“Evan recorded their whole conversation,” Stone said, “so we’ll have him, anyway.”
“Wait a minute,” Evan said, “I just thought of something.”
“What?”
“I didn’t get everything recorded.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m afraid I got a little too clever. I wrote down part of it on a pad, the part where I tell him I want the guy killed, and showed it to him instead of speaking.”
Stone groaned. “You get that, Tommy?”
“Yeah, I got it. Evan, you’ve got to get it all recorded tonight when you meet Manny. Don’t write things down this time, okay?”
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“Okay, Tommy,” Evan said
. “I’m sorry.”
“Just do a good job tonight, and we’ll bag everybody.”
“I swear I will,” Evan said.
Suddenly, Dino yelled, “Everybody duck!”
Everybody ducked.
“What’s this about, Dino?” Stone asked.
“It’s Manny, he just drove past us.”
“Did he see us?”
“I don’t think so, but man, was that close. He’s way up the street now, so you can sit up.”
Everybody sat up.
“I heard that,” Tommy said. “Did you guys just blow this whole deal?”
“I think we’re okay, Tommy,” Dino said. “He didn’t see us.”
MANNY WHITE D R O V E down Collins Avenue and onto the mainland, toward Florida City. An hour later he pulled up at a diner, near where the Florida Turnpike started, and went inside. Larry Lee and Gigi Jones were at a corner booth. Manny slid in beside them and laid his briefcase on the table. A waitress approached. “What can I get you?”
“A Diet Coke,” Manny said.
“Same here,” Larry said.
“Iced tea,” Gigi said.
The woman left, and Manny opened his briefcase and took out the map Joe had given him. “This is gonna be easy,” he said. He showed them the marina and told them about the boat, then gave them every detail he could remember about the cottage and the dock. “The guy has a drink on his back porch every evening at sundown,” he said. “That’s your time to hit him. Just get the boat near the dock in decent light. There’s a sign on the dock with his initials, M.L.”
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