Stranger in Paradise

He broke the connection and sat back on the chaise for a time with the television still muted. The others in the room watched him but didn’t speak. Then he picked up his cell phone, punched up a number, pressed send, and waited.

“This is Esteban Carty,” he said. “Let me speak to Louis Francisco…. He knows who I am…. Tell him he needs to call me…. That’s right, he needs to…. I can maybe give him Crow and his daughter, at ten each…. Anytime. The sooner he calls, the sooner he knows the deal.”

He shut off the cell phone and looked around the room.

“How does ten thousand each sound?” he said.

62.

Crow strolled into Jesse’s office and sat down.

“You know this town better than I do,” Crow said. “Is there any place worse to meet someone secretly than the middle of the causeway?”

“The causeway to the Neck?”

“In the middle,” Crow said.

“I can’t think of any place worse,” Jesse said.

Crow nodded thoughtfully. Jesse waited.

“Got a message on my cell,” Crow said. “From Amber Francisco. Says she’s run off from your place and is in trouble and needs my help.”

Jesse nodded.

“Says she wants to meet me in the middle of the causeway as soon as possible,” Crow said. “And I should call her back and let her know.”

“You didn’t talk to her live,” Jesse said.

“Not yet,” Crow said. “What’s it sound like to you?”

“You’re being set up,” Jesse said.

He picked up the phone and called Molly.

“Where’s Amber,” he said.

“In the bedroom,” Molly said.

“Can you see her?”

“No,” Molly said. “The door’s closed.”

“Go open it,” Jesse said.

“Something up?”

“Just go look, Moll.”

There was no conversation for a moment, and then Molly came back on the line.

“She’s in there,” Molly said.

“Okay,” Jesse said. “Don’t let her out of your sight.”

“She’s currently bitching about privacy.”

“Let her shut the bedroom door,” Jesse said. “Have Suit move around so he can watch the windows of the bedroom and the bath. You stay where you can watch the bedroom door. Everywhere else, you keep her in sight.”

“What’s going on?” Molly said.

“I’m not sure,” Jesse said. “Just don’t nod off.”

He broke the connection and buzzed Arthur at the front desk.

“Who’s on patrol?” Jesse said.

“Maguire and Friedman,” Arthur said.

“Send them to my condo,” Jesse said. “And have them park where they can watch the front door. Molly’s inside, Suit’s out back. Nobody in. Nobody out.”

“Okay, Jesse.”

Jesse looked at Crow.

“She called Esteban,” Jesse said.

Crow nodded.

“For whatever reason,” Jesse said. “You know he’s got a contract on you.”

“He’s an idiot,” Crow said.

“To try to kill you for ten grand?”

“Ten grand,” Crow said, “is for drunken middle-aged broads.”

“We both know,” Jesse said, “that anyone can kill anyone. It’s a matter of how much they want to and what they’re willing to do.”

“Got something to do with how good the anyone is,” Crow said.

“Something,” Jesse said.

“I figure she gets me to meet her in the middle of the causeway,” Crow said. “Except she doesn’t show up, and Esteban and company drive by and shoot me full of holes.”

“And they’ll come from the Neck,” Jesse said. “Toward town, so if we respond quickly we can’t seal them in by blocking the causeway.”

Crow nodded.

“Her father came to visit me,” Jesse said.

“He’s in town.”

“Yep,” Jesse said. “Wants his daughter.”

“You tell Amber?” Crow said.

“No.”

“So we don’t know if Esteban knows he’s in town or not,” Crow said.

“We know that Esteban can get in touch with Francisco,” Jesse said.

Crow’s eyes brightened and he smiled.

“And if you were Esteban?” Crow said.

“I figure he knows where she is now,” Jesse said.

“She would have told him,” Crow said.

“And he knows how to get in touch with her father,” Jesse said. “And if I were Esteban, I might call Dad up and say for another ten big ones, I’ll deliver Crow and your daughter. One each, dead and alive.”

The two men sat quietly for a time in Jesse’s office, looking at nothing.

“Why would she call him?” Jesse said.

Crow grinned.

“Love?” he said.

Jesse shook his head. They sat some more.

Then Jesse said, “Are we thinking the same thing?”

Crow shrugged.

“What are you thinking,” Crow said.

“That if we manipulate this right, we might roll the whole show up at one time,” Jesse said.

“We, White Eyes?” Crow said.

Jesse nodded.

“I don’t know much about you, Crow,” Jesse said. “And most of what I know, I don’t understand. But I know you wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

Crow smiled.

“Maybe that’s all there is to know,” he said.

63.

Crow sat on the seawall in the middle of the causeway, talking on his cell phone.

“Can you hang on a couple days?” he said. “I’m in Tucson.”

“I’m okay right now,” Amber said. “But I have to see you.”

“Couple days,” Crow said.

It was a bright day. The wind off the water was steady on his back. Across the causeway, the sailboats bobbed at their moorings.

“Can I meet you someplace?” Amber said.

“Sure,” Crow said. “As soon as I get back.”

“On the causeway?” she said. “Like in my message?”

“Sure. Sounds like a perfect place,” Crow said. “Can’t miss each other.”

“You promise?” Amber said.

“Soon as I get back. I’ll call your cell.”