The Pariot GAme by George V. Higgins

happen.”
    “So,” Walker said, “Mister Magro’s release could complicate your life.”
    “Indeed,” Riordan said.
    “Well,” Walker said, “I’m not sure this’ll do any good, but it’s all I can do. You can put me down as opposed to commutation or pardon, on the grounds of the seriousness of Magro’s offense.”
    “How about Frick and Frack there,” Riordan said. “Any trouble with them?”
    “Right now, yes,” Walker said. “Next week, no. Mayes wants me to let a nasty little bastard out for this weekend, even though I know the shifty little rat’s gonna run for the woods the minute he gets outside the gate. I was gonna fight it tooth and nail. Now I think I’ll just record my opposition, for the record, and cite Doctor Mayes’s confidence in the man’s rehabilitation. That should keep Doctor Mayes’s plate full for the next six months or so, when the papers get ahold of that one.”
    Riordan stood up. “Always a pleasure to talk to you, Kenneth,” he said.
    “Mine too, Peter,” Walker said, “mine too. Except generally, I’m the only one I do have to talk to.”

“S O ,” S EATS SAID , as Greenan walked in with the Lord & Taylor bag, “here is Greenan, late as usual. And he is carrying a bag. This is probably a large amount of money that a guy gave him in a hotel room at the Sheraton and told him he was some fuckin’ A-rab or something, and Ticker would be rich if he did what the guy wanted, and the guy was from the Eff-bee-eye and somebody inna next room was probably takin’ pictures the whole thing. You wanna be careful, Ticker, is what I think. Sooner, later, you’re gonna find out the grand jury is mentioning your name a lot and you have got serious problems down Post Office Square there. Which is the next stop before Leavenworth.”
    “It’s not money in this bag,” Greenan said sullenly. He gripped it tightly at his side and came to the table.
    “There you go again, Greenan,” Seats said. “It’s probably drugs or some goddamned thing you started selling. You know what they’re gonna do in honor of you? They are gonna reopen Alcatraz and put you out there all by yourself with the fuckin’ gooney birds and all them other animals that shit all over everything. And you will probably feel right at home, you are such an asshole.”
    “Quit goosing me, all right?” Greenan said.
    Lobianco snatched the bag out of Greenan’s hand. “I got to see what’s in this, Ticker,” he said. “You keep a sharp eye on things here, Francis,” Seats said to the maitre d’. “Somebody comes in here with some indictments or something, I want support that I was merely doing my duty as a law-abiding citizen and everything.”
    “You son of a bitch,” Greenan said, grabbing for the bag.
    “Uh-uh,” Lobianco said, holding the bag away from Greenan’s grasp. “You got this here bag with the Lord and Taylor thing on it, and I wanna know what’s in it, before I let you sit down at my table and end up getting the next room at Alcatraz. Mans got to look out for himself in this world, and that is all I am doing.” He opened the bag. He removed a beige shorty nightgown, decorated with lace at the bodice. He held it up by the straps and admired it. “This is very
nice
, Ticker,” he said. “I think it’ll be quite attractive on you.” He tossed the nightgown to Greenan, whose face was red. “Here you go, Ticker,” Lobianco said, “why’ncha model it for us? Jesus, all these years I known you, I didn’t know you liked to dress up. Lemme see what else we got in this here Lord and Taylor bag. Cripes, you shop the fancy stores, huh?” Lobianco rummaged in the bag. Greenan rolled up the nightgown and put it in his jacket pocket. “
Panties
,” Lobianco said. He held up the beige panties with the decorative lace. “Bikini panties, for Christ sake, Ticker. Oh, you’re gonna be a knockout in these, huh?” Lobianco waved the panties around. The other patrons looked up from their