The Big Enchilada

other. It’s kind of a hobby of mine.”
    “They make nice pets. Do they curl up at the foot of your bed? Or do you take them for walks in the park?”
    He continued as though I hadn’t spoken. “They’re fascinating creatures. They’re just about the most deadly animals on earth, but they’re not really vicious. They’re quite passive, in fact. All they want is to be left alone, and if they’re not disturbed, they don’t care what goes on. But as soon as they are bothered, as soon as something intrudes upon their privacy, they strike immediately and with total force until the intruder bothers them no more.... Hunter, punks like you could learn about the world from observing these snakes.”
    “I don’t get many reptiles for clients.”
    He sadly shook his head. “I mean there are people like these snakes, Hunter, and if you step too close to them, you are made to regret it. If you are to survive, you must learn to recognize them and stay as far away from them as you can. You and your friends did not do this, Hunter, and you have paid the price.”
    He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a packet of money. He was about to hand it to me when he hesitated.
    “You know, Hunter, I’m still wondering why I’m giving you this money instead of killing you. I do not think the black mamba would understand.”
    “You’re giving me the money because I may have left a letter behind telling everything I know about you. That letter combined with my death would be far more trouble for you than me alive and out of town.”
    “Did you leave such a letter, Hunter?”
    “I did. And if I don’t personally pick it up in one hour, it’ll be opened. Then somebody else will know about you.... Look, I told you and I meant it. I don’t want any more trouble. All I want is to get out of town, out of your life, away from all this. Give me the money, and I’ll be gone tomorrow.”
    “I know you’ll be gone tomorrow. Because if you’re not, you’ll be dead tomorrow, letter or no letter.”
    He handed me the money. There were fifty one-hundred-dollar bills. I put them in my pocket.
    “Okay, that’s that,” I said as though I was relieved. Domingo blew some smoke in my face. “You really are a cheap punk, Hunter, settling for five Gs. It would have been worth a hell of a lot more to get you out of my hair, but you’re just a nickel-and-dime wise guy who comes on strong but scares easy. You want to play with the big boys, but you’ll always be small time. Now get out of here.”
    I walked across the room and stopped at the door. “Your man took my gun. Can I get it back?”
    He snorted disgustedly. “Outside.”
    Mountain was waiting for me and trailed me down the hall. I opened the door, stepped outside, and held out my hand. Mountain motioned that I should keep walking. He threw the gun about thirty yards over my head.
    I was grinning to myself as I picked it up. The next eighteen hours or so would be a positive pleasure.

TWENTY-SEVEN

    I called Green. He said everything was going perfectly and they were going to hit Venus Films in two hours. He sounded like a hound on the scent of a fox. I urged him not to fuck it up. He didn’t appreciate the advice and told me that I should keep far away from the action. I didn’t appreciate that advice. I had no intention of following it, but I told him not to worry.
    I had some time to kill so I went to the Krakatoa restaurant. It’s one of the few Indonesian places in town, and while it’s not great, when you feel like Indonesian-style noodles it can be pretty good. Honoring its name, they served a huge cone-shaped pile of noodles that was volcanically hot. The side dish of chile sambal that I poured onto the noodles was nearly strong enough to dissolve the bowl it was in. The delicate, sarong-clad girl who served me couldn’t believe what I was doing. She called the rest of the staff out and they stood a discreet distance away as I worked through the heap. They politely applauded when I finished and returned to their respective jobs. After I finished my third Oranjeboom Dutch beer and a couple of smokes, it was time for me to go.
    I parked across the street and a little down from Mound of Venus Films. I wasn’t there very long before four unmarked cars and a panel truck pulled up, and Burroughs and Green got out, leading more than a dozen cops, half uniformed, half plain clothes. A couple went around the back and the rest burst into the front entrance.
    I