don't think he'll say. Remember Vinnie ain't one of the good guys. He's pretty far off his range already. Hell, he wouldn't even call you direct. He called me."
"Good to know Vinnie's got standards," I said.
"Why we like him," Hawk said.
"Yeah."
I finished a donut and washed it down with the coffee. It was good coffee. Too bad they didn't sell donuts. It meant I was going to have to stop twice every time I shopped for two of the basic food groups. Life kept getting more complicated. Assuming that I had stirred up somebody from long ago wasn't useful. It was possible, but it didn't take me anywhere. I'd been doing this for a long time. There were too many possibilities. Assuming I'd touched a tender spot in the Ellis Alves thing was a more productive assumption.
"Could be someone I talked to," I said. "Could be somebody who heard I was looking into it and wanted to, ah, forestall me."
"Not everybody know how to organize a murder contract," Hawk said.
"No. But a lot of people in this deal have money. If there's enough money, there's somebody got a connection with someone that can talk to a guy."
"True," Hawk said. "We could go find the guy that told Vinnie and ask him what he knows."
"He too will not wish to tell me," I said.
"We can reason with him until he do," Hawk said.
"Make Vinnie look bad," I said.
"Yeah, it would."
"He's expecting us not to do that."
"Good to know you got standards, too," Hawk said.
"The contractor is going to find a taker," I said. "If he's offering decent money."
"Plus, I believe there a lot of people willing to do it for nothing," Hawk said.
"So maybe what we do is go about our business and let him take a run at us, and when he does we catch him and question him closely."
"What's this `we,' white eyes?"
"You can't let me get killed," I said. "Nobody else likes you."
Hawk grinned. He
"You think my new shades are cool?" Hawk said.
"Cold," I said. "Can you see, wearing them indoors?"
"No. But they too cool to take off."
I drank some Kenya coffee. "Bright and sweet," I said.
"Told you," Hawk said.
"You come up with anything that clears Ellis Alves?" I said.
"No. You adopt a kid yet?"
"No."
"You been annoying somebody though," Hawk said.
"That's sort of my job description," I said. "You wanna give me a list?"
"Ain't got the time to cover them all, but somebody's looking to have you killed."
"Moi?"
"Vinnie called me. Said one of the guys works for Gino told him there was a guy looking to have you killed."
"He want Vinnie to do it?"
"Don't know," Hawk said. "That's all Vinnie told me. He's full time with Gino now. He wouldn't be freelancing anyway."
"How much they paying," I said.
"Now that's ego," Hawk said.
"Well, how would I feel if somebody was offering five hundred bucks?"
"Be embarrassing, wouldn't it," Hawk said.
He was still looking down at the street. It was a dandy fall morning, and a lot of people were hurrying around in the Back Bay like they had important things to do.
"Lotta nice looking women walk past your office," Hawk said.
"Hoping to catch a glimpse of me."
Hawk turned and came back and sat down in one of my client chairs. His jacket was open. I could see the butt of a gun under his left arm. I could see myself in his reflective glasses.
"You working on anything but Ellis Alves?" he said.
"Nope."
"So you probably stirring something up that somebody don't want stirred up," Hawk said.
"Unless it's someone I've offended previously and they're just getting around to it."
"Ellis Alves case makes more sense," Hawk said.
"Yes."
"So if it is, it mean maybe there is something wrong with the way Alves went to jail."
"Vinnie didn't give you any idea who wants this done?" I said.
"I don't think he knows," Hawk said. "He does, I don't think he'll say. Remember Vinnie ain't one of the good guys. He's pretty far off his range already. Hell, he wouldn't even call you direct. He called me."
"Good to know Vinnie's got standards," I said.
"Why we like him," Hawk said.
"Yeah."
I finished a donut and washed it down with the coffee. It was good coffee. Too bad they didn't sell donuts. It meant I was going to have to stop twice every time I shopped for two of the basic food groups. Life kept getting more complicated. Assuming that I had stirred up somebody from long ago wasn't useful. It was possible, but it didn't take me anywhere. I'd been doing this for a long time. There were too many possibilities. Assuming I'd touched a tender spot in the Ellis Alves thing was a more productive assumption.
"Could be someone I talked to," I said. "Could be somebody who heard I was looking into it and wanted to, ah, forestall me."
"Not everybody know how to organize a murder contract," Hawk said.
"No. But a lot of people in this deal have money. If there's enough money, there's somebody got a connection with someone that can talk to a guy."
"True," Hawk said. "We could go find the guy that told Vinnie and ask him what he knows."
"He too will not wish to tell me," I said.
"We can reason with him until he do," Hawk said.
"Make Vinnie look bad," I said.
"Yeah, it would."
"He's expecting us not to do that."
"Good to know you got standards, too," Hawk said.
"The contractor is going to find a taker," I said. "If he's offering decent money."
"Plus, I believe there a lot of people willing to do it for nothing," Hawk said.
"So maybe what we do is go about our business and let him take a run at us, and when he does we catch him and question him closely."
"What's this `we,' white eyes?"
"You can't let me get killed," I said. "Nobody else likes you."
Hawk grinned. He
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