“I’m going to repeat my question. What is it you want Mr. Rosario?”
“So now you admit you sell cocaine on the side? Confession is good for the soul.”
Feeling as worn down as a prizefighter who had just gone two or three rounds too many, Hewlett just nodded his head. “I’ve admitted that to you Mr. Rosario. That’s something I’d never admit to my priest, even if I still worshipped in a church.”
“I’m afraid I didn’t hear you. You want to speak up.”
“I have a thing about running a secure operation, Mr. Rosario. Mr. Townsend and I have never — and let me repeat this — never talked business on the premises.”
“You have quite a reputation for discretion.”
“Discretion has kept us out of Starke. Like you said, ‘We run a very tight operation.’ It’s just my cousin, and business partner, Jake Townsend.”
“No, a boy from Dartmouth would not do well behind the walls at Starke. You’d be someone’s bitch before you were fully integrated into the justice system. Right now, I represent an organization that wants to do business with you. As partners.”
“I was wondering when the mob would muscle in on us. I was dreading it.”
“Come now, Mr. Hewlett, we never refer to ourselves as the mob.”
“What is it then? The Mafia? The Cosa Nostra?”
“You are a little behind the times, Mr. Hewlett. It’s a little like people in the Old Testament who’d never say the name of Yahweh. I suppose if we had to refer to ourselves as something, it would be the family. But no more talk of the ‘mob.’ It just belittles the both of us. If you must use a word for the organization I represent, then use ‘family.’”
“Okay, let me just say how much does the family want from our take?”
“Any profit we share 60:40. Sixty percent for us. Forty percent for you.”
“That seems a little steep.” Maybe it was his turn to run for it. Using one of his aliases he’d established an account in the Cayman Islands in the name of Dan Chisholm. Hewlett was certain they didn’t know about his secret savings. He had six hundred and fifty thousand in it.
Rosario seemed to read his mind. “If you’re thinking of running, Mr. Hewlett, I wouldn’t suggest it. The family takes a very dim view of it, and there’s no rock that we wouldn’t overturn trying to find you.”
“I’m not upset with the way the family splits the profits. I am concerned about length of employment. I was thinking of retiring within a year. I can’t speak for Jake.”
“Now, Mr. Hewlett, you’re a player. We can’t just let you go. If it seems steep to your cousin, just tell him that he needs to imagine what it’s like doing a stint in prison. The same goes for you. You’d have to give up your stockbroker’s license. You’d have a hard time finding work with a felony on your record. In fact, I don’t know if there’s any similar job or position you might obtain. Do you? The people I represent can give you protection. Protection up to a point. Should you or your cousin do something really outrageous, we could not help you. But you seem to possess a keen sense of just what it takes to keep a step ahead of the law. Furthermore, we’ve paid off a lot of the key people in the agencies that put people behind bars. That is, people like you who sell drugs.”
“I can certainly convey your wishes to Mr. Townsend. But speaking for myself, I am anxious to get out of the business, and this seems to be the most appropriate time. I’ve had my run at it. I don’t want to have to worry about the DEA or the Miami Vice Squad anymore. I’ve lost too much sleep over dealing coke. I tell you with all sincerity I want out.”
“But we could protect you.”
“Mr. Rosario, dealing is a young man’s game. It’s made me feel old before my time.”
“Paul — may I call you Paul? You see the family is more interested in acquiring your services than they are your cousin’s. We can’t allow you just to quit.”
“You can’t make me deal cocaine for you, now can you?”
“Well, Paul, look at it this way. Life is full of little choices. Say you want to quit. You quit. Now, Mr. Townsend could end up at the short end of a drug deal that goes bad. You catch my drift. From what my informants told me before I came here, they said you might want to get out. They said your cousin was much less likely to do so. Am I right? As of this point, with the family’s merger, I’d hoped we might change your mind.”
“Mr. Rosario, I want out. I truly do. Mr. Townsend can manage these accounts as well as I can.”
“The fact is, he can’t. Right now, you can’t even afford a ski vacation for two weeks without your cousin screwing things up. C’mon Paul. You know I’m right.”
“Okay. Suppose I stay. Will you let me go in a year?”
“You can go when I can find someone with your expertise. Not before.”
“I’ll give you a year. But I won’t make promises.”
“We’ll see, Paul. For now, you will keep on dealing, but you will be working with us. The profits will be split in our favor, but we will bring you more business than you can imagine which translates into more money than you are currently. By far.”
“I’ve got to speak to Jake.”
“It should be a brief conversation. I don’t see that you have a whole lot of choice.”
Rosario started to stand. “No,” said Hewlett. Rosario seated himself again. “Tomorrow, the sun is supposed to be out again. Miami will be back on the weather channel as the capital of the ‘Sunshine State.’ This cold front is due to blow through by late this afternoon. Whenever Jake and I want to discuss business, we go over to Simon Bolivar Park — the park just across the street — where we sit down on one of the park benches and discuss business. While the Feds can bug the office, they pretty much can’t bug the park. Why don’t we meet there, say about ten?”
“You sure you’re not pulling my leg.”
“Why do you say that?”
“I was wondering.”
“You’ve got my word,” said Hewlett. “In this business, that’s usually the best one can do. At ten, I’ll be down in the park. Don’t bring your friends. You’ll find there’s no reason to. Besides, I abhor violence. I abhor guns.”
“Well, then. I’ll take your word for it. I’ll go ahead and let myself out.” Grabbing his briefcase, Rosario stood up and walked out the door of Hewlett’s office. There was a slight limp, his left leg the least bit gimpy, something that Hewlett hadn’t noticed when he came in.
“What’s your real name, Mr. Rosario?”
“Roland Rosario. Besides, does it really matter?”
As soon as Roland Rosario was out of his office and out of the investment firm, he got back on the intercom, speaking to his secretary. “Does Townsend have any clients right now? If so cancel them. We have a small fire to put out.”
Snatching his umbrella, he left his office and went by Townsend’s office. Townsend was going through a futures contract at his desk. “C’mon, Jake, we’ve got to talk.”
“Can’t it wait? There’s a rush on this futures contract for Jed MacIntyre.” One of their better clients, MacIntyre had been with Townsend since his days