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."It would just be foolish to trust him.""And you have established contact," Susan said, "with the man married to Tony's daughter.""Brock Rimbaud," I said."Daughter's name is Jolene.""Brock Rimbaud is his real name?""Don't know," I said."My guess would be he invented it.He's that kind of guy.""And how can he help you?" Susan said."Don't know," Hawk said."Just keep poking around, see if something flies out.""And the police are no use to you," Susan said."No," Hawk said."This has to be you," Susan said."Maybe a few friends," Hawk said.Susan nodded.She drank more Riesling."Of course you know I hate this whole enterprise," she said.Hawk and I both nodded."But you'll do what you're going to do," she said, "so I might as well help as best I can." She paused."I know far too much about shrinkage and life to try psychotherapy at the bar, drinking white wine.""Oh, good," Hawk said.Susan smiled."But you need to understand that you are in unfamiliar territory here.You have always in the past known what to do.It may have been a hard, dangerous thing.But you're good at that, and you alone had to accept the consequences of doing it or not doing it."Hawk nodded at me."Ain't so different than him," he said."There are similarities," Susan said."But here you have Cecile to think about, and Richard Gillespie, and Tony Marcus and his daughter are in here somewhere, and one thing you want to do contradicts another thing.""I hate when it do that," Hawk said."And no one," Susan said."Not even you, can go through being shot and nearly dying and spending days in the ICU and weeks in the hospital without being affected.You're smart enough to know that."Hawk and I looked at each other.It had happened to both of us and we both knew she was right… about both of us."So, how that affect my plans?" Hawk said."More than anything, it makes it harder for you to have one.For maybe the first time in your, ah, professional life, you are being pushed by emotion.""Spenser ain't got no plan, either," Hawk said."He ain't being pushed by emotion.""But he won't impose.You know him nearly as well as I do.He will stay with you, let you run it, go where you want to go."Hawk nodded."He do that," Hawk said."He do that with me, too," Susan said."It drives me fucking crazy.""Gee," I said, "I was liking it better when we were talking about Hawk's problems."Susan smiled."Of course," she said."And it's very decent to be that way, but sometimes it's not useful.You need to know what you know, what you don't know, and what you have to know.And you need to have it in mind.You need to know what part of what you want to do can be done now, and what needs to wait, and what it needs to wait for.Is there anything you don't understand in this situation? Anything missing?"I drank some scotch.Susan looked at me.Hawk looked at me.The bartender looked at me.I gestured for another round.No one said anything.I looked at Chris Lannum over at her table, having a nice time.The bartender came with the fresh drinks.I finished my first scotch just in time."Okay," I said."Thing's been bothering me from the moment his name popped up.Boots Podolak.He's nasty.But he's got no stature.And he's dumber than a candlepin.""You wonder why he's the big boss in Marshport," Susan said."Yeah.Boss Tweed he ain't.""You think maybe somebody proppin' him up?" Hawk said."Be something to find out," I said."I been so busy thinking 'bout killing him…""Be a place to start," I said."Would," Hawk said."Might be nice to find out for sure what happened to that lawyer, Duda, that went to Miami.""Would," I said."Might be wise to talk with Rita Fiore, know what arrangement we could actually make for Luther's kid."Hawk nodded and grinned at Susan."See, tole you we could help you," he said, "we put our mind to it."Susan smiled back at him and put her hand on top of his."I'm very grateful," she said.35WE HAD DRINKSwith Rita Fiore in the late afternoon at a table by the window in the Ritz Bar on Arlington Street.Rita's interest in Hawk was radiant, but she was in her professional mode and she kept it under control.She did manage to sit sideways in her chair for a while and stretch out her legs in such a manner that Hawk could admire them.Which he did.Me, too."Sure," Rita said."We can set up an escrow account for this kid and it can be funded by anybody that wants to.""Confidential?" Hawk said."Sure.""Who manages it?" Hawk said."I do criminal law," Rita said, and smiled, "so I'm at ease with you guys.But I don't do stocks and bonds.I'll have it managed by one of our stocks-and-bonds people.""I want you," Hawk said."And I want you too, darlin'," Rita said."But it's not in your best interest to have me manage the thing.I could lose money on insider trading.What I can do, though, is I'll godfather it.It will scare the hell out of the stocks-and-bonds people, and they'll give the account especially good service."The waiter brought Rita a fresh martini.Up, with olives.The classic.No pink drinks or flavored vodka for Rita.An old-fashioned girl.She took a happy sip."This is unlike you, Hawk," Rita said."Sometimes I jess let it all go," he said."Mr.Soft Heart, here"-Rita nodded toward me-"I'd expect it.But you?""Boy's an orphan," Hawk said."You have something to do with that?" Rita said."I was supposed to protect his father," Hawk said."Ah," Rita said."When you got shot.""You keepin' track," Hawk said."I am a great track keeper," she said."And you're doubly interesting; great potential as a sex partner, and very likely to need a first-rate criminal lawyer.""One-stop shopping," Hawk said."And top of the line," Rita said.Hawk grinned."Keep it in mind," he said."You feel responsible for this little boy?" Rita said."Yes.""What could you have done?""Kept his father from getting killed.""Hell, Hawk," Rita said.She leaned forward slightly, as if, for the moment, she seemed to have forgotten her libido."They shot you in the back; how can it be your fault?""I ain't supposed to get shot in the back.""For crissake," Rita said."You're a man, like other men.You can be hurt.You can be killed.""Ain't supposed to be like other men," Hawk said.Rita looked at him for a moment."Jesus," she said."It must be hard being you."Hawk was quiet for a time, then he smiled at her, which was nearly always a startling sight."Worth it, though," he said.36LOCKOBERS WASshiny and good under new ownership after some years of decline.Now it was once again the place for power lunches, which I must have been having, because I was there, eating with the Special Agent in Charge of the Boston FBI office.His name was Nathan Epstein
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