Page 142 of Fifty-Fifty

said?’ I asked.

‘I don’t know, I mean I …’

‘The bookies who knew you said you were betting more, but you weren’t winning. And they didn’t pay out six figures to anybody in the last year.’

‘Look—’ he began.

‘Tell him the truth,’ said Jimmy. ‘If you lie, I’ll know it. And then I’ll get angry.’

‘I’m not lying,’ said Tony.

No one in their right mind would lie to Jimmy the Hat. Especially if you worked for Jimmy – that was a one-way ticket to the bottom of the Hudson. I needed this guy to open up.

‘Tony, you got one way out of this,’ I said, ‘and that’s to tell me the truth.

Here’s what I think, and if I’m right, then you say so. If I get it wrong, you say so. Okay? Telling me the truth is the only thing that can save you right now.’

‘I—’

‘Shut up and listen. You’re a short order cook. You’ve worked at Jimmy’s restaurant for two years now. A friend of Jimmy’s, Frank Avellino, used to come to the restaurant every morning for breakfast. He had a few meetings there over coffee and then went about his day. Am I right so far?’

He was shaking now. He blinked sweat out of his eyes and nodded.

‘Good. Now, Frank Avellino was being poisoned – drugged. For months.

Turns out the cops can’t find any trace of the poison in his house. Not a single drop. I’m thinking maybe the poison was never in the house. I’m thinking maybe

somebody paid you to put it in Frank’s eggs every morning. I think they paid you a hundred grand. I think you did what you were told and then I think the person who paid you got scared. Scared that maybe a hundred grand wasn’t enough to keep your mouth shut. So they tried to shut you up permanently. How am I doing so far?’

‘It wasn’t poison. I swear to God. She told me it was medicine. Medicine.

Said he wouldn’t take it at home and I should slip it into his eggs and sausage …’

Jimmy wiped his face, lowered his head and breathed out in a long, exasperated sigh.

‘A hundred grand is a real generous tip for putting medicine in someone’s food,’ I said.

‘I swear—’

‘Shut up,’ said Jimmy.

At my side I held a copy of the New York Times. I put it in front of Tony, the front page facing him.

‘You met this woman. The same woman who paid you, gave you the Haloperidol, and then tried to kill you. Her picture is on the front page,’ I said.

There were two pictures on the front page. The trial had captured the lurid imagination of readers, and below the fold were photographs of Alexandra and

Sofia as they left court yesterday. Close ups. Showing their grim determination in the face of their personal nightmare.

‘Which one?’ I said.

He closed his eyes. Tony had gotten in way over his head and now he was having to pay the price.

‘She tried to stab me in the face, but she missed and dropped the knife. It must’ve fallen under my car. Then she landed that bike on my head. She’s crazy,’ he said.

‘Hey, Tony,’ said Jimmy. ‘I know you’re probably scared of this lady. She nearly killed you, after all. But look, she ain’t here. And you don’t need to be scared of her no more. You need to be scared of me. Because I will kill you. Do you understand?’

Tony opened his eyes, nodded rapidly, and stuck a finger into the paper. I leaned over to see who he had pointed out.