Killing Them Softly (Cogan's Trade Movie Tie-in Edition)

like some fuckin’ draft dodger or something? Fuck that. It don’t make no difference anyway. What’re we doing?”
    â€œWe got this,” Cogan said, “we got two guys. There’s actually four guys, but one of them’s probably not around and I’m not sure, we really want the other one. So, we got two guys, for sure, and one of them knows me, so here you are.”
    â€œWell,” Mitch said, “am I doing a double or what? These guys hang around or something?”
    â€œUh uh,” Cogan said. “Well, I mean, you wanna take the double, it’s all right with me, you think you can handle it. You need that?”
    â€œI could use the dough,” Mitch said. “I’m gonna have to try this thing and it’s gonna cost me my left ball to do it. You know where the pricks indicted me? Maryland. Not in New York, Maryland. So I got to go downthere and everything, and fart around in some motel, and it’s gonna mean two lawyers, my guy, that looks like he never got out the garment district in his life, Solly’s a great guy, but if a guy ever looked like a sharp New York Jew, it’s Solly. And then the other guy, some guy that probably wears overalls or something, so they don’t hook me just because I got Solly. Yeah, I need dough.”
    â€œWell,” Cogan said, “you want the two of them, it’s fine with me.”
    â€œI oughta take you up on it,” Mitch said. “But I think, I’m not supposed to be up here, you know? I’m restricted, New York and Maryland and that stuff, I’m supposed, I’m not supposed, go any place else unless I ask them. Well, I didn’t ask. So I probably shouldn’t hang around here any longer’n I absolutely have to. And, two’s risky, too. No, I better stick with the one.”
    â€œOkay,” Cogan said. “Now, here’s the thing: that’s gonna be the guy that knows me. Well, he don’t know me, but he’s one of the few guys that probably knows who I am, all right? He knows me and he knows Dillon, and if he hears anything, he’s gonna figure, he’s gonna be waiting for Dillon or me. So, he’s the one.”
    â€œHe got friends?” Mitch said.
    â€œOne of the guys that we might do,” Cogan said. “He’s a kid, he could be around. He’s a fairly tough kid, too. The other kid, he’s the guy that’s apparently not around. So, there might be the one.”
    â€œWe gonna do anything about him?” Mitch said.
    â€œRight now,” Cogan said, “it depends. I honestly don’t know. See, the other guy, I got him in mind for tonight. And a lot depends, what happens after that.”
    â€œThe fuck happened, anyway?” Mitch said.
    â€œOne of them fuckin’
things
,” Cogan said. “There’sthis guy, got a game, all right? And he got some guys, one time, knock it over for him, and then, well, he got away with it. So, and then everybody says: ‘Okay.’ Then this other guy comes along, and he gets these two kids, and they go in and they knock it over again, right? They think he’s gonna get blamed for it again. That’s the guy I’m doing. I’m gonna put his light out tonight, I figure, things go all right.”
    â€œDumb shit,” Mitch said. He finished the first stein.
    â€œRight,” Cogan said. The waiter brought the check. Cogan paid it.
    â€œOn your way back,” Mitch said, “you think you’re gonna be in this neighborhood again this year, you can bring me two more.”
    â€œNo, you can’t,” Cogan said to the waiter. He took the second stein. “I’m gonna drink this, even if I don’t want it. He’s drinking coffee. Bring the man nice black coffee.”
    â€œHey,” Mitch said.
    â€œHey yourself,” Cogan said. “I’m gonna have to talk to you. I don’t wanna have to go down, see you inna fuckin’ tank. Too many guys around down there, listening to other people’s business. Coffee for you.”
    â€œI won’t be able to sleep,” Mitch said.
    â€œWatch television,” Cogan said.
    â€œI probably won’t,” Mitch said. “You’re gonna line something up for me, instead.”
    â€œYou gotta have that?” Cogan said.
    â€œShit,” Mitch said. “I’m not working tonight, right?”
    â€œNope,” Cogan said.
    â€œAnd I’m