“Nope. None of them was ever allowed to meet him. That’s the way he wanted it. Put an extra level of fear in the ranks in case someone decided to skim.”
“All I know is he’s an asshole,” said Anna.
“That’s why I had to quit. Too erratic with the violence. Didn’t make business sense.”
“So he just let you leave?”
“No, he had some guys looking for me awhile. To be honest, I was pretty scared. But I had some friends, too. He might take me out, but not without a war. We came to an agreement.”
They stopped and looked at each other. The man squinted at Anna. “You understand the risk you’re taking just by sitting here? He’s right over that bridge.”
“I know.” She was still fidgeting with her fingers.
“You fled all the way from Fort Pierce to be in his backyard?”
“He murdered my brother.” She looked up. “Will you help?”
“Don’t even—”
“I’m gonna kill him. I don’t give a shit anymore.”
The man shook his head. “I can’t help. It’s part of our understanding. When I walked away, I walked away. He gets the big house and I get a crummy job, but at least I’m alive.”
“You liked my brother.”
“I did.”
“And you won’t help?”
“Anything else. You need cash? Help getting away? I’ll even go over there and talk to him for you if you want.”
She didn’t react.
The man sat back in his chair and decided to change the subject. “Staying at your brother’s vacation place?”
“I’m not going near there. He’s probably got the house watched.”
The man rubbed his chin hard and looked at Anna in a different way. “You actually did come down here to kill him.”
Anna took off her sunglasses again and answered with her eyes.
“At first I thought it was the money,” said the man. “But you really don’t know about that, do you?”
“What money?”
“Your brother squirreled it away. A bunch, I hear. He was pretty smart about that.”
“I don’t know about any money.”
“Everyone else does. They say it’s in the millions, but that could just be talk. When I first heard you were coming down here, that’s what I thought it was about. Get the money for a fresh start.”
“Where is it?”
“Nobody knew but your brother.”
“I don’t care about money.”
“You will.”
“Sure you won’t change your mind?” asked Anna.
The man stood. “Sure you won’t change yours?”
She shook her head.
“Remember, you can always call.”
“I know.”
The man walked away from the table, past an involved story-telling circle at the bar.
“…He builds these intricate model ships from scratch,” said Rebel. “Old eighteenth-century wooden frigates and stuff. An insane perfectionist, painstaking detail. Some take as long as a year. Then he goes over them with a magnifying glass and if there’s the tiniest flaw, he’ll smash whole masts and riggings in an insane rage and spend weeks redoing them. When he’s finally satisfied the model is absolutely perfect, he gets out a giant survival knife and carves his name in the base.”
“What name?” asked Coleman.
“Okay,” said Rebel. “I’ll tell you his original name, but I don’t want to say what they call him now because of the curse—”
“Since when is there a fuckin’ curse?” said Sop Choppy. “This story gets more ridiculous every time I hear it!”
“Fernandez,” said Rebel. “Doug Fernandez.”
“That’s not a scary name,” said Coleman.
“That’s why he changed it,” said Rebel. “Fernandez has this way of looking at you. Very intimidating. Strong men have been known to throw up. There’s this famous test he gives. Nobody is ever allowed to see him. Unless you’re in his smuggling organization and about to be promoted into the highest ranks. Then you get to meet one-on-one. But only that single time; you’ll never see him again. And if, during that meeting, you can look him in the eye and pass the test, you get your promotion.”
“Ooooo, that’s pretty spooky,” said Sop Choppy. “They have a staring contest.”
“
“Butterfly chairs can’t rotate,” said Sop Choppy. “They’re stationary.”
