Right as Rain

'What's wrong, Cherokee?' said Ray. 'Thought you'd be happy. Way you were talking last time, thought you wanted to get out from under the pressure the Rodriguez brothers were puttin' on you.'

'Didn't ask you to doom 'em, Ray,' said Coleman.

'They asked for it their own selves.'

'Committed suicide, huh?'

'Damn near like it. Anyway, I can't wake neither of them up now, so we're wasting time frettin' on it, right? Besides, I handled it, you can believe that.'

Cherokee Coleman sat behind his desk, his hands tented on the blotter, staring at Ray. His lieutenant, Big-Ass Angelo, stood behind him, his face a fleshy, impassive mask. Earl Boone got a kick out of Angelo's sunglasses, the Hollywood-looking kind with the thick gold stems. Dark as it was already in here, with that green banker's lamp the only light in the room, Earl wondered how fat boy could even see.

'You want to go ahead and tell us how you handled it?' said Cherokee.

'The day after their visit,' said Ray, 'I called Lizardo's wife, asked her where in the hell he and Nestor was. Said that they was due but hadn't showed up or called. 'Bout a New York minute later I get a call on my cell from one of the Vargas people down in Florida. I told him the same thing I told the wife. He mumbled somethin' in Spanish and hung up the phone. Next thing we did was, me and Daddy made two trips with those Contours they was drivin', drove those cars down to Virginia and dumped ' em near Richmond, off Ninety-five south. Dripped some of Nestor's and Lizardo's blood on the seats of those cars. Pulled some hairs from their heads and scattered them in the cars, too. When the cops break into those cars and trace the owners, go

'What about the bodies?'

'The bodies I got stashed on my property, until this weather turns. I'm go

'What happens,' said Cherokee, 'when I get the call from the Vargas family?'

'Hell, Cherokee, you're just go

'Why would I do that?'

"Cause partners gotta stick together,' said Ray.

'We're partners now. You hear that, Angie?'

'Look here.' Ray leaned forward in his chair. 'I got nine keys of pure brown I'm sittin' on right now.'

'Got it with you?' said Coleman.

'Nah, man,' said Ray. 'I ain't stupid!'

Ray laughed. Coleman and Angelo laughed, and kept laughing long after Ray was done. Ray frowned, watching them. Were they fuckin' with him now? He couldn't tell.

Coleman drew a handkerchief from the breast pocket of his pretty suit and wiped his eyes.

'Anyhow,' said Ray. 'Me and Daddy, we been wantin' to get out of this business for a while now. What I was thinkin' is, we unload the rest of that brown to you directly, at a price you're really go

'Oh, yeah? What kind of price is that?'

'You were payin' a hundred a key, right?'

'Including your bounce. It's all bounce now, so you don't have to add that back in, seein' as how there wasn't any, what do you call that, cost of goods involved.'

'That's right. So I was go

'Five hundred and forty grand.'

'Five forty, right. But, 'cause I like you, Cherokee-'

'You like me, Ray?'

'I do. And 'cause of that, I'm go

'How you go

'Say an even five hundred grand to you, Cherokee, for the whole shebang.'

'Generous of you, Ray.'

'I think so.'

'So when you go

Ray looked over at Earl, back at Coleman. 'We were kind of thinkin', Daddy and me, I mean, that we wouldn't have to come into the city again for this last deal.'

'Got somethin' against D.C.?'

'We prefer the country, you want the truth.'

'For real?'

Coleman and Angelo laughed again. Ray and Earl, expressionless as stones, waited until they were done.

'Tell you what,' said Coleman. 'We'll split the difference, hear? You bring in the first half of the load straight away, and for the last half, I'll send someone out your way to pick it up.'

'What's this half stuff?'

'You don't think I can get my hands on five hundred grand all at once, do you? Think I can walk on over to NationsBank and take out a loan?'

'No, but-'

'Got to turn that inventory first, man, get some cash flow goin' in this motherfucker. Only way we can do this deal, Ray.'

'I don't know,' said Ray.

'Fuck it,' said Earl, surprising Coleman with his voice. It was the first time Earl had spoken since he and his son had walked through the office door.

'You got somethin' on your mind, Daddy?' said Coleman.

'We'll bring the next load down,' said Earl, 'that's what you want. But I want somethin', too.'

'Let me guess,' said Coleman. 'This somethin' got light skin and green eyes?'

'That's right,' said Earl. 'I want to take that pretty girl home with me, the one you got livin' over there across the street. I'm go

'Shit, Daddy.'

'Hold up, Critter. I'm talkin' now.'

'Aw, you're sweet on her,' said Coleman. 'That's real nice.'

'Got no problem with me takin' her, do ya?'

'No problem at all. I ain't got no kind of claim on it. Course, some of the fellas over at the Junkyard, they might want to up and flex on you, you try to take her away. 'Cause most of them been kickin' it, one behind the other, the last month or so.'

'Kickin' it?'

'Fallin' in love with her, Ray.'

Big-Ass Angelo went 'ssh, ssh, ssh,' his shoulders jiggling hard.

Earl ignored him and said, 'That'll do it, then. We'll be on our way.'

Ray stood. 'Ill call you. We'll be back with that first load in a couple of days. Then you can come on out and get the rest.'

'Oh, I don't think I'll be makin' the trip personally, Ray. I'm go

'You're go

Coleman chuckled. 'Sure, Ray. I'll send Mado

'All right, then. See you fellas later.'

'Ray,' said Coleman. 'Earl.'

Coleman and Angelo watched them go out the door.

Coleman said, 'Call all our dealers, Angie. Tell 'em we got a lot of good product comin' in. And don't forget to call that white boy, too. He can move it on the other side of town, and we need it moved out quick. Get that first load out on the street so we can do the same with the second. This a big opportunity we got right here. We go

'Yeah, but we got to go all the way the fuck on out to Hooterville to pick it up.'

'That's all right. Got to throw dirt on the Boones sooner or later, might as well do it while we're out there. Make a nice pile of bodies, them and the Rodriguez brothers. Get it lookin' like Jonestown out there and shit. Make it right for those Colombians. 'Cause you know I don't want to see the Vargas family in town, lookin' to start a war.'

'I ain't goin'.'

'Don't worry, big dawg. I'm go

Angelo gri

'Ray Boone,' said Coleman. 'That's a real genius, right there.'

'I ain't stupid!' said Big-Ass Angelo.

Coleman cracked up and held out his palm. Angelo gave him skin.

Earl Boone walked along the doorless stalls, stopping at the very last one in the row. Sondra Wilson stood there, the flame from a single candle throwing light upon her face. Her white blouse was filthy, and dirt streaked her cheeks. She seemed unsteady on her feet.

'Hey, honey girl,' said Earl.

'Earl.'