over here in the middle of the night to blame me for everything and I had not one fucking thing to do with whatever you’re in the middle of. I don’t know any General, I don’t know Barry Miller…”
“Filer.”
“I don’t know anything, including why you’re here and not in New York on that godforsaken island. I’m going to go get a fucking drink myself.”
He went into the kitchen, where Janet still was. There were a bunch of urgent whispered words that were as loud as they could be and still be considered whispers.
“Hi, Janet,” I yelled merrily just to piss her off a little more.
She returned fire – and she was definitely packing more heat than me.
“Hel-LO, Max! While you’re in town, you should stop by and visit Allison and Edgar. They’re just two streets over. We see them all the time.”
Allison my ex-wife and Edgar the guy she married after me. Both with the Agency. Thanks for bringing that up.
“Oh,” she added, just to really fuck me in the ass, “And Lorie’s still living with them, if you didn’t know.”
I recovered from that psychic punch to the gut and mumbled, “Last I checked, none of them were interested in talking to me.” Then I took another big gulp of the brown stuff to further self-medicate. There were more words in the kitchen that I couldn’t make out, not that I really wanted to, then Howard re-emerged, looking wounded and without a drink.
“Everything all right?”
“Peachy,” came his answer. Then he gave me a deeper look. “What the fuck are you doing with yourself? You’re getting too old for this, you know. Then what? I don’t imagine that you have anything saved up for your golden years.”
“You and your wife can visit all the money I have. It’s just two streets over, according to her.”
Howard glanced nervously at the kitchen.
“Don’t start anything,” he said quietly.
“I didn’t. Anyway, don’t worry about me. Did you know half of all Americans don’t have any money saved for their retirement? I saw it in the Times the other day.”
“Great. You’ll have people to talk to at the homeless shelter.” He immediately felt bad. “I’m sorry, man.”
I stared him down for a few moments.
“What?”
“You know something.”
He blinked uncomfortably.
“Cut the shit, Max. I gave them your name is all. They came to me looking for the name of a guy who had done a job some time ago. I figured out it was you, I gave them your name and contact info, that’s it. They said don’t talk to anybody about this. Can I go to bed now?”
I sighed and looked away.
“I’m in over my fucking head, Howard. You’re right, I am too old for this shit.”
“So maybe think about quitting this assignment.”
“I’ve never done that.”
“This would be a good time to start. Why not?”
My turn in the hot seat. Howard frowned.
“You need the fucking money, don’t you?”
“It’s been pretty quiet this year,” I offered. “And Mr. Barry Filer pays well.”
“You gotta come up with a Plan B, my friend.”
I took another sip, while Howard worked up the nerve to give me some more advice.
“Look, man,” he said softly, “You should talk to Allison while you’re here. At least clean that mess up.”
“I didn’t make that mess, despite the other opinions out there.” I glared at the kitchen accusingly, then drained my glass. Then I stood up and handed it back to him. He seemed startled that I was actually going to let him go back to bed.
“Hey, you can hang out a couple minutes. It’s cool.”
I saw Janet lurking in the kitchen shadows and said, “I don’t think it is, Howard.”
He got to his feet. “How long you in town?”
“Leaving first thing tomorrow.”
Things hung between us. We had known each other too long.
“You should have never left the Agency, man.”
“You know I didn’t really have a choice.”
“Max, you’re a good guy. It’s time to move on and get a life. You still got time.”
“You
“Filer.”
“I don’t know anything, including why you’re here and not in New York on that godforsaken island. I’m going to go get a fucking drink myself.”
He went into the kitchen, where Janet still was. There were a bunch of urgent whispered words that were as loud as they could be and still be considered whispers.
“Hi, Janet,” I yelled merrily just to piss her off a little more.
She returned fire – and she was definitely packing more heat than me.
“Hel-LO, Max! While you’re in town, you should stop by and visit Allison and Edgar. They’re just two streets over. We see them all the time.”
Allison my ex-wife and Edgar the guy she married after me. Both with the Agency. Thanks for bringing that up.
“Oh,” she added, just to really fuck me in the ass, “And Lorie’s still living with them, if you didn’t know.”
I recovered from that psychic punch to the gut and mumbled, “Last I checked, none of them were interested in talking to me.” Then I took another big gulp of the brown stuff to further self-medicate. There were more words in the kitchen that I couldn’t make out, not that I really wanted to, then Howard re-emerged, looking wounded and without a drink.
“Everything all right?”
“Peachy,” came his answer. Then he gave me a deeper look. “What the fuck are you doing with yourself? You’re getting too old for this, you know. Then what? I don’t imagine that you have anything saved up for your golden years.”
“You and your wife can visit all the money I have. It’s just two streets over, according to her.”
Howard glanced nervously at the kitchen.
“Don’t start anything,” he said quietly.
“I didn’t. Anyway, don’t worry about me. Did you know half of all Americans don’t have any money saved for their retirement? I saw it in the Times the other day.”
“Great. You’ll have people to talk to at the homeless shelter.” He immediately felt bad. “I’m sorry, man.”
I stared him down for a few moments.
“What?”
“You know something.”
He blinked uncomfortably.
“Cut the shit, Max. I gave them your name is all. They came to me looking for the name of a guy who had done a job some time ago. I figured out it was you, I gave them your name and contact info, that’s it. They said don’t talk to anybody about this. Can I go to bed now?”
I sighed and looked away.
“I’m in over my fucking head, Howard. You’re right, I am too old for this shit.”
“So maybe think about quitting this assignment.”
“I’ve never done that.”
“This would be a good time to start. Why not?”
My turn in the hot seat. Howard frowned.
“You need the fucking money, don’t you?”
“It’s been pretty quiet this year,” I offered. “And Mr. Barry Filer pays well.”
“You gotta come up with a Plan B, my friend.”
I took another sip, while Howard worked up the nerve to give me some more advice.
“Look, man,” he said softly, “You should talk to Allison while you’re here. At least clean that mess up.”
“I didn’t make that mess, despite the other opinions out there.” I glared at the kitchen accusingly, then drained my glass. Then I stood up and handed it back to him. He seemed startled that I was actually going to let him go back to bed.
“Hey, you can hang out a couple minutes. It’s cool.”
I saw Janet lurking in the kitchen shadows and said, “I don’t think it is, Howard.”
He got to his feet. “How long you in town?”
“Leaving first thing tomorrow.”
Things hung between us. We had known each other too long.
“You should have never left the Agency, man.”
“You know I didn’t really have a choice.”
“Max, you’re a good guy. It’s time to move on and get a life. You still got time.”
“You
Similar Books
