‘If you’re holding back on us,’ said Macy, ‘and I find out—’

‘I’m telling you the truth,’ said Parker. ‘I don’t think I even know any Serbians, and nothing I’m working on right now would attract that kind of attention.’

‘What about an older case?’ asked the third detective, whose name was Elkin. ‘Could someone be holding a grudge against you from a previous investigation?’

‘I think you’ll find they’re all dead,’ said Furnish.

‘Shut the fuck up, Furnish,’ said Macy. ‘Jesus.’

‘I’ll ruminate on it,’ said Parker, ignoring Furnish.

‘Do that,’ said Macy, ‘because who’s to say they won’t try again? The Fulcis won’t always be ready to come to the rescue with a tire iron and a bear head.’

The three detectives departed, leaving Parker alone at the table. He waited until he was sure they were gone before co-opting Dave Evans’s private office to call Louis.

‘Two Serbian button men just tried to blow up my car,’ he said, when Louis answered.

‘Tried?’

‘Tony Fulci busted the skull of one of them with a tire iron. Paulie attacked the other with a bear head, then he and Tony beat the shit out of him.’

‘A bear head?’ said Louis.

‘It was the first weapon that came to hand,’ said Parker. ‘Also, this is Paulie we’re talking about. He’d probably been contemplating using that bear head for a while.’

‘Are the Serbs talking?’

‘After what the Fulcis did to them, they’re likely to be incommunicado for some time, but I don’t see how this one is on me.’

‘The Vuksans?’

‘They could be trying to get at you through me, which means they know who you are. How close are you to finishing this thing?’

‘Getting there.’

‘You think maybe you could speed it up? That bomb was packed with nails and shotgun pellets. It could have done some serious damage to Dave’s bar.’

‘Yikes,’ said Louis.

‘Yeah,’ said Parker, ‘“Yikes” about covers it. My previous offer stands: If you need company, you only have to ask.’

‘I appreciate that, but when it comes to finding people, we’ve learned from the best. And you.’

‘Very funny. Sharon Macy just left here. She wasn’t laughing, though.’

‘Does she still have the hots for you?’

‘She never had the hots for me,’ said Parker.

‘So she only went out with you because the check cleared? Come on.’

‘Well, perhaps she did have the hots a little, but not any longer. And she wasn’t minded to believe that some random Eastern Europeans took it into their heads to blow up a stranger, not even for old times’ sake.’

‘It was a dumb move by the Vuksans,’ said Louis.

‘Only because it failed.’

‘Yeah,’ said Louis. ‘Unfortunately, they don’t always fail. I’ve been meaning to call you, but events got in the way. Hendricksen is dead.’