you don't mean the
other guy?"
Yes, I do. Thank you for the prompt, oh helper-out of us of
little intellect and slowness on our feet. "Yes, of course. The guy
with the tenant. Freddy Foster. Gotta be.You don't know him?"
"Afraid not."
My mind was going a mile a minute, below the national
average but top speed for me. "Could you call up and ask the
tenant, what's his name?"
"Victor Marsden."
"Yeah. Ask Mr. Marsden if that's Freddy Foster with him."
"Who shall I say is calling?"
This was a moment of truth. I wanted to say Stanley Hastings.
That would rock Martin Kessler in his sockets, if Victor what'shis-name relayed the message. But I didn't want to leave my right
name, on the alarmingly real chance this apartment building
became a crime scene. That would not be a good tidbit of information for the doorman to pass on to the police.
"Rollo Tomassi."
"Huh?"
"Rollo Tomassi," I repeated. A name from the movie L.A. Confidential based on the James Ellroy book. A made-up name Kevin
Spacey uses to identify his killer. If Martin Kessler knew the reference, it would have to shake him up.
The doorman rang through. "Mr. Marsden? I have a Mr.
Tomassi here-"
"Rollo Tomassi," I corrected.
"I have a Rollo Tomassi here. He wonders if the gentleman
with you is Freddy Foster. He thought he looked like him." The
doorman listened, said, "Freddy Foster." Then, "No, his name is
Rollo Tomassi."
The doorman hung up the phone, shook his head. "You got the
wrong man.
I smiled. "Sorry. I could have sworn."
I went out, crossed the street, walked west. I kept going till I
was out of sight of the doorman, assuming the guy hadn't followed
me into the street. I ducked in the doorway of a brownstone,
looked back. There was no one in sight. Why should there be? I
hadn't done anything suspicious, anything that would tip off the
doorman. Unless he knew the scene from L.A. ConfIdential. I
weighed the odds of that. Wondered if doing so made nie a bigot.
Martin Kessler carne out the front door and looked around.
I ducked behind a car before he could see me. Or so I thought.
He walked up, flushed me from my hiding place.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he demanded.
"What you hired me for."
"What do you mean, what I hired you for? I hired you for a
specific purpose."
"Yeah. To keep the mark alive. That's what I'm doing."
"That was you who called upstairs?"
"Yeah.You like that?"
"No, I don't like that. What a bonehead play. If the guy wasn't
suspicious before, he is now."
"Does he know who Rollo Tomassi is?"
"I don't know and I don't care. I took you back to the office.
Couldn't you leave it at that?"
"No, I can't.You wanna get rid of rile, fire me. Otherwise, I'm
gonna do what I was hired to do"
"Fine.You've done it. Now go home."
"13ut-
"Are you a total moron? The doorman saw me. With the guy.
Going up in the elevator together. Igo you think that right now in
this apartment would be the ideal time and place to bump him off?
I ditched you for a reason. So you wouldn't get yourself in trouble. You're meddling in things you shouldn't.When you don't need to.
When there's no reason. Are we clear?"
His face looked pretty hard for an English teacher. It occurred
to me if I were in his class I sure wouldn't wanna be late with a
book report. "Yeah. That's clear."
"Good. I'm going to get into a taxi. If you follow me, I'll kill you."
He stepped out in the street and hailed a cab. It went to the
corner, turned down Second Avenue.
Another taxi came by and I got in.
I didn't say, "Follow that cab!"
I let it take me home.
11
ALICE WAS SHOCKED. "You saw him."
"Yes."
"You know who he's going to kill."
"Yeah, but he didn't kill him"
"Not yet.'
"He says he doesn't want to kill him."
"If he doesn't want to kill him, why is he following him?"
"It's his job."
"It's his job to kill him."
I frowned. "Yeah. But-"
"But what?"
"It's my job to stop him."
"And you did that?"
"Not really."
"I
other guy?"
Yes, I do. Thank you for the prompt, oh helper-out of us of
little intellect and slowness on our feet. "Yes, of course. The guy
with the tenant. Freddy Foster. Gotta be.You don't know him?"
"Afraid not."
My mind was going a mile a minute, below the national
average but top speed for me. "Could you call up and ask the
tenant, what's his name?"
"Victor Marsden."
"Yeah. Ask Mr. Marsden if that's Freddy Foster with him."
"Who shall I say is calling?"
This was a moment of truth. I wanted to say Stanley Hastings.
That would rock Martin Kessler in his sockets, if Victor what'shis-name relayed the message. But I didn't want to leave my right
name, on the alarmingly real chance this apartment building
became a crime scene. That would not be a good tidbit of information for the doorman to pass on to the police.
"Rollo Tomassi."
"Huh?"
"Rollo Tomassi," I repeated. A name from the movie L.A. Confidential based on the James Ellroy book. A made-up name Kevin
Spacey uses to identify his killer. If Martin Kessler knew the reference, it would have to shake him up.
The doorman rang through. "Mr. Marsden? I have a Mr.
Tomassi here-"
"Rollo Tomassi," I corrected.
"I have a Rollo Tomassi here. He wonders if the gentleman
with you is Freddy Foster. He thought he looked like him." The
doorman listened, said, "Freddy Foster." Then, "No, his name is
Rollo Tomassi."
The doorman hung up the phone, shook his head. "You got the
wrong man.
I smiled. "Sorry. I could have sworn."
I went out, crossed the street, walked west. I kept going till I
was out of sight of the doorman, assuming the guy hadn't followed
me into the street. I ducked in the doorway of a brownstone,
looked back. There was no one in sight. Why should there be? I
hadn't done anything suspicious, anything that would tip off the
doorman. Unless he knew the scene from L.A. ConfIdential. I
weighed the odds of that. Wondered if doing so made nie a bigot.
Martin Kessler carne out the front door and looked around.
I ducked behind a car before he could see me. Or so I thought.
He walked up, flushed me from my hiding place.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he demanded.
"What you hired me for."
"What do you mean, what I hired you for? I hired you for a
specific purpose."
"Yeah. To keep the mark alive. That's what I'm doing."
"That was you who called upstairs?"
"Yeah.You like that?"
"No, I don't like that. What a bonehead play. If the guy wasn't
suspicious before, he is now."
"Does he know who Rollo Tomassi is?"
"I don't know and I don't care. I took you back to the office.
Couldn't you leave it at that?"
"No, I can't.You wanna get rid of rile, fire me. Otherwise, I'm
gonna do what I was hired to do"
"Fine.You've done it. Now go home."
"13ut-
"Are you a total moron? The doorman saw me. With the guy.
Going up in the elevator together. Igo you think that right now in
this apartment would be the ideal time and place to bump him off?
I ditched you for a reason. So you wouldn't get yourself in trouble. You're meddling in things you shouldn't.When you don't need to.
When there's no reason. Are we clear?"
His face looked pretty hard for an English teacher. It occurred
to me if I were in his class I sure wouldn't wanna be late with a
book report. "Yeah. That's clear."
"Good. I'm going to get into a taxi. If you follow me, I'll kill you."
He stepped out in the street and hailed a cab. It went to the
corner, turned down Second Avenue.
Another taxi came by and I got in.
I didn't say, "Follow that cab!"
I let it take me home.
11
ALICE WAS SHOCKED. "You saw him."
"Yes."
"You know who he's going to kill."
"Yeah, but he didn't kill him"
"Not yet.'
"He says he doesn't want to kill him."
"If he doesn't want to kill him, why is he following him?"
"It's his job."
"It's his job to kill him."
I frowned. "Yeah. But-"
"But what?"
"It's my job to stop him."
"And you did that?"
"Not really."
"I
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