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“What happened to the German guy?” Bell shot back. Now he had to wait. Would Kemp answer, What German guy? Would he say, The German guy disappeared?
“How do you know about the German?” Kemp demanded.
Bell repeated, coldly, “What happened to the German guy?”
“I don’t know. He was hanging out, looking for a boat. I thought we had a deal. But he never showed.”
“When was this?”
“What do you care?”
Bell said, “When I learn a lot about a fellow who I’m going to trust with ten thousand