“What happened to the suitcase?”

“We was supposed to hand it up to the guy what hired us. But you see all that sitting in front of your face, what are you going to do? We’d been taking all the risks, and all for a measly three hundred each. Shit, Victor. The two of us what had done the thing loaded up our pockets, our crotches, our shirts, just stuffed in as much as we could. We ended with about ten grand apiece and you couldn’t really tell there was nothing missing, it was still that full. Then we locked it up again, and the guy what brought me in, he lugged it away.”

“Who was he?”

“Just someone. I don’t want to say. We go back.”

“To get out of this, you might have to tell his name to the DA.”

Joey shrugged.

“And this guy, he lugged the suitcase to where?”

“Don’t know. That was the job, to take the suitcase and deliver it on up. But the guy I was with said it would have to be buried after what I done with the baseball bat. That was twenty years ago and for twenty years there’s been silence. Until now.”

I leaned forward. “Tell me.”

“Last night. Late. They came around asking me about it, demanding answers, wanting to know who else was involved. They knew about the pier, they knew about this Tommy that we offed. And, Victor, they was looking for the suitcase. Two men, a sour face with a Brit accent what did all the talking, and some other, shiny-faced freak who stood stiffly with a cigarette in his fist and said nothing, not a freaking word.”

“What did you tell them?”

“Nothing. They wanted the name, too, but I gave them nothing. That’s why I got this decoration round my eye. But I always been stand-up, Victor. You know that.”

“Sure. Stand-up. So how’d they know about you?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know. But I’ll tell you this, ever since it happened I ain’t said a word about it to no one. No one, understand? I ain’t like one of those peacocks strutting around, proud of who they offed.