Sinner's Ball by Ira Berkowitz Page A

“Don’t recollect much about it. Think I was good, though.” He looked at my face, and then took my hand and studied my oversized, battered knuckles. “Looks like you worked the canvas some.”
    â€œAmateurs.”
    â€œCounts,” he said, releasing my hand. “Hurts as much whether they pay you or not.”
    I was developing an affection for Sailor.
    I pulled out a card and tucked it into his jacket pocket.
    â€œHold on to that. If you get jammed up, I’m someone to call.”
    He nodded.
    â€œYou knew Walter Cady?” I said.
    â€œNever knew Walter had a last name. Much less one that was so highfalutin’.”
    â€œWhat can you tell me about him?”
    â€œKept to himself mostly. Invisible. Like everyone else who lives on the skids.”
    â€œAny family?”
    â€œIf he had, he never talked about them.”
    â€œFriends? Anyone close?”
    â€œAin’t no one’s your friend down here. Take the coins off a dead man’s eyes and buy a shot.”
    â€œCady like to hit the bottle every now and again? Maybe do a little blow?”
    Sailor rubbed his chin and thought on it a bit.
    â€œDon’t rightly know. He wasn’t the kind of guy who gave much away.”
    â€œBig with the ladies?”
    He smiled as if replaying a memory.
    â€œNot fittin’ to speak ill of the dead,” he said.
    He jammed his fists in his pockets and turned to walk away.
    â€œWhere’re you off to now, Sailor?”
    â€œDon’t rightly know. But I know where I’m hopin’ to wind up.”
    â€œWhere’s that?”
    â€œBig Rock Candy Mountain,” he said. “Sure to find old Walt waitin’ for me.”

11
    I hopped a B train and rode it to Times Square. From there I walked over to Feeney’s.
    On my way, I passed Benny Kim’s store. He wasn’t at his usual spot stripping rose petals. Strange. I went into the store and found Mrs. Kim behind the cash register. Her face was lined with worry.
    â€œEverything all right, Mrs. Kim?”
    â€œNo.”
    â€œAnything I can do?”
    â€œGo away!”
    â€œWhere’s Benny?”
    â€œIn back. In office. Leave him alone. He don’t want to see anyone.”
    â€œWhat happened?”
    â€œNothing. Just go.”
    I went into the back. The smell of rotting vegetables hung in the air like a miasma.
    Benny sat at his desk poring over receipts. His right eye was blackened, and a lump the size of a peach poked out of his forehead.
    â€œTalk to me, Benny,” I said.
    â€œGo away.”
    â€œWho did this to you?”
    â€œKarma.”
    â€œKarma?”
    â€œSins in other lives jump up and bite me in the ass.”
    â€œWe’ve all got a lot to atone for, my friend. But it wasn’t karma who did the actual punching.”
    â€œYou don’t want to know.”
    â€œActually, I do.”
    After some gentle prodding he told me.
    F eeney’s didn’t do much of a late afternoon business. The serious drinking started early in the morning and tapered off until the sun went down. Then it picked up again after dinner, with a vengeance.
    When I arrived, the Closed sign was on the door. But I could make out the action through the window.
    A heavyset guy with black sideburns and blood streaming down his face was on all fours. Nick, gripping a folding chair above his head, loomed over him. He brought the chair down on the poor bastard’s back with enough force to flatten a bull elephant.
    I slammed the flat of my hand against the plate glass of the door.
    It got Nick’s attention.
    He dropped the chair, strolled to the door, and unlocked it.
    â€œWhat in hell are you doing?” I said.
    â€œDoc said I needed some exercise,” Nick said.
    â€œWho is this guy?”
    â€œUsed to be one of my workers until he figured he could short me and get away with it.”
    â€œHow about just firing him?”
    â€œObject