My Bad by Manuel Ramos

Author:Manuel Ramos
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Arte Público Press
Published: 2016-06-05T16:00:00+00:00

I turned on only a few lights in the office. For what I was about to do I didn’t want too much exposure. I sat at my desk where I had a view of the main door but not much else.

I hadn’t told Luis anything about what I was doing with Dirty Harry. The less he knew, the better for him, I calculated.

Harry showed up right at nine. He walked in the office and took his bearings in the dim light. Then he swaggered over to my desk.

“What you got for me?” he asked.

“Not even a hello, or how did it go, or was there any problem or trouble?”

“I don’t really care about that. I just want the dope on Dillings.”

“Are you sure about this? What you’re talking about is coercion, blackmail. Dillings could go to the cops.”

“If you have what I want, there’s no way he’s talking to anybody about this. You did get something, right?” He paced across the room. His right fist slammed into the palm of his left hand.

“You told me to find some concrete evidence about Dillings’ sexual hang-ups. According to the deal we made, if I did that, you would do what you could to get me a pass out of state. And it gives you the upper hand with Dillings.”

“I know all that. Get with it. What’s the delay? Why are you stalling?”

“No stall, Harry. I’m only making sure that I understand you and everything you intend.”

“Yeah, yeah. That’s it. Let’s see the pictures, or whatever you got.”

Someone moved a chair in the dark. Harry and I turned to the noise.

“How about me in person? Will that do for proof, Harry?” Ed Dillings walked out from the shadows at the back of the office. He stopped at my desk about three feet from Harry.

The smell of stale booze leaked off his skin. His hands shook.

“What is this?” Harry said. He backed away from Dillings into the semi-darkness.

“The end of your scam, Harry. That’s what this is.” Dillings pulled a gun from inside his jacket.

I should have searched him before I let him in the office. “Oh no,” I shouted. “That’s not what’s happening here.”

I jumped to my feet and grabbed Dillings’ wrist. He turned in surprise towards me and that’s when I wrenched the gun from him. Sweat glistened from the large white spot of his forehead. His breath reeked like a bar at closing time.

“Goddamn you,” he said. “Give me that gun. I’m gonna kill this son-of-a-bitch.”

Harry bent over. It looked like he was trying to hide behind my desk. His head dangled only six inches from the floor. “You double-crossing motherfucker.”

I barely heard the words.

“Dillings has the power, Harry,” I said. “Direct quote from you. Can’t go wrong with that.”

Harry acted like he wanted to jump me. His half-hearted movements stalled. Dillings clenched his fists and held them rigidly at his sides. I pointed the gun at Harry and Dillings.

“Both of you relax. No one’s gonna get killed tonight. But we are ending this.

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