CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
TWENTY NICKELS
Danny Marino had never thought of an umbrella as threatening. He was beginning to reconsider.
The man was half a block behind him. Danny crossed Seventh Avenue. The man crossed Seventh Avenue. Continue reading
chapter 22 — The Wrong Box
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
THE WRONG BOX
Danny Marino had looked at the gray man.
Then he had looked at the box. It was a cardboard box about the size of a cigar box, tied with string. It didn’t look important. Danny was beginning to understand that this didn’t mean anything. Continue reading
chapter twenty-one — the dry cleaner
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
THE DRY CLEANER
Danny Marino was beginning to think that half the criminal activity in New York involved the garment industry.
He sat quietly in the shadows at the social club. Things were quiet.
Tony Spada folded the racing form and put it on the desk. Continue reading
chapter twenty — wrong umbrella
CHAPTER TWENTY
THE WRONG UMBRELLA
Danny Marino was beginning to suspect that he had become a messenger service for people who didn’t like messages.
Tony Spada was still looking at him.
“The blue suit won’t be ready Thursday.”
“That’s what he said.” Continue reading
chapter nineteen – the blue suit
CHAPTER NINETEEN
THE BLUE SUIT
Danny Marino was beginning to understand that the shortest messages took the longest to deliver.
He came back from Fourteenth Street a little after four. Tony Spada was sitting behind the desk in the back room of the Downtown Athletic & Bridge Club, reading the racing form. Continue reading
chapter eighteen – the empty hands
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
THE EMPTY HANDS
Danny Marino had learned something about important men.
The more important they were, the more errands they had for somebody else.
“Go down to Fourteenth Street,” Tony Spada told him. “There’s a tailor shop two doors west of Third. Ask for Mr. Caruso.”
“What am I picking up?” Continue reading
chapter seventeen – somebody knows…
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
SOMEBODY KNOWS HIS NAME
Danny Marino had discovered the only thing worse than being followed. Being expected. Continue reading
chapter 16 – Brooklyn Heights
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
SOUTH OF BROOKLYN HEIGHTS
The Pontiac sedan had seen better days.
So had Danny Marino.
The Pontiac was parked half on the curb outside a warehouse near the waterfront, somewhere south of Brooklyn Heights. Danny wasn’t entirely sure where. The streets had changed names twice since Tony Spada had given him directions, and the directions hadn’t been very good to begin with. Continue reading
chapter fifteen – critical mass
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CRITICAL MASS
The man from Miami arrived wearing a white suit in the rain.
Danny decided that was either confidence or stupidity. Continue reading
xxxx
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
THE WRONG NUMBER
Charlie drove the Pontiac into Brooklyn without saying another word. Danny had discovered that Charlie could go for remarkably long periods without talking. It was one of the things Danny liked about him. The other was that Charlie seemed to know where he was going. Continue reading