Pipeline by Gordon Donnell

Author:Gordon Donnell [Donnell, Gordon]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781663247230
Publisher: iUniverse
Published: 2022-10-31T04:00:00+00:00

THE ICEMAN COMETH

Dinner might as well have been cardboard for all the enjoyment I was getting out of it. I ate because I knew I would need the fuel, in spite of the tension tying my stomach in knots. Carmella stopped a fork halfway to her mouth and put it down. She fished a cell phone out from under her jacket. I hadn’t heard it ring, so she must have had it on vibrate. She read and replied to a text message.

“The boy friend is right on time.”

She put the phone away and went back to eating.

Her spotters were on the job. The hostess arrived a couple of minutes later with Philip in tow. No dress-up this time. Strictly come as you are. Corduroys, Hush Puppies and a bulky sweat shirt. My case of nerves amplified the usual effect he had on me. I didn’t know what he had in mind, or why he had ignored my warning to stay away.

“Good evening, ladies,” he said.

I made room on my side of the booth and he slid in next to me. Beyond that I might as well have been on Mars for all the notice he took of me.

“I presume I have the honor of meeting the glamorous Carmella,” he said.

“So you are the Iceman,” she said,

She looked him over slowly, vaguely interested, and teased him with a smile that could be persuaded to be a lot nicer if the right man tried hard enough.

“I have heard a great deal about you,” she cooed. “You are not exactly what I expected.”

“I’ve been disappointing girls for years,” Philip said. “All the way back to junior high school, in fact. It’s kind of a hobby.”

Carmella was a quick study. She knew when her act wasn’t playing. She went from charming to dead serious in nothing flat.

“I must ask if you are carrying any concealed weapons. I hope you understand.”

“What would be the point?” Philip asked. “You and your shooters are armored against pistol fire.”

“And what about you?” Carmella asked. “That shirt is a size too big. Are you wearing armor under it?”

Philip just smiled.

Terrific. Yours truly was the only one without a flak jacket. At least Philip had taken my warning seriously enough to come prepared.

The waitress put in a predictable appearance. Philip declined dinner and asked for a slice of apple pie. He and Carmella were still sizing each other up after the waitress left.

“My turn to be disappointed,” he said. “I was expecting horns and a tail.”

Carmella knew where that had come from. The nasty look she gave me was no more than a glance. She was only interested in Philip.

“I need to know what you know of our plans,” she said. “Answer honestly and completely. Answer as if your life depends on it.”

Philip didn’t seem bothered by her threat. “Just so we’re clear, you are talking about the scheme to bring a large amount of United States currency into the country and distribute it for investment on behalf of Middle Eastern clients?”

“You have a cell phone?” Carmella asked.

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