In the Midst of Death

by Lawrence Block

Page 11

 

  "I said Id call either way," I told her. "I dont think Im going to drop over tonight. Maybe tomorrow. "

  "Sure, Matt. Was it anything important?"

  "You remember what we were talking about before. If you could find out some more on that subject Id make it worth your while. "

  "I dont know," she said. "I dont want to stick my neck out. I like to keep what they call a low profile. I do my work and I save my pennies for my old age. "

  "Real estate, isnt it?"

  "Uh-huh. Apartment houses in Queens. "

  "Hard to see you as a landlady. "

  "The tenants never set eyes on me. This management firm takes care of everything. The guy who handles it for me, I know him professionally. "

  "Uh-huh. Getting rich?"

  "Doing okay. Im not going to be one of those old Broadway ladies with a dollar a day to feed themselves on. No way. "

  "Well, you could ask a few questions and make a few dollars. If youre interested. "

  "I suppose I could try. Youll keep my name out of everything, right? You just want me to come up with something thatll give you an opening. "

  "Thats right. "

  "Well, I could see what happens. "

  "Do that, Elaine. Ill drop by tomorrow. "

  "Call first. "

  I went upstairs, kicked off my shoes, stretched out on the bed. I closed my eyes for a minute or two. I was just on the verge of sleep when I forced myself to sit up. The bourbon bottle on the bedside table was empty. I dropped it into the wastebasket and checked the closet shelf. There was an unopened pint of Jim Beam just waiting for me. I cracked it and took a short pull from it. It wasnt Wild Turkey but it did get the job done.

  Eddie Koehler wanted me to call him but I couldnt see any reason why that conversation couldnt wait a day or two. I could guess what he was going to tell me and it wasnt anything I wanted to hear.

  It must have been around a quarter after eight when I picked up the phone and called Anita.

  We didnt have too much to say to each other. She told me the bills had been heavy lately, shed had some root-canal work done and the boys seemed to be outgrowing everything at once, and if I could spare a couple of bucks it would be welcome. I said Id just landed some work and would get a money order off to her in the morning.

  "That would be a big help, Matt. But the reason I kept leaving messages for you, the boys wanted to talk to you. "

  "Sure. "

  I talked to Mickey first. He didnt really say much. School was fine, everything was okay- the usual patter, automatic and mindless. Then he put his older brother on the line.

  "Dad? They got this thing in Scouts, like for the Nets home opener against the Squires? And its supposed to be a father-son deal, you know? Theyre getting the tickets through the troop, so everybodyll be sitting together. "

  "And you and Mickey would like to go?"

  "Well, could we? Me and Mick are both Nets fans, and they ought to be good this year. "

  "Jennifer and I. "

  "Huh?"

  "Nothing. "

  "The only thing, its kind of expensive. "

  "How much is it?"

  "Well, its fifteen dollars a person, but that includes the dinner first and the bus ride out to the Coliseum. "

  "How much extra do you have to pay if you dont have the dinner?"

  "Huh? I dont- oh. " He started to giggle. "Hey, thats really neat," he said. "Let me tell Mick. Dad wants to know how much extra you have to pay if you dont have the dinner. Dont you get it, stupid? Dad? How much extra if you dont ride on the bus?"

  "Thats the idea. "

  "I bet the dinners chicken a la king. "

  "Its always chicken a la king. Look, the costs no problem, and if the seats are halfway decent it doesnt sound like too bad a deal. When is it?"

  "Well, its a week from tomorrow. Friday night. "

  "That could be a problem. Its pretty short notice. "

  "They just told us at the last meeting. Cant we go?"

  "I dont know. Ive got a case and I dont know how long itll run. Or if I can steal a few hours in the middle of it. "

  "I guess its a pretty important case, huh?"

  "The guy Im trying to help is charged with murder. "

  "Did he do it?"

  "I dont think so, but thats not the same as knowing how to prove it. "

  "Cant the police investigate and work it out?"

  Not when they dont want to, I thought. I said, "Well, they think my friend is guilty and theyre not bothering to look any further. Thats why he has me working for him. " I rubbed my temple where a pulse was starting to throb. "Look, heres how well do it. Why dont you go ahead and make the arrangements, all right? Im sending your mother some money tomorrow and Ill send an extra forty-five bucks for the tickets. If I cant make it Ill let you know and you can just give one ticket away and tag along with somebody else. How does that sound?"

  There was a pause. "The thing is, Jack said he would take us if you couldnt. "

  "Jack?"

  "Hes Moms friend. "

  "Uh-huh. "

  "But you know, its supposed to be a father-son thing, and hes not our father. "

  "Right. Hang on a second, will you?" I didnt actually need a drink, but I couldnt see how it would hurt me. I capped the bottle and said, "How do you get along with Jack?"

  "Oh, hes okay. "

  "Thats good. Well, see how this sounds. Ill take you if I possibly can. If not, you can use my ticket and take Jack. Okay?"

