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8/01/2010

Sarah - A Shaken Man

From last time ...

Like my momma says - "Don't let your work interfere with your lovin', and don't let your lovin' interfere with your work.""

"Smart woman, your momma. Smart woman."


And now ...

Giamatti slumped down in the back seat of his big black Buick as Pablo's man drove it away from the little leather shop at breakneck speed. He was sweating. He didn't like sweating, which is why he left his office so seldom during the day. But he'd found himself forced to this time. The kid from the mail room in the basement of the building had come up to his office with a small package addressed to him. It had been hand delivered, he had said, by some young Indian kid. He knew what was in the package. This wasn't the first of these packages he'd seen. As expected, there was a bullet inside when he opened it. And there was a name on the bullet. Pablo Flores. The bullet was one of the blanks that Jake Bertrett had made, on his order, all those years ago. He didn't understand. Somehow, those blanks were the key to this whole thing but he just didn't understand. I wonder if this is tied to The Kid, somehow. I wonder if that's what this is all about. But who? And how?

When he saw whose name was on the bullet he called for his car and headed for the garage. He got Tiny Sanchez away from the card game going on in the back of the garage and had him bring his 'toy' along. Thompson submachine guns make for an instant sense of security. They took off after Pablo but didn't catch up to him until they were about two miles from the first stop of the day for Pablo - a little leather shop out in the middle of nowhere.

"Just fall in behind him, Tiny. We'll talk when we get to the stop."

"Right, boss."

Pablo's car pulled to a stop in front of the little shop and Tiny pulled the Buick up right behind. Giamatti got out of the car and started walking forward, toward Pablo's car. Pablo, meantime, was getting out of his car, and started walking back toward Giamatti. They met between the two cars.

"Pablo, this came this morning."

Giamatti reached into his pocket and held the bullet out for Pablo to see. Pablo took it from his hand and read the name. His head came up sharply, his eyes big as saucers, his mouth now open in an expression of surprise and he started to turn to look around when something went SMACK to the side of his head and blood flew all over Giamatti's shirt and face and he watched as Pablo dropped like a stone and he just blanked .

He stood there looking in the direction that the shot had come from. He didn't hear the shooting and the explosions and the other stuff going on all around him. All he could do was stand there transfixed as Tiny ran around the back of the Buick with his Thompson blazing and all of a sudden Tiny just pitched forward on his face and his gun stopped firing and Giamatti bent down and picked the bullet out of Pablo's dead hand and got in the back of his car. He sat there waiting until Pablo's guy got in the car and drove it away from all the noise and confusion and he could finally think.

I have got to figure this out, and fast. I can't lose men like this. I have GOT to figure this out.

5 comments:

Nan said...

Oh, I LIKE this!

Tara R. said...

I think Sarah is getting to him.

Jientje said...

Still holding my breath here. Loved it.

Loraine said...

ooh, the plot thickens...

Big Mark 243 said...

Pablo is scattered but Sarah and Mackey can't afford any more distractions... Mackey ought to know that Ma is going to be there after he gets done!!

Keep your eyes on the road, Mackey!!