“My focus is homicide. I try not to let other issues get in the way.”

“Good. Very good. We have common ground maybe. Maybe ground for cooperation. You think so, Mr. Gurney?”

“I hope so.”

“So. You want to know about Carl?”

“Yes.”

“You know Greek tragedy?”

“Excuse me?”

“Sophocles. You know Sophocles?”

“To some extent. Only what I remember from college.”

Angelidis leaned forward, resting his heavy forearms on the table. “Greek tragedy had a simple idea. A great truth: A man’s strength is also his weakness. This is most brilliant. Do you agree?”

“I can see how it could be true.”

“Good. Because this truth is what killed Carl.” He paused, gazing hard into Gurney’s eyes. “You wonder what the hell am I talking about, right?”

Gurney said nothing, took another bite of the fig, held Angelidis’s gaze, and waited.

“A simple thing. A tragic thing. Carl’s great strength was the speed of his mind reaching a conclusion and his willingness to act. You understand what I say? Very fast, no fear. A great strength. A man like that achieves many things, great things. But this strength was also his weakness. Why? Because this great strength has no patience. This strength must eliminate obstruction immediately. You understand?”

“Carl wanted something. Somebody got in his way. What happened then?”

“He decided, of course, to eliminate the obstruction. This was his way.”

“What did he do?”

“I heard that he wanted to put out a contract through a certain individual to have the obstruction eliminated. I tell him he should wait, take smaller steps. I ask if there is anything I can do. I ask this like a father to a son. He tells me no, the problem is outside my … my area of business … and I shouldn’t be involved.”

“You’re telling me he wanted to have someone killed, but not by you?”

“According to the rumor, he went to a man who arranges things like that.”

“Did the man have a name?”

“Gus Gurikos.”

“A professional?”

“A manager. A talent agent. You understand? You tell Fat Gus what you want, you agree on the price, you give him information he needs, he takes it from there. No more problem for you. He manages everything, hires the best talent—you don’t need to know nothing. Better that way. Lot of funny stories about Fat Gus. Someday I tell you.”

Gurney had heard enough funny stories about mob guys to last a lifetime. “So Carl Spalter paid Fat Gus to hire the appropriate talent to remove someone who got in his way?”

“That’s the rumor.”

“Very interesting, Mr. Angelidis. How does the story end?”

“Carl was too fast. And Fat Gus wasn’t fast enough.”

“Meaning what?”