The Big Enchilada

sight and seeing no one. I told Green that if that wasn’t done, he could forget about the rest of the evening. Just to be on the safe side, the cops should all be kept together as well. Green figured he could manage that.
    That night they would split up. Burroughs would hit Medco, and Green would take the rest of the men and raid the Black Knight, pulling in everyone on the premises. If possible, they’d be kept on ice until the morning. That wasn’t too essential, but it would ensure me of a good night’s sleep. After the second set of raids, Green would call off the search for me. That would let me return to my apartment. I wanted to be there in the morning. I figured Domingo might want to see me when he heard the news. I wanted to be available.
    I had thought out the plan while I was waiting to see Burroughs and Green, and I got surprisingly little resistance from them when I explained it.
    “That only leaves Ratchitt,” Burroughs growled into his watery beer.
    “Yeah,” I said, “that’s something of a messy problem, but I’ve got an idea of how to deal with it.”
    “Which is?” Green sounded stiff and cautious.
    “You don’t want to know,” I said. “Let’s just say it will take care of Ratchitt without embarrassing the department.”
    “That’s not good enough, Hunter. I insist upon knowing what you have in mind.”
    “Don’t insist, Green. You’ll lose—what do you call it?—deniability.”
    “I can’t have you going around doing God knows what. If you don’t tell me, I’ll pull the string on you.”
    “That wouldn’t be a good idea. Do you know how bad the department would look if the story about Ratchitt got out? The smell would stick for years to come.”
    “You’d do that?”
    “I don’t want to,” I shrugged.
    Burroughs cut in. “Give Hunter some rope. If he fucks up, we can always yank him back.” He smiled at me. I couldn’t tell if the idea appealed to him.
    Green sighed and reluctantly agreed to let me have my way.
    “Don’t look so bothered,” I said to Green. “I’ve given you the best present you’ll ever get. If you pull this off, you’ll be a shoo-in for governor—or at least mayor.”
    “And what will you get out of this?”
    “I’ll look after myself.”
    “I think that’s what worries me.”
    I grinned at him. It didn’t seem to make him less worried.
    I asked him if he wanted to discuss this all afternoon, or did he want to start getting things moving.
    I parted from Burroughs and Green. We made arrangements to coordinate activities when the fireworks started.

TWENTY-SIX

    I drove around a while just to make sure I wasn’t being followed, but Burroughs and Green seemed to be playing straight. I went back to the motel, called somebody I knew at the phone company, and got a number that was otherwise unlisted. I then made a call I had been looking forward to for some time.
    The voice that answered the phone was the same one that had called me about Stubby Argyll.
    “Harve?” I said. “Is this Harvey Millicent?”
    “Who is this?” The voice sounded annoyed.
    “This is Sam Hunter, Domingo.”
    “Yeah? So?”
    “So I want to talk.”
    “You got nothing to say to me.”
    “I want out. You win.” I tried to sound scared and beaten. He laughed. “Of course I’ve won. I’d won before it even started, but you were too stupid to know that, so I had to show you.” His voice grew hard. “Why are you calling?”
    “Like I said, I want out. Things are too hot for me here. I want to get away.”
    “So? Go.”
    “I need some money.”
    He laughed again. “And you think I’m going to give it to you? Why should I?”
    “I’ve been beaten. I admit it. But I can still be a nuisance. I don’t want to get picked up by the cops—we’re not on very good terms—but if I am, I’ll talk. I’ll talk loud enough and long enough, and maybe somebody’ll listen. You don’t own everybody. In the long run it probably won’t make any difference, but you never know, it might be awkward for you. You don’t need that, especially since the Medco thing is coming along so nicely. Give me some money and I’ll disappear. I want to.”
    There was silence for a moment.
    “How much are you thinking about?”
    “Ten K and I’m gone.”
    “You overestimate your nuisance value. I’ll give you five.”
    “Come on, I need more than that.” I tried to sound desperate.
    “Five. And be glad I’m feeling generous.”
    “Okay. But I want it now. I