BooksBarbecue
Back The Deal Goes Down
Chapters (55)
  1. Cover
  2. Other Titles
  3. Dedication
  4. CHAPTER ONE
  5. CHAPTER TWO
  6. CHAPTER THREE
  7. CHAPTER FOUR
  8. CHAPTER FIVE
  9. CHAPTER SIX
  10. CHAPTER SEVEN
  11. CHAPTER EIGHT
  12. CHAPTER NINE
  13. CHAPTER TEN
  14. CHAPTER ELEVEN
  15. CHAPTER TWELVE
  16. CHAPTER THIRTEEN
  17. CHAPTER FOURTEEN
  18. CHAPTER FIFTEEN
  19. CHAPTER SIXTEEN
  20. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
  21. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
  22. CHAPTER NINETEEN
  23. CHAPTER TWENTY
  24. CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
  25. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
  26. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
  27. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
  28. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
  29. CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
  30. CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
  31. CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
  32. CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
  33. CHAPTER THIRTY
  34. CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
  35. CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
  36. CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
  37. CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
  38. CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
  39. CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
  40. CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
  41. CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
  42. CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
  43. CHAPTER FORTY
  44. CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
  45. CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
  46. CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
  47. CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
  48. CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
  49. CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
  50. CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
  51. CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
  52. CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
  53. CHAPTER FIFTY
  54. CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
  55. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

“In my business, I know a lot of people driven by greed. You can see it. Owen’s one of them. He won’t stop.”

Winston was very emphatic and definite about it, “I will take care of him.”

Liz paused in telling the story. I stepped into the silence. “Who said it, Liz? You or Winston?”

“Neither, really. Not like that.”

“Somebody said the only way to stop someone like Owen, to stop Owen, is to kill him.”

Liz didn’t answer. She did sigh.

“That’s the logic of it,” I said. As I tried to figure what went on, I spoke the thoughts out loud. “No. I don’t see Winston saying, ‘The only way is to kill him, so don’t worry, I’ll kill him.’ No, it didn’t go like that…You said it. Didn’t you?” I was certain that was the truth. With that, the masquerade—the educated speech and advanced degrees, the expensive, precise but conservative hair and makeup—and the facade—the slick, sophisticated, architect-designed office, the advertising agency pitches and graphics—all started dissolving—not a metaphor—I was seeing this—there she was and the truth of it spoke the words that I heard—we three heard—coming through my mouth. “You are…or you’ve become…a sociopath. Kill this one, kill that one, and another one…”

She reacted. Not instantly. She knew straight-up denial would not work. She had to reweave the illusions that she kept around her. “It was not like that,” she said. “Yes. I did express what I thought Cohen’s character was. Something to the effect of the only way to stop him or get him out of the equation or, you know, something like that, would be if he weren’t around.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Don’t take it out of context. That was only half the statement. I immediately, immediately added, because I saw that he might misinterpret, ‘We don’t want to go there. I don’t want that, and I’m sure you don’t want that.’ That’s what I said. Then I was done. I got up to go. He stood up, too. He didn’t block me, but we both paused, almost had to pause, to get around the tables. He said, ‘I’ll take care of the problem. I will demonstrate to you that it’s taken care of. Then the deal’s back on.”

“Did you say yes?” I asked.

“Nothing as definite as a word,” Liz said. “I did nod.” As if that was really less damning. “Then he said, ‘At the original price. Since the problem’s not money, it’s Owen.’ Then I did say, ‘Yes, that’s OK.’ He said, ‘I’ll get back to you in a week, maybe less.’ ”

“Then?”

“Then we both left.”

“Then?”

“Then I never heard from him.”

“Come on, Liz. Then? Then what?”

“Then he was dead.”