“Oh you do, huh. Well, what about this Mercedes, what’s Arch say about that?”
“He said it doesn’t mean anything because I won it.”
“Oh, that’s just great.”
“Hey, it’s just an observation. Doesn’t have to be what you think.”
I took a swig of coke and said, “Arch better watch his protein drinks or they’re going to have a full charge of ex-lax giving him an unexpected thrill. Small penis my butt.”
We pulled into the lot of the Caspian Diamond and parked with the other two dozen or so cars. Carl was sitting by himself at the bar and we took the stools on either side of him.
I said, “Hey Carl, you ever notice the word glasnost sounds like somebody having a snot-sneeze?”
He looked in the mirror at us. If it had been only one, I think the fight would have been on. Carl said, “Baca, you fuckshid, you vant something? I crack your face and ead your skull hairs if you shove me.”
“He’s got a way with words,” I said to Hondo. I took out the Berettas and laid them on the bar in front of Rakes. “Some of your buddies dropped these and we thought we’d bring them back.”
You could see the wheels spinning. But he wasn’t stupid and he relaxed, putting his forearms on the bar. Carl said, “Speak what you say to hear from me.”
Hondo placed the photo on the bar and said, “Tell us about this.”
“Is picture of Landman.”
“Yeah, and you’re standing with him and there are two other people with you: One that makes the shadow and the one taking the photo. We’d like to know who they are.”
“Why I tell you?”
“So we will leave you alone.”
He sneered, “You don’t scare Carl.”
I said, “Fleas don’t scare you either, but if you get them on you, they’ll irritate and pester you from now on. Just think of us as a couple of pesky fleas you can get rid of with a little talk.”
Carl thought about it, then said, “Was Bond and Valdar. Bond is shadow, Valdar was camera.”
Hondo said, “Why’d you throw Landman’s bike off the cliff??
?
Carl looked in the mirror and his eyes held on Hondo. “I do not throw, what you say...bike.”
“Sure you did. Wasn’t anybody else there strong enough to flip it that far. C’mon, you can tell us.”
The mirror showed dark shapes assembling behind us. Simon Mortay, cane in his hands, appeared behind Hondo and said, “Is enough, gentlemen. You leave now. Baca, I told you never to come back, and here are you so soon after I tell you.” He shook his head, “I vill run out from pat-i-ence if you come again.” The shadows materialized into the three men from our bathroom dance. They took the pistols off the bar. They held the pistols in their hands instead of holstering them.
Hondo turned to face Simon and stepped from the bar. Simon’s hands blurred and there was a flicker of reflected light as he placed the needle point of a slim sword against Hondo’s chest. Simon’s other hand held the rest of the cane that had sheathed the blade. The hair on my neck stood up. Mortay was fast.
Hondo said, “Get that off my chest.”
“My, we have two machako men here.”
Hondo said, “It’s macho. Learn the word before you try to use it.”
My heart thumped fast and I was angry, too. What was with these people? I said, “Simon, we asked Carl a few questions and we’re ready to leave. You can put your shiskebob maker back in its holder.”
“Or what?”
I looked at him, “You ever watch Sam Peckinpah movies? It’ll be like that.”