Cat Chaser (1982) by Leonard Elmore

Author:Leonard, Elmore [Elmore, Leonard,]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2011-01-21T02:29:50.968000+00:00

Chapter 12

JERRY WAS READING the Sun-Sentinel. He held it up as Moran came in the office.

You see this? Right up at Hillsboro. Guy walks out of his condo, he's taking his morning exercise, look what he finds right out in front of his place. The headline of the newspaper read:

33 HAITIANS DROWN IN HILLSBORO SURF; SURVIVOR'S STORY DOUBTED BY OFFICIALS

The photograph that ran the full width of the page and was about five inches deep showed four naked swollen bodies lying on the hard-pack sand at the edge of the surf in early morning light. A Coast Guard helicopter hovered about twenty yards offshore.

I'm telling you, Jerry said, it's getting out of hand. People up there, they invest a lot of money in their retirement homes this's what they got to put up with.

What's the story the officials don't believe?

That they came all the way from Haiti in this rickety boat, sixty-something people. If they're not coming from Cuba it's Haiti now, we don't have enough Latins here, we got all this extra welfare money laying around. Oh . . . there was a phone call for you. You know how many Cubans they got in Miami now?

Who was it called?

Two hundred thousand. Over half the population. Some woman . . . she didn't leave her name. Plus a hundred and twenty-five thousand boat people, for Christ sake, half of them out of the Havana jails and insane asylums. They send 'em here for us to take care of . . . Here's the number.

It was Mary's.

When'd she call?

Few minutes ago. We're different, we got us a couple Dominican freeloaders. Where you going? You just got here.

I'll be back.

Moran shoved the slip of notepaper into his jeans and walked out into the sunlight, back toward his house. He was anxious.

Nolen, coming out of Number Five, stopped him.

George, can I talk to you?

I got to make a phone call.

Just take a minute. Nolen, his shirt open and hanging out of his pants, got to Moran at the shallow end of the pool. I got a request. How about letting your buddy from the D. R. stay a couple more days? He's afraid to talk to you.

I hope so, Moran said.

He's sorry. He said he made a mistake.

I made the mistake, Moran said, ever talking to him. He started to move away.

George, he can't hurt you. Let him stay a while.

Moran stopped. Why?

Why not? He's all right, just a little fucked up. He's an interesting type, I can study him.

I know what you want to study, Moran said.

Nolen shrugged. I think I can get a freebee, a libretito. His hair hung oily looking, he needed a shave, he looked terrible, forlorn, standing barefoot with his hands in his pockets. She wants me to show her Miami Beach, all the beeg 'yotels.

Good, Moran said. You take her down there we'll probably never see her again. Look, I don't have time right now. Tell her to clean up the kitchen before you go and tell Rafi he'd better stay away from me, not that I'm pissed off or anything.

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