Ten point Four: The Element of Supplies

Something will shake out soon. I can’t just shove the bag man for a gang into his own trunk and leave him there. While I wait to see what, I decide to go see Salamanca again, then go shopping.

When I get downtown, it’s raining again. Front rolled in of Lake Ontario, and it’s cooler than I like it at this time of year. Nobody answers at Salamanca’s office. I try the office line—no luck—then try his cell phone. He picks it up on the fifth ring.

“Yeah man?”

“I have a gift for you, Tony. Let me in.”

“Can’t. Not there.”

“Hey, you all right? I can barely hear you.”

“Bit of a headache. What do you need?” He sounds sleepy.

“I just shook the tree on the late Mr. Colón’s gang. Left Lenny locked in his car trunk.”

“Why would you do an idiot thing like that, Spears?” He sounds less sleepy now, but I can hear the wince in his voice. I remember that when he was with the Marines, Salamanca got shot up pretty bad and had a plate put in his head. The weather doesn’t help.

I tell him what Symphony Johnston told me, and about my theory on Lenny being Jerry Gold’s killer. “I’m thinking I need to borrow a tank or two, maybe get some backup.”

“I can’t help you on the backup right now, Spearsy, but anything I have in the arsenal is yours. I’m serious. Take whatever.”

“Thanks.”

“Listen, if you’re smart—and I know I can rule that out—you’ll use the money you took off Lenny and fly the hell to Europe. You cannot fuck around with these guys. Whatever you’re going to do, do it fully. You’re off the map and these be the monsters.”

“Okay, Ahab.”

“I’m fucking serious, Spears.” The silence between us kills the banter and drives home his point. Thankfully, he continues. I’m not sure I could keep my voice steady.

“Here’s how you get inside.”

He tells me about a key and a couple of codes, then I’m inside, up the stairs, and through his office, and inside his hidden vault. Inside is enough hardware to make Eric Holder soil his panties. Salamanca talks to me the whole way.

“From now on, set your cell phone on vibrate if you have it on at all. You don’t want to be somewhere covertly and have the thing go off. Be careful who you call with it. If you can memorize numbers, do so and delete all your contacts off it.

“Take what you want from the arsenal,” he continues, “but travel light. Keeping aware and mobile is better than trying to hide behind a lot of guns and armor. You can stay at my office, too, if you need to. I don’t know if they tracked down your home address yet. Maybe, if they checked the hospital where you stayed.”

“I don’t think so. The cop I know kept a lid on everything.”

“Call him. I’m not saying turn yourself in, but he might know something about what’s going on.”

“You read my mind on that one.”

“Watch your six, Spears,” he says before breaking the connection.

I call Rocky.

“Rocky, I was driving by the car wash on West Liberty Street and there was some sort of commotion going on. You hear anything about that?”

“Funny you ask, Spearsy. I was gonna call you with the good news. Looks like someone shoved Lenny Krastewski into the trunk of his car.”

“They know who did it?”

“Not yet. There’s a security camera on premises though. Might be a tape.”

Security camera. Crap.

“Why’nt you come in. You could finger Lenny as the guy that assaulted you.”

“Yeah, sure thing.”

The police station is the last place I want to be if they identify the assailant. I was wearing a hoody at the time to be safe, but if the camera caught my truck or license plate, I’d be walking into to my own arrest.

“Krastewski’s a funny guy,” Rocky continues. “He’s pissed off, ranting and raving. Sounds like Joe Pesci’s retarded cousin. Keeps going on about getting shoved in the trunk twice.”

“Twice?”

“You bet. I’ll explain when you get down here.”

I still don’t want to go down there, but who else would have found him besides his employers? A good Samaritan wouldn’t have shoved him back in. Maybe it’s the way gang bangers gave termination notices.

Someone has a message for me. Maybe they are on the security camera footage. It’s a gamble but I need to know.

I put Salamanca’s guns back in his vault, arm the security measures, and head down to the police station.