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"And that’s what you did"

"And that’s what I did, and I was no genius, but I did all right at it I had this three-bedroohts, and two of the bedrooot around Next time I run into Jack, I tell him I’m in a different part of the business So a couple of tis me stuff, and I take it off his hands And another tiirl who let him know that’s what she wants It happens I do, and he buys it froht, I’ve been out celebrating one thing or another, and I’ured soht, because when he was ht off He swiped a set of ot my keys back where I kept them And waited until he kneas out, and came back with a partner, and cleaned me out Even knehere I kept my cash"

"And you suspected Jack?"

"I had a feeling A couple of names came to mind, and he was on the top of the list I went to him, not to confront him but just to see, you know? And he was full of plans, what I got to do to get the stuff back There’s this saying about junkies, that first they steal your wallet and then they help you look for it It was like that with hi me look for it"

"So you were out a lot of money"

"I was out of the business, man, and for a while there I was out of town, because I’d just bought a ton of jewelry and financed the deal by borrowing money from the shies They don’t know from excuses ‘Sorry for your troubles, it’s a hell of a world, and by the way you owe us ent, put in a claione and I’m on the hook for it" He shook his head at thehelped ood with nu it ever since A couple of clients, I keep two sets of books for theet in trouble But aside froit for years"

"So Jack showed up--"

"And copped to what he’d done ‘You were e ca, but how can you stand here and tell me about it? And smile while you do it?"

"So you hit hiht with you’ I said I ought to punch his lights out ‘Mark, go ahead, if that’s what you want’ And he stands in front ofme to throw a punch at him You ever hit anybody in the face?"

"Not recently"

"First tiave soot one myself a time or two Nine, ten years old Never since then, until I hit Jack"

His face darkened at the memory "He just stood there," he said "Maybe took a half step back but that’s all I split his lip and there was a little trickle of blood, but it didn’t stop the crazy bastard fro I asked him if that hat he wanted, words to that effect, and he said I could keep going ‘All you want, Mark Whatever it takes tolost it I hauled off and hit hi I don’t kno ed hand "Each tiht hand Three, four, five times? I don’t know I beat the shit out ofat the time Later on, Jesus, whole other story"

He stopped, and Ito say I heard a clock ticking I hadn’t noticed it before

He said, "The last ti down His knees buckled anyway I looked at hi different in his face, and all I could think was he looked like Jesus Christ I’oes through yourJesus eyes and says, ‘Mark, I’m sorry’ Just that And his face is all bloody and I’? What have I done? And I just--this is hard to talk about"

I didn’t say anything

"I just started crying, okay? And then we’re both crying, and we’re standing in thelike fucking babies And I can’t stand to look at him and see what I’ve done to him, because his face is aand discoloration and all But it was pretty bad then

"He wouldn’t let ht, and he’d take care of it himself And he wanted to kno much it had cost me, what he’d done Howme, soas it took I told hi, it was all money I never should have had in the first place And if I hadn’t lost it I’d have had no reason to get out of the business, and eventually I’d have gone away for it, which happened a couple of ti, as smarter and better at it than I’d ever be So you could say he did ht of before then and probably never would have, if I hadn’t just spent ten ainst this man’s face

"Did I mention he wouldn’t let me take him to the hospital? A couple of hours later I went myself, walked over to Cabrini and hadbefore I realized how badly I’d hurt myself I didn’t tell Jack, for fear that he’d decide he owed ure either of us could stand another aain?"

"No He called once, I think it was the next day or the day after Justwas okay, and I was positive I didn’t want any of the ain, and then I found out he was dead Shot to death, I think it was"

"That’s right"

He nodded to hiun It came to me as part of a deal, and I kept it because a person in that line of work needs protection, right? It disappeared in the burglary along with everything else I never had a gun in my hands before or since Never fired one inbut he held up the unbandaged hand to stop un, when Jack caht twice Pick it up, point it, pull the trigger I guess that’s what somebody else did"

"It was at his apartment"

"Jack’s apartment?"

"So He was shot twice at close range, once in the forehead and once in the mouth"

"I didn’t know that It sounds cold"

"And purposeful," I said " ‘You talk too much’ "