feverish that he was able to do it twice.
Then he pushed her out with the
cigarettes and a $12.95 necklace. He drove back to the main entrance, keeping his
eyes open for hospital security. As usual, there was none.
By six oclock he was in Eddie Lomans
back room, hearing about a job he was needed for over in South Aussie.
The interesting thing about it was,
Wyatt was behind it.
* * * *
TEN
Snyder
could see that Eddie Loman was hedging. Loman wouldnt meet his eye, and he
kept rubbing his gammy leg. Snyder waited, testing him, then said, Arent you
missing something?
What?
Theres a fucking contract out on
him.
Lomans face twisted. You heard.
Course I fucking heard. Twenty
grand to the guy that fingers him.
Loman continued to rub his leg. The
movement pulled his trousers up, revealing pink plastic skin. Hed lost the leg
ten years ago in a collision between a getaway car and a divisional van. Maybe
he still gets ghost feelings in it, Snyder thought.
I mean, Snyder continued, you
begin to wonder why Wyatts putting an outfit together if it means all these
guys are going to know where he is. Youd have to be mad, right?
He watched Loman pour beer into
their glasses and put the bottles under the coffee table. There were three
bottles there now, Melbourne Bitter, resting on their sides. Loman had neat
habits. His living quarters behind his hardware supply business looked to be
tacked together from mismatching building materials and fire-sale furniture,
but there wasnt a speck of dust or a bad smell in the place.
Loman swallowed beer from his glass.
When he put the glass down again it was fair and square on a coaster with an
Aborigine painted on it. Actually, he said, I dont think Wyatt knows.
We come to the crux of the matter.
You couldve told him when he rang last night, but you didnt.
Loman looked up. Wyatt knows how to
look after himself.
Cut it out, Eddie. You were going
to charge him a finders fee for lining me up for this job of his, then dob him
in for the twenty thousand. Am I right? Bit of a cunt act.
Snyder was enjoying himself. He didnt
care much for Loman. Loman supplied experts and equipment to people who had big
jobs on, and Snyder had got some work that way sometimes, but you couldnt
actually like the bloke. That grey face and smokers cough, the sense of decay
on the inside. Plus, Snyder didnt like being cheated. He didnt like it that
Loman was intending to earn himself an extra twenty thousand without cutting
anyone else in on it.
Eh? Bit of a shitty thing to do to
the old Wyatt? Not to mention the danger to yours truly. What if this hired gun
comes after Wyatt when Im in the firing line, eh? Answer me that.
Lomans face worked in worry. I
wouldve told him. I thought, you know, this job of his is out in the bush
somewhere, hell be safe there till its over. Then Id give him the word, kind
of thing.
Snyder nodded. Oh, right, Im with
you now. Youre not after the twenty grand reward.
Not me. Wyatts Loman struggled well
you dont exactly call Wyatt a mate, do you, but hes a good client, kind of
thing.
Snyders loose face seemed to
tighten and he leaned forward. How much?
Pardon?
Whats he paying you? What am I
worth?
Loman rubbed at his leg. Fifteen
hundred.
Whats the job?
He didnt say, except its big.
And theres a radio he wants
jammed. Did he say what I get paid?
A percentage. Not a fee, a
percentage of the take.
Snyder grinned then. Correct me if
Im wrongyou only get fifteen hundred bucks, I stand to get tens of thousands.
I can see how a bloke might feel a bit put out about that. He might want to
grab a bit more. Not you, though.
A flush showed under Lomans grey
skin. I didnt know you and Wyatt were such good mates.
Were not. Im a professional, hes
a professional. We just do our jobs. We dont get greedy, rock the boat, work
behind another blokes back.
Youve made your fucking point,
Loman said, leaning back in his chair. The fabric was slippery brown vinyl
Then he pushed her out with the
cigarettes and a $12.95 necklace. He drove back to the main entrance, keeping his
eyes open for hospital security. As usual, there was none.
By six oclock he was in Eddie Lomans
back room, hearing about a job he was needed for over in South Aussie.
The interesting thing about it was,
Wyatt was behind it.
* * * *
TEN
Snyder
could see that Eddie Loman was hedging. Loman wouldnt meet his eye, and he
kept rubbing his gammy leg. Snyder waited, testing him, then said, Arent you
missing something?
What?
Theres a fucking contract out on
him.
Lomans face twisted. You heard.
Course I fucking heard. Twenty
grand to the guy that fingers him.
Loman continued to rub his leg. The
movement pulled his trousers up, revealing pink plastic skin. Hed lost the leg
ten years ago in a collision between a getaway car and a divisional van. Maybe
he still gets ghost feelings in it, Snyder thought.
I mean, Snyder continued, you
begin to wonder why Wyatts putting an outfit together if it means all these
guys are going to know where he is. Youd have to be mad, right?
He watched Loman pour beer into
their glasses and put the bottles under the coffee table. There were three
bottles there now, Melbourne Bitter, resting on their sides. Loman had neat
habits. His living quarters behind his hardware supply business looked to be
tacked together from mismatching building materials and fire-sale furniture,
but there wasnt a speck of dust or a bad smell in the place.
Loman swallowed beer from his glass.
When he put the glass down again it was fair and square on a coaster with an
Aborigine painted on it. Actually, he said, I dont think Wyatt knows.
We come to the crux of the matter.
You couldve told him when he rang last night, but you didnt.
Loman looked up. Wyatt knows how to
look after himself.
Cut it out, Eddie. You were going
to charge him a finders fee for lining me up for this job of his, then dob him
in for the twenty thousand. Am I right? Bit of a cunt act.
Snyder was enjoying himself. He didnt
care much for Loman. Loman supplied experts and equipment to people who had big
jobs on, and Snyder had got some work that way sometimes, but you couldnt
actually like the bloke. That grey face and smokers cough, the sense of decay
on the inside. Plus, Snyder didnt like being cheated. He didnt like it that
Loman was intending to earn himself an extra twenty thousand without cutting
anyone else in on it.
Eh? Bit of a shitty thing to do to
the old Wyatt? Not to mention the danger to yours truly. What if this hired gun
comes after Wyatt when Im in the firing line, eh? Answer me that.
Lomans face worked in worry. I
wouldve told him. I thought, you know, this job of his is out in the bush
somewhere, hell be safe there till its over. Then Id give him the word, kind
of thing.
Snyder nodded. Oh, right, Im with
you now. Youre not after the twenty grand reward.
Not me. Wyatts Loman struggled well
you dont exactly call Wyatt a mate, do you, but hes a good client, kind of
thing.
Snyders loose face seemed to
tighten and he leaned forward. How much?
Pardon?
Whats he paying you? What am I
worth?
Loman rubbed at his leg. Fifteen
hundred.
Whats the job?
He didnt say, except its big.
And theres a radio he wants
jammed. Did he say what I get paid?
A percentage. Not a fee, a
percentage of the take.
Snyder grinned then. Correct me if
Im wrongyou only get fifteen hundred bucks, I stand to get tens of thousands.
I can see how a bloke might feel a bit put out about that. He might want to
grab a bit more. Not you, though.
A flush showed under Lomans grey
skin. I didnt know you and Wyatt were such good mates.
Were not. Im a professional, hes
a professional. We just do our jobs. We dont get greedy, rock the boat, work
behind another blokes back.
Youve made your fucking point,
Loman said, leaning back in his chair. The fabric was slippery brown vinyl
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