Ted looked for the Russians again. If they were all in a forties B movie, this would have been the cue for the bad guys to reappear. There weren’t many people around at all. The line of protestors that morning was sparse. Mondays. There was no sign of Kenzie. He found he very much wanted to see her.

“What are we going to do?” Lester asked.

“I came here this morning prepared to ditch the whole thing. Pull the file. Screw it, I thought, there’s easier ways of making a buck. What do I care if that tower gets built or if some developer bought off a politician or two? I’m sorry Richie’s dead, but I have to watch out for myself and the people I care about.”

“Understandable,” Lester said.

“But I don’t want to do that now.” Both the Judge and the Russian mob wanted him to pull that file; therefore, he would do the opposite. “Fuck ’em if they can’t take a joke.”

“Well put.”

“I don’t know how, but I want to fuck them up.”

“I like it,” Lester said.

“Got a plan?” Ted asked.

“No, but I wouldn’t mind a little get back. Besides, I made promises.”

“To Barbara Miller?”

“And Anora. She wants that green card,” he said.

They both stood. “Okay,” Ted said, “but she’s got to wait in line. We have other priorities.”

“Agreed. You got any ideas?”

“Not yet, but it’s early. Let’s get some coffee.”

-34-

-34-

“I need to talk to him, Jill.” The cell phone was both conduit and barrier. Ted wanted to reach through it and shake her.

Gallagher’s was his fortress. He was in his usual spot, the back booth by the window, with a partial view of the street. The front door and the whole tavern were wide open in front of him. The bartender had the desk sergeant at the 110th Precinct on speed dial. Russian mobsters were not welcome.

The noon deadline had passed. Ted had been trying to connect with the Judge for hours. Calling Jill was his Hail Mary pass.

“Call his office,” she said.

“I tried that.” When Ted had told the secretary he wanted to speak to Con Fitzmaurice, she had said he was in luck because the Judge had “just walked in.” But when she came back on the line a minute later, he had not yet arrived. Ted gave her credit for trying to sound convincing. “He’s not taking my calls.”

“I don’t want to be involved in anything like this, Ted.”

“Like what? Just give him my message, and tell him I’m ready to talk. He’s going to want to hear what I have to say.”

“Will this help Jacqueline?”