Sal was almost falling out of his seat. “Can you imagine when that hits the airwaves? “This guy ain’t gonna be able to show his face in Burger King, let alone Studio 54!”

Jack started to tell him that Studio 54 was passé now but let it go. He knew what Sal meant, and he was right on the money.

“A fate worse than death,” Jack said.

Sal hit the stop button and turned to Jack. “I don’t know about a fate worse than death. Not that all this ain’t good an’ all, but good as it is—”

“Yeah, I know… Somehow it’s not enough.”

Sal smiled. “Yeah. Am I a broken record or what. But it’s just… not. If you know what I’m sayin’.”

“I do. But this has only been phase one. These first two hits are what you might call ‘baking the cake.’ In phase two we ice it.”

“And when’s phase two?”

“Tonight. This whole gig ends at tonight’s party.”

Jack was glad of that. After tonight, no more hard guys hanging around outside Gia’s. He hoped.

“Tonight? Ain’t no party tonight—least not according to my contact.”

“Yeah, there is. Got it straight from Dragovic. Special party tonight, but your caterer friend won’t be hired for this one.”

“Well, we did tires and crankcase gunk,” Sal said. “What next?”

“Something very special. You just make sure you and your camera are on that dune tonight. Be ready to shoot as soon as it’s good and dark. This one will be the best yet.”

“Yeah?” Sal wiggled his eyebrows. “Whatcha plannin’?”

“I’m planning to make a phone call.”

“That’s it? A call? To who?”

Jack wagged his finger at Sal. “If you knew that, you wouldn’t need to pay me, would you. Just make sure you don’t miss this party. And have the rest of my money ready. After tonight I don’t think you’ll be saying, ‘it ain’t enough.’“

4

“I thought we were going to see a parade,” Vicky said.

“I did too, Vicks.”

Jack stood on the curb between Gia and Vicky and gazed up and down Fifth Avenue. Saks and Gucci and Bergdorf Goodman lined the sidewalks but no marchers. Blue skies and mild weather, a perfect day for a parade. So where was everybody? Not even a single one of those pale blue wooden horses the police use to block streets to hint that a parade was expected or had already been by.

Jack did a full three-sixty scan, his eye out for more than marching bands. He’d done a careful reconnoiter of Gia’s neighborhood before heading out to Sal’s this morning, and then again a little while ago, and neither time had he found any signs of surveillance. Pretty much what he’d expected, but it didn’t take him off alert. Jack had always found it more comforting to know where the bad guys were than where they weren’t.

Since no one was watching them, and since he couldn’t get hold of Nadia, he’d decided to take Vicky to a Memorial Day parade. But so far, no luck.