  Thats how we left it.

  IN Armstrongs I nodded to four or five people but didnt find the man I was looking for. I sat down at my table. When Trina came over I asked her if Doug Fuhrmann had been in.

  "Youre an hour late," she said. "He dropped in, drank one beer, cashed a check and split. "

  "Do you happen to know where he lives?"

  She shook her head. "In the neighborhood, but I couldnt tell you where. Why?"

  "I wanted to get in touch with him. "

  "Ill ask Don. "

  But Don didnt know either. I had a bowl of pea soup and a hamburger. When Trina brought my coffee she sat down across from me and rested her little pointed chin on the back of her hand. "Youre in a funny mood," she said.

  "Im always in a funny mood. "

  "Funny for you, I mean. Either youre working or youre uptight about something. "

  "Maybe both. "

  "Are you working?"

  "Uh-huh. "

  "Is that why youre looking for Doug Fuhrmann? Are you working for him?"

  "For a friend of his. "

  "Did you try the telephone book?"

  I touched my index finger to the tip of her little nose. "You ought to be a detective," I said. "Probably do a lot better at it than me. "

  Except that he wasnt in the book.

  There were around two dozen Fuhrmanns in the Manhattan directory, twice that number of Furmans, and a handful of Fermans and Fermins. I established all this closeted in my hotel room with a phone book, and then I placed my calls from the booth downstairs, stopping periodically to get more dimes from Vinnie. Calls from my room cost double and its annoying enough to waste dimes to no purpose. I tried all the Fuhrmanns, however spelled, within a two-mile radius of Armstrongs, and I talked to a lot of people with the same last name as my writer friend and a few with the same first name as well, but I didnt reach anybody who knew him and it took a lot of dimes before I gave up.

  I went back to Armstrongs around eleven, maybe a little later. A couple of nurses had my regular table so I took one over on the side. I gave the bar crowd a fast glance just to make sure Fuhrmann wasnt there, and then Trina scurried over and said, "Dont look or anything, but theres somebody at the bar whos been asking about you. "

  "I didnt know you could talk without moving your lips. "

  "About three stools from the front. Big guy, he was wearing a hat, but I dont know if he still is. "

  "He is. "

 
"You know him?"

  "You could always quit this grind and become a ventriloquist," I suggested. "Or you could act in one of those old prison movies. If they still make them. He cant read your lips, kid. Youve got your back to him. "

  "Do you know who he is?"

  "Uh-huh. Its all right. "

  "Should I tell him youre here?"

  "You dont have to. Hes on his way over here. Find out what hes drinking from Don and bring him a refill. And Ill have my usual. "

  I watched as Eddie Koehler came over, pulled a chair back, settled himself on it. We looked at each other, careful appraising looks. He took a cigar from his jacket pocket and unwrapped it, then patted his pockets until he found a toothpick to puncture its end. He spent a lot of time lighting the cigar, turning it in the flame to get it burning evenly.

  We still hadnt spoken when Trina came back with the drinks. His looked to be scotch and water. She asked if he wanted it mixed and he nodded. She mixed it and put it on the table in front of him, then served me my cup of coffee and my double shot of bourbon. I took a short sip of the bourbon neat and poured the rest of it into my coffee.

  Eddie said, "Youre tough to get hold of. I left you a couple of messages. I guess you never got over to your hotel to pick em up. "

  "I picked them up. "

  "Yeah, thats what the clerk said earlier when I checked. So I guess my line must of been busy when you tried to call me. "

  "I didnt call. "

  "That so?"

  "I had things to do, Eddie. "

  "No time to call an old friend, huh?"

  "I figured to call you in the morning. "

  "Uh-huh. "

  "Sometime tomorrow, anyway. "

  "Uh-huh. Tonight you were busy. "

  "Thats right. "

  He seemed to notice his drink for the first time. He looked at it as if it was the first one he had ever seen. He switched his cigar to his left hand and lifted the glass with his right. He sniffed it and looked at me. "Smells like what I been drinking," he said.

  "I told her to bring you another of the same. "

  "Its nothing fancy. Seagrams. Same as I been drinking for years. "

  "Thats right, thats what you always used to have. "

  He nodded. " Course, its rare for me to have moren two, three in a day. Two, three drinks- I guess thats just about what you have for breakfast, huh, Matt?"

  "Oh, its not quite that bad, Eddie. "

  "No? Glad to hear it. You hear things around, you know. Be amazed what you hear around. "

  "I can imagine. "

  "Sure you can. Well, what do you want to drink to, anyhow? Any special toast?"

  "Nothing special. "

  "Speaking of special, how about the Special Prosecutor? You got any objection to drinking to Mr. Abner L. Prejanian?"

  "Whatever you say. "

  "Fine. " He raised his glass. "To Prejanian, may he drop dead and may he rot. "

  I touched my cup to his glass and we drank.

  "You got no objection to drinking to that toast, huh?"