Robicheaux (Dave Robicheaux 21)

“What’s this crap about?” Tony said.

“I knew you were interested in getting together with Levon Broussard, so I thought I’d pass on some info.”

“You’re a movie agent now?”

“I know a few people out there, Tony. I’ve heard talk. Your name came up.”

“Take the shit out of your mouth.”

“I know you’re frustrated about not putting a deal together with Levon. But there’s a way around that.”

“What’s the trade-off?”

“Trade-off?”

“Yeah, what are you getting out of it?”

“I want you to give Clete Purcel some slack and quit this bullshit about buying his markers. I paid off those markers, Tony. When you jam him, you’re jamming me. I also don’t like you sending those two shitheads after him.”

“Too fucking bad.”

“You want to hear what I have to say or should I bugger off?”

“Should you what?”

“Yes or no?”

There was a pause. “So what breakthrough are we talking about?”

I looked at my outline. “You don’t have to pay for the rights to the story line in Levon’s novel. The story is based on a real account. His ancestor came home from Shiloh shot to pieces in mind and body, and taught a slave girl how to read and write. The slave girl was the illegitimate daughter of the man who founded Angola Prison. In the meantime, the Confederate soldier fell in love with an abolitionist who nursed him back to health and restored his humanity.”

“So I don’t got to pay for any of this?”

“Nobody can copyright history.”

“Just go make the picture?”

“I’ve got a list of the names. These are big guys. If you do the pitch yourself, they’ll listen.”

“Why?”

“You scare the shit out of them.”

I could hear him take a hit from his oxygen tank. “They know my name? My work?”

“You bet.”

“I’m gonna give you my fax number. You better not be taking me over the hurdles.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it. Stomp ass and take names, big guy.”

The list included a producer who washed heroin money; another who hung prostitutes from ropes and beat them with his fists; and one who put LSD in the food of his Puerto Rican maid and videoed her stumbling around his Beverly Hills home and showed the video to his employees. These were the kind who would be terrified of Tony the Squid and too afraid to ignore his call or put down the receiver once they were on the line. I hoped all of them enjoyed the ride.

* * *

HELEN WAS WAITING outside City Hall when I got to work Monday morning, something she had never done before.

“Any problem?” I said.