"Ha. The boys. Attitude some but not with me so much. And you're fifteen without an attitude, something's way wrong."
"Remember when Peterson caught us with that p
int in the gym?"
Freddy laughed. "What'd you say to him? It was... I don't remember. But it didn't go over good."
Nick said, "He was like what the hell're you doing with booze? Don't you know it's bad for you? And I just went: 'Then why'd your wife give it to me?'"
"Jesus, that's right! What a line. He decked you, didn't he?"
"Shoved me, is all... And suspended me for a week."
They drove in silence for a few blocks, Nick relishing the memories of school. Freddy asked, "What's the story with you and Amelia? I mean, she's with that guy now, right?"
Nick shrugged. "Yeah. She's with him."
"That's kinda weird, don't you think? He's a cripple. Wait. Can you say that?"
"No, you can't say that."
"But he is, right?"
"Disabled. I looked it up. You can say disabled. They don't like handicapped either."
"Words," Freddy said. "My dad, he called blacks coloreds. Which you weren't supposed to. But now you're supposed to say 'persons of color.' Which is a lot like coloreds. So, I don't get it. You guys made a nice couple, you and Amelia."
Yeah, we did.
Nick glanced in the side-view mirror and stiffened. "Shit."
"What?" Freddy asked.
"You see that car behind us?"
"The--"
"Green, don't know. Buick, I think. No, Chevy."
"Got a look. What about it?"
"It's been making the same turns as us."
"No shit. What's that about? Nobody after me I know about."
Nick looked in the mirror again. He shook his head. "Goddamn it."
"What?"
"I think it's Kall."
"Is--"
"Vinnie Kall. That asshole detective hassling us at the Bay View with Von."
"Shit, staking out your place. That's low. I ditched the gun. They'll never find it. And you didn't do nothing. You could say you didn't know he had a piece, even if it comes up. And Von didn't give his real name. What's he's about?"
"He's a dick, that's what it's about. Just riding me maybe. Man, I don't want him to screw this up, with Perone. It's too important. It's the only way I'm going to prove I'm innocent."