The Steel Kiss (Lincoln Rhyme 12)

"He does. Well, glad to help. Only I don't know how helpful it's gonna be."

"You know Flannigan's?"

"Did some work at the place last month. You handy?"

"Some. I can do electrical. Plumbing."

"Plumbing?" A laugh. "I frame like a motherfucker. I was framing there, Flannigan's. Old man Flannigan gave me a bonus. Pretty sweet. Said it was the best framing he'd ever seen. Anyway, I started to hang there. I got to know some people, the bartenders, the staff." Von didn't bother to lower his voice now. "They're all right. They're us, you know. Not from some other countries, like you see in a lot of places." A nod toward Lucy/Carmella.

An urge to wash his hands came over Nick.

"I got to know people there, I was saying. People like to talk to me. I got the gift of gab. Got that from my father. So, I asked around, put two and two together. About what Freddy was asking. And put together this list, might be the guy you're looking for. A bunch of guys named J. Nothing about a Nanci. But they all got bitches they're married to or're fucking. Ha, or both. Here." He dug into his pocket to retrieve a slip of paper, pulling his jacket aside.

Oh, Jesus Lord. Nick actually gasped.

Von was carrying.

Nick saw the wood grip of something small. Probably a little .38.

Man, this was bad. Freddy'd said there was no way he'd have a gun on him.

Maybe Von'd forgotten. Or lied.

Nick took the grimy sheet of limp paper.

"You okay, son-o?"

Nick couldn't say anything. He looked around. Nobody else had seen the piece.

"Yeah. Haven't eaten all day. I'm starving."

"Ah, well, here we go." The salads arrived, both drenched in dressing. No appetite whatsoever.

Von peered at Nick and said in a loud voice, real loud: "What's a four-letter word that ends in K and means intercourse?"

Carmella had heard; Nick knew the joke was for her benefit.

Nick said, "I don't know."

"How 'bout you, Lucy?" Von asked the waitress, who blushed. He roared, "Ha! The answer's 'talk'! Get it?"

She nodded and gave a polite laugh.

Nick started to chow down fast. Breathless.

"Easy, son-o. You'll choke to death.... You see that? She didn't get it. She didn't know 'intercourse' also means 'talk.' That's what I'm talking about, with them."

Lord, I'm sitting across from a man with a gun. No, an idiot with a gun.

Nothing to do but hope for the best.

Nick ate a few disgusting forkfuls as he scanned the names Von had brought him. Jackie, Jon, Jonny. There were ten altogether.

"Not much of a shortlist," Von said, chewing. A bit of dressing launched itself tableward.

"No, man. It's good. Appreciate it." Names and some addresses, some businesses. Nothing jumped out. He would have to do more homework but he'd pretty much figured he'd have to.

Von continued, "According to my boys--and girls--these dudes hang at Flannigan's some. Or used to. They're all kinda quiet about what they do. You get what I'm saying. Quiet. Get it?"