Swan Dive

there.”
    ”Better leave Terdell in the car. Unless you’ve had him hermetically sealed.”
    ”You not exactly on Terdell’s kiss list, mon. I’d walk wide around him, I was you.”
    ”Half an hour.”
    I hung up and debated with myself for all of ten seconds before punching Murphy’s office number. ”Lieutenant Murphy.”
    ”Lieutenant, John Cuddy.”
    ”Cuddy, I told you already. I can’t talk with you.”
    ”Then talk with your buddy Sergeant Dawkins. Tell him I’m meeting Braxley at Braxley’s request at J.C. Hillary’s in thirty minutes.”
    ”The one on Boylston?”
    ”Right.”
    ”You got something going with Dawkins, why don’t you call him yourself?”
    ”Because he didn’t dress like he hung around his office much. Besides, I think I’m going to want a council of war tomorrow with Holt, and I know where his office is.”
    ”I’m not even gonna ask why the hell you don’t call Holt then.”
    ”Be back to you tonight.”
    ”I’ll be in Saint Croix by then.”
    Murphy hung up. I was glad to see him regaining his sense of humor.

    J.J. came through the heavy front doors by himself. I was seated at the bar. He casually looked around, the place nearly empty at 4:30, as the convention facility across the street was under construction. He walked over to me and said, ”How about we take us a table?”
    I led him to a back corner. We sat and the waitress took his order for Chivas on the rocks while I sipped my screwdriver.
    When she moved away, he said, ”Smart. You picking a place this public and this confidential, all at the same time.”
    I raised my drink, turning the glass slowly in my hand. ”I picked this place because they use fresh-squeezed orange juice in their cocktails.”
    Braxley gave me a barracuda grin. ”You a little more than I bargain for, Cuddy.”
    ”How do you mean?”
    ”I figure, mon so dumb he get whomped on the head and lose his piece, that mon be a little easier to push.”
    ”I take it you finally buy my version of what happened?”
    The waitress brought his drink. He worked his smile on her, but got nothing in return. He hooded his eyes, tossed off half the drink, then settled back.
    ”I don’t buy nothing. I already bought. Bought and paid for the stuff Marsh had on him.”
    ”I think we already had this conversation.”
    ”Oh no, mon. Not this conversation. Last night just an exhibition compared to what come.”
    ”You make me too nervous, I might spill my drink on you.”
    ”No, my friend. What come ain’t gonna come on you. I watch just now, coming over to the table here. You move pretty good for what Terdell whale upon you last night. You gotta hurt, nobody take that and not hurt, but you cover it. That mean you can take a lot more, and probably be real careful not to get suckered like we do last night. No, I was not thinking on you.”
    ”Your visit to Hanna Marsh?”
    Braxley looked pleased. ”Thought she be calling about that.”
    ”She doesn’t know where the drugs are. She had nothing to do with Marsh for a while before he died.”
    ”I believe her.”
    ”So?”
    ”So, I visiting not to see the woman so much as the house. Saw it once before, but that was in the night, time we paid Marsh himself a little visit.”
    ”The one that put him in the hospital?”
    ”Marsh, he made of milk, mon. Can’t take the lickin’ like you.”
    ”Didn’t you get a good look at it the time you and Terdell tossed it?”
    ”Just Terdell that time.”
    ”Maybe if you got to the point?”
    Braxley lapped a little more scotch. ”Thought you be smart enough to see the point.”
    ”I’ve always been disappointing that way.”
    ”Maybe I better sharpen the matter up for you then.” He put down the glass with a flourish. ”I get the stuff from my supplier, I pay him. I give the stuff to Marsh, he don’t pay me. The word is out on the street. ‘J.J. get the sting,’ ‘J.J. give the credit and get burned,’ and like that. But the stuff, it ain’t on the street. That don’t ring true. Some people get ideas, think maybe I’m gone soft about things. Business things. Somebody work up the balls to try me, see if I push a little on the territory. Means I gotta push back. Inefficient. Waste my resources on fights I don’t want and can’t make pay.”
    Braxley affected a woeful look, playing to the second balcony. ”Or maybe my supplier talk to one of these dudes, get the word that I’m loose with his shit, he think, ‘Fuck, J.J. slipping