Cogan's Trade

“You’re sure he’s not go

“He’s not on anything big,” Frankie said. “You heard the guy. He’s a very savvy guy. He knows what he’s doing. He knows what it does. He don’t take nothing he can’t handle.”

“You wa

“Look,” Frankie said, “Russell’s a motorcycle nut. That’s all. The first month I knew the guy, all he ever did was piss and moan, he hadda sell this fuckin’ monster bike, he had a Munch, one of them Mammoths? He hadda sell the bike, pay his fuckin’ lawyer. If there’s a bike in this, no, I wouldn’t take Russell. He’d go hairy-assed apeshit the minute he came in. The stuff? He uses the stuff. That’s all. He’s not hooked.”

“Because one thing,” Amato said, “one thing we really don’t need on this is a guy that’s going to go in there and start something off and get some guy. Because then they’ll have to report it and that’s when everybody’s i

“He’ll be all right,” Frankie said.

“I hope you’re right,” Amato said. “Now, the other thing is, this thing’s gotta move, all right?”

“All right with me,” Frankie said. “I don’t do something pretty soon, I’m go

“Because it’s just a matter of time,” Amato said, “some other fresh bastard’s go

“No trouble,” Frankie said. “I’m starving and he’s got to go some place pretty soon with them dogs, and like I say, I don’t get my ass in gear pretty soon, I might as well kiss it good-bye. You got the stuff?”

“A car,” Amato said. “The kids Co

“I’d like a sawed-off for this one,” Frankie said. “Something big, scare the shit out of them, you walk in the door.”

“You get one,” Amato said, “use it. Okay by me. Just don’t start taking your fuckin’ time about it, is all. We’re not the only smart guys in the world.”

THE 300F DID EIGHTY quietly on Route 128 north.

“She looked really great,” Russell said. “I mean, really. Beautiful big tits, fucked like it was going out of style. This’s really a great car, isn’t it? It’s like riding in your fuckin’ bedroom, but it’s still a great car.”

“I wished,” Frankie said, “one of the things I really wish, I wish you could still get a car like this.”

“Keep this one,” Russell said.

“Just what I need,” Frankie said, “a nice, hot car. No, you can’t do it, and there’s none of them around that’re in decent shape enough to buy. Fuck. Tell me about her some more.”

“Wa

“Tomorrow night I’m getting some,” Frankie said. “This goes all right, this’s my last night, a priest. Tell me about it. I’ll take care my own hog.”

“Well, you had the practice,” Russell said.

“That’s nice talk,” Frankie said, “guy like you that was sticking it in Goat-ass’s satchel. Very nice talk.”

“That’s the first rule,” Russell said, “a clean old man. I didn’t see no broads around, up there.”

“Who said Goat-ass was clean?” Frankie said.

“Not me,” Russell said. “That’s the next rule. If there’s no old man around that’s clean, take the dirty one.”

“I should’ve had them get you a goat,” Frankie said. “I had some clout with the keepers. I should’ve done that. The rest of us could’ve watched. You sure you’re not fooling around with them dogs, like John said, right?”

“Dogs’re liable to bite,” Russell said. “I knew a kid, I knew a kid that had a dachshund once … never mind that. Lemme give you some advice, Frank: stay away from the dogs. You can get nipped, and what I hear, that hurts. Stick with broads. If you can find one.”

“You know?” Frankie said. “I’m not sure I can. Maybe it’s the same thing. Maybe they’re not making broads any more, either. You can’t get a nice hemi, because it’s liable to make somebody sick or something, it burns gas, and it’s probably, it wouldn’t surprise me, there’s no more broads, either.”

“There’s broads,” Russell said. “Just like us. There’s always broads. Squirrel wants to do something, he knows where he finds us. We go in and we go out and he’s having drinks some place, and he gets the same as we do. He knows where we are. The girls? They’re the same. They’re just as crazy as we are. It’s just one crazy bastard taking advantage of another crazy bastard. That’s all it is. That broad I was with? She’s crazy. She’s beautiful but she’s crazy. The way she looks, she didn’t have nothing to do with that. She don’t have nothing to do with the way her head’s fucked up, either. But it is. She’s fuckin’ batty.

“She lives up o

“Gimme the number,” Frankie said. “Don’t go back there. I wouldn’t want you hanging around with no nutty women. Just gimme the number. I’ll go up there and I’ll read the fuckin’ Bible to her or something.”

“I didn’t say I wasn’t going back,” Russell said. “I said she was crazy.”

“I don’t think you oughta go back,” Frankie said. “You’re go

“Right,” Russell said, “and then she’ll do what she says she’s go

“They all say that,” Frankie said. “It’s the first thing they think of to say, a lot of them. I du