This time, her hand reached across the table. “That’s why I called the other day. That’s why I called before, you know….”
They looked at each other. History. Countless sobbing phone calls when Billy started hitting her up in Fort Pierce. More tears in person at coffee shops. Then, lovers.
Anna grabbed the scotch. She decided not to pour and put it down. “The Valium’s working.”
“Good.”
She began picking at a corner of the bottle’s black label. “I recognized him.”
“Who?”
“Scarface.”
“You did?”
“Up in Fort Pierce. From the marina. He was one of the guys who came around a couple times. But he was just one of the loaders. I don’t get it.”
“He did that sometimes.”
“You said he never met anyone.”
“Not as Scarface. Because he didn’t trust anyone. But since almost nobody knew what he looked like, it allowed him to move invisibly through his own organization to make sure nobody was skimming, which they always were. A lot of guys ended up dead and never knew why.”
The man checked his watch. Getting near eight. He grabbed the scotch.
“I thought you weren’t drinking.”
“So did I.” He looked across the terrazzo of the vacation home that used to belong to Anna’s brother. “You decided to stay here after all.”
“With Scarface gone, there’s no reason not to.”
The man drained his cup and poured again.
“You’re making up for lost time.”
There was a purpose. He finished the second drink and let it work. The clouds finally let loose outside. Rain pounded the windows at a hard angle.
“I have a confession to make.”
Anna stretched and yawned from the medicine.
“My motives weren’t entirely pure.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I wanted to protect you and everything. I really liked your brother….”
“Yeah?”
“Remember the rumors I told you about? Rick putting money away with Scarface — Fernandez, whoever. It wasn’t a rumor. I knew it for a fact.”
Anna looked confused.
“For some reason Fernandez liked your brother. Or at least trusted him. Or didn’t. But your brother was sharp. He knew this wouldn’t last forever… he had to put something away. Sometimes we’d go drinking after bringing a boat in. Fernandez was always asking him questions about money. He finally let your brother know who he really was. That might have gotten him killed.”
Anna’s breathing shallowed. She grabbed the scotch again. Rain sheeted on the glass.
“Fernandez and Rick got some money together. I know you didn’t know. It’s at least three million, maybe four. I don’t know where it is. Well, I do, sort of. There’s a safety deposit box—”
Anna raised the cup to her mouth with both hands.
“The box contains instructions in case anything ever happened to Rick. Some of the money was your husband’s, except your brother knew Billy would just gamble it. So he put it away for you. There are four names on the deposit box. Fernandez, your brother and his wife. And you — you’re the only one still alive to claim it.”
Anna was grabbing the edge of the table. “H-how do you know all this?”
“Your brother knew about you and me being… together. He could just tell. It almost made him feel better knowing I was there for you because he’d already given up on Billy. A few times he came close to killing him over the beatings he gave you. He came to me one day, asked if anything happened to him, that I’d tell you about the box. Made me swear.”
Anna just sat there; too much to process at once.
“You’re going to hate me for what I’m going to say next, so I’m just going to say it….” He looked her straight in the eyes. “I want Fernandez’s share. You can have the rest.”
“Jesus, Jerry!”
“I don’t like this any better. But I’m practical. We don’t have much time before the police find out their guy in the morgue has a deposit box. Then it’s gone for good.”
“But how can you think about money at a time like this?”
“I’ll tell you how! I’ve been sitting here for years, watching Fernandez over in his fancy house getting rich and fat while I work a shitty job fetching drinks for a bunch of tourists I have to pretend to like. That’s how. I want mine! I deserve it!”
Anna pressed back in her chair. “What’s wrong with you?”
Jerry the bartender poured another scotch. “You have to go to the bank.”
“I’m not going anywhere!”
“Yes, you are. We’re in this together now.” He raised the cup to his mouth. “You
“But what about the murder? Shouldn’t we be lying low?”
“We don’t have to worry about that.”
“Why not?”
Jerry reached in his pocket and set a brass bank key on the table. “I fixed it so they suspect someone else.”
35
SERGE WAS IN the living room of the love nest, checking his wristwatch. Molly was in the bathroom. A car honked outside.
Serge looked out the curtains. Coleman.
“Honey!… I’m leaving for my meeting. Love you!…” He grabbed the doorknob.
“Wait a minute,” called Molly. She walked into the room holding one of the new hand towels. It was dangling between her thumb and index finger like a used diaper.
“What is it?” said Serge. “I’m running late.”
“Did you use this?”
