Larry stuck the gun in Stone’s crotch. “Don’t you even think about it,” he said. “They can’t see us, and if they hear something, then I’m going to have to do you and the cop. Besides, wouldn’t you rather die with your dick still on?”

Stone didn’t answer that. “I’d like to know who your friend is,” he said.

“I don’t think you’d recognize the name,” Larry said. “He uses a lot of them.”

“What does he look like, then?”

“Tall feller, going gray.”

“Ah, yes, Mr. Manning.”

“Manning? If you say so.”

“Funny thing is, I was about to try and give Mr. Manning a whole lot of money. Tell you what: Why don’t you call him right now and tell him that? It might have an effect on the outcome of your day and mine.”

“And why would you want to give him a lot of money?” Larry asked.

“I’m a lawyer. I represent a lady he knows. She’s willing to pay a large sum to get him to go away.”

“How much money we talking about?” Larry asked, clearly interested.

“She’s willing to give him a million dollars,” Stone said, “maybe more.” But not now, Stone thought. She won’t give him a fucking penny, if I have anything to say about it.

“You really expect me to believe that.”

“You don’t have to. Just make the call, and I’ll make him believe it.”

“What’s in it for me?” Larry asked.

“How much has he paid you so far?” Stone asked.

“Twenty-five thousand,” Larry replied. “There’s another twenty-five due when he shoots you.”

“When he shoots me? I thought he hired you to do that.”

“Well, yeah, but only if you give me any trouble. He wants to do it himself, if he has the time. Something personal, I don’t know.”

“Tell you what. You make the call. If I can get him to agree to a settlement, I’ll give you another fifty, on top of the twenty-five he’s already given you.”

“I don’t know,” Larry said.

“What have you got to lose? Tell you what. Drive me to the nearest bank, and I’ll give you the fifty right now, in cash. Any bank will do. I just have to make a phone call.”

“Well, see, I’ve got a lot of problems with that,” Larry said. “You could make all sorts of trouble for me in a bank.”

“You’ve got a point,” said Stone, who had been planning on making a lot of trouble for him.

“And that wouldn’t be the honorable thing to do, see? I mean, my deal is with Doug, not with you. Word got around about that, and I’d be short of clients.”

“So, call him and let me speak to him.”

“What the hell, why not? Ernest, give me the phone.”