“What do you think?” he said. “I just got it.”

I was thinking he’d need the green visor and the red garter on his sleeve to go with it. “Quite a setup,” I said.

There were a couple of men already sitting at the table. I recognized Bennett O’Dell, an old friend of Jackie’s who’d stop by at the Glasgow every now and then. He was another tough old bird like Jackie, although a hell of a lot taller, and at least seventy pounds heavier. He was in the bar business, too, with a place called O’Dell’s over on the west side of town. Bennett’s father had opened it up back in the thirties, and it had been run by the family ever since. I remembered a story Jackie once told me about running around with Bennett when they were in high school, practically living in that bar, doing their homework at one of the tables every night. When Jackie was ready to open up his own place, he didn’t want to take any business away from the O’Dell family, which is why he bought a place out in Paradise.

“Alex,” Bennett said. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“I see you know Bennett,” Vargas said. “This here is Kenny, one of my business associates. I guess you could say he’s my right hand man.” Kenny had long straight hair tied back in a ponytail. I shook his hand. Kenny looked like he was pushing forty, which meant that he had a tough choice coming soon. Unless you’re a hairdresser, you can’t have a ponytail and call yourself Kenny when you’re forty. Not in Michigan, anyway.

“We’re still waiting on Gill,” Vargas said. “You know how it is. Indians don’t operate on white man’s time.”

“Take it easy, Win,” Bennett said, giving me a quick wink. “You don’t want him to scalp you, do you?”

“Nothing here to scalp, my friend.” Vargas ran his hand over his bald head and laughed. The night was already looking longer. “Alex, I’ll show you the house,” Vargas said. “While we’re waiting.”

“Good idea,” Jackie said as he sat down next to Bennett. “Go take the tour.”