Early Autumn Part 9

"Oh, he saw it," I said. I nodded at the stairs. In the shadows of the upper hall, three stairs up from the living room, Paul was standing looking down.

"Paul," she said. "How long have you been there?"

He didn't say anything.

I said, "Since Buddy and Harold came in."

"Don't be scared, Paul," she said. "It's okay, Mr. Spenser has made them go away. He won't let them bother us."

Paul came down the stairs and stood on the middle step.

"How come you didn't shoot them?" he said.

"I didn't need to," I said.

"Were you scared to?"

Patty Giacomin said, "Paul."

"Were you?"

"No."

"The guy said that there was something wrong with you. That you weren't a shooter."

"True."

"What'd he mean?"

Patty said, "Paul, that's enough. I mean it. You're being very rude."

I shook my head. "No. This all revolves around him. He has a right to ask questions."

"What did he mean?" Paul said.

"He meant that if I was quicker to kill people, my threat would work better."

"Would it?"

"Probably."

"Why don't you?"

"Something to do with the sanct.i.ty of life. That kind of stuff."

"Have you ever killed someone?"

Patty said, "Paul!"

"Yes."

"So?"

"I had to. I don't if I don't have to. Nothing's absolute."

"What do you mean?" He stepped down to the living room level into the light.

"I mean you make rules for yourself and know that you'll have to break them because they won't always work."

Patty said, "I don't know what either one of you is talking about, but I want you to stop. I don't want any more talking about killing and I don't want to talk about either of those men again. I mean it I want it stopped." She clapped her hands when she said the last sentence. Paul looked at her as if she were a c.o.c.kroach and turned and went back up to his room.

"I think I need a drink," Patty said. "Could you put one together for me?"

"Sure," I said. "What'll it be?"

CHAPTER 12.

The next time they tried, it was meaner. Patty Giacomin was food shopping when I went to pick up Paul at school. When I came back into the house with Paul, the phone was ringing. Paul answered and then handed it to me.

"It's for you," he said.

I took the phone and Paul lingered in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room to see who it was. It was a voice I didn't know.

It said, "Spenser?"

I said, 'Yeah."

It said, "There's someone here wants to talk with you."

I said, "Okay." Repartee is my game.

There was a shuffling at the other end, then Patty Giacomin's voice came on. It sounded shaky.

"Spenser. That man Buddy and some other men have me. They said if you don't give Paul to them they won't let me go."

I said, "Okay, put Buddy on. We'll work something out"

She said, "Spenser..." and then Buddy's voice came on.

"You there?"

I said, "Yeah."

Buddy said, "Here's the plan. You bring the kid to the Boston end of the Ma.s.s. Ave. Bridge. We'll bring Momma to the Cambridge end. When we see you start the kid we'll start Momma the other way. Get the idea?"

"Yeah. Shall we do it now?"

"One hour. We'll be there in one hour."

"Okay."

"Spenser?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't f.u.c.k this up. I got people with me that ain't Harold, you understand?"

"Yeah."

Buddy hung up.

I broke the connection and dialed information.

"Harbour Health Club in Boston," I said to the operator. I looked at my watch. Two twenty-five. The operator gave me the number. I punched it out on the push-b.u.t.ton phone. It rang. A woman answered.

I said, "Henry Cimoli, please."

The woman said, "One minute." She sounded like she was chewing gum.

Henry said, "h.e.l.lo."

I said, "Spenser. I need Hawk. You know where he is?"

Henry said, "I'm looking at him." Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good.

I said, "Put him on."

In a moment Hawk said, "Umm," into the phone.

I said, "You know Buddy Hartman?"

Hawk said, "Umm-hmm."

I said, "He and several others have a woman. They want to exchange her for a boy that I have. At three twenty-five they are going to be at the Cambridge end of the Ma.s.s. Ave. Bridge. I'm going to be at the Boston end. We're going to start them together. When they meet, halfway across, I want you to discourage Buddy and his pals while I drive out onto the bridge and pick up both of them, the woman and the kid."

Hawk said, "It's five minutes' work, but I gotta drive there and go home again. Cost you a deuce."

"Yeah, I haven't got time to haggle fee with you. I'm on my way."

"I be there," Hawk said. We hung up.

Paul was staring at me.

I said, "Come on, we gotta go get your mother."

"You going to give me to them?"

"No."

"What if they try to shoot me?"

"They won't. Come on. We'll talk in the car."

In the car I said, "You heard what I said on the phone to Hawk?"

Paul said, "Who's Hawk?"

"Friend of mine, doesn't matter. You heard what I said?"

"Yes."

"Okay. I can't believe we're talking a lot of danger here. But here's what I want you to do. When I tell you to go, you start walking along the Ma.s.s. Ave. Bridge toward Cambridge."

"Where's the Ma.s.s. Ave. Bridge?"

"Across the Charles, by MIT. You'll see. When your mother reaches you, say to her, 'Lie flat on the ground, Spenser's coming,' and then you drop flat down on the pavement. If she doesn't get down, tell her to. I'll drive out onto the bridge and I'll get out of the car. Tell her to get in the driver's side. You get in the other side."

"What about that Buddy?"

"Hawk will look after him till I get there."

"But what if he doesn't?"

I smiled. "You say that because you don't know Hawk. Hawk will take care of the Cambridge end." I wrote Susan's address on a piece of paper. "Have your mother drive you there."

The kid was nervous. He yawned repeatedly. I could hear him swallow. His face looked tight and without color. "What if she's not there?" he said.

"No reason she shouldn't be," I said.

"What if this doesn't work?"

"I'll make it work," I said. "I'm good at this. Trust me."

"What would they do if they got me?"

"Take you to your father. You wouldn't be any worse off than now. Relax. You got nothing to lose here. Your father wouldn't hurt you."

"He might," Paul said. "He doesn't like me. He just wants to get even with my mother."

I said, "Look, kid, there's just so much value to thinking about things you can't control. It's time to stop now. You've had a tough life and it doesn't seem to be looking up. It's time to start growing up. It's time to stop talking and start being ready. You know?"

"Ready for what?"