Read Lemons Never Lie for Free Online Page A

could keep an eye on that tunnel until the three of them come out, and then follow them. They might go do their stings first, but sooner or later they'd wind up at the apartment. Then you'd wait until they left to go back to the pen, and you'd break in, find the cash, and take off."
    Grofield made a face. "I hate taking their money," he said. "I like them too much."
    "You don't have to take it," Dan said. "I'll take it. This is a one-man job."
    Frowning at him, Grofield said, "Then what do you want me for?"
    "My big question is," said Dan, "what do I do with this bastard? I can't carry him around with me until I do the job, he'd be in the way and screw things up. I've gotta stash him somewhere until the job's over, so just in case it's all bullshit I can come back and make him pay for it."
    Grofield shook his head. "Not with me," he said. "If that's what you have in mind, I'm sorry."
    Dan said, "How long could it be for? A week? And you've got plenty of room to stash him. In that theater of yours."
    "No," Grofield said. "I don't bring my work home."
    "I'll give ten percent of whatever I find," Dan said. "If he's telling the truth, it's better than ten grand for you."
    Grofield felt the temptation, but shook his head again and said, "I'm sorry, Dan, but I just won't do it. I won't risk losing what I've got here. And besides that, I won't put my wife in a potentially dangerous situation, which is what this is."
    Dan said, irritably, "What the hell am I gonna do with him?"
    Grofield shrugged. "You got your money's worth out of him. Let him go. He won't louse up your play in Los Angeles."
    "That's right," Myers said eagerly.
    "See that? He isn't that anxious to see you again. Let him run home to Texas."
    Dan grimaced, not liking it. "But what if he's lying? Sends me out on some half-ass stunt, watching an alley where a tunnel's supposed to come out – what if there isn't any tunnel, and he's making a damn fool of me?"
    "You found him before, you could find him again."
    "I don't wanna let him off that easy," Dan said angrily, and he looked for a second as though he was going to start kicking Myers again.
    Grofield said, "Then kill him. Not around here, take him-"
    "Hey!" Myers said, and stared at Grofield as though he'd been betrayed.
    Dan said, "I don't wanna kill anybody, that's not where I'm at. I steal."
    "Well, it's one or the other," Grofield said. "Stashing him with me or anybody else is a bad idea. What if he gets loose while you're gone, kills me and Mary, and when you come back he's laying for you?"
    "You'd watch him better than that."
    "Would I? Forget it, Dan. Kill him or let him go. Believe him about these old men and their tunnel or don't believe him."
    "I'll have to think about it," Dan said grumpily.
    Grofield said, "Would you drive me back? I'm getting cold in these wet clothes."
    "Sure." Dan nudged Myers with his foot. "Back in the trunk."
    "Let me sit in the back seat," Myers said. There was a whine in his voice now. "I won't do anything, just let me sit in the back seat."
    "The only reason I'm not hitting you right now," Dan told him, "is because my friend doesn't like to watch that kind of thing. But don't give me a lot of aggravation to remember later on, when he's gone, or I'll make you very unhappy. Now get back in the trunk."
    Myers struggled up again, and back into the trunk. Grofield wanted to go sit in the car, but he thought he should stick around and watch until Myers was tucked away. Dan might start punching and kicking out of irritation and frustration.
    Finally Myers was in, lying on his side in that cramped fetal-like position, and Dan slammed the lid again. "Come on, I'll take you home."
    They got in the car, and Grofield gave directions, and they started up.
    Driving, Dan said, "I don't know what to do."
    "Let him go," Grofield said. "The aggravation isn't worth it."
    "I'll have to think about it."

4
    Mary called, "Dinner!"
    Grofield was on the platform containing the bedroom set, changing his