I took in a breath, and then I said, “If you go quietly, I won’t tell my friend Louie about you. Detective Case here will pretend he never heard of you. Go back to Ohio for a while—you’ll find Mr. Berlugetti paid off your tickets at my bequest. You can come back here one day if you like, maybe even work in the movie business if you’ve got any talent. If you’ve got any talent for keeping your mouth shut and keeping away from me and my family. You got that?”
He looked like he had s**t his pants.
He nodded.
“Good,” I said. “We’ll be watching you.”
I turned around and walked across the restaurant. I heard Phil and Hayword following me. The door tinkled as I opened it. I went to my car and leaned against it.
I was shaking with anger. I tried to breathe it out, breathe it down and out.
“Wh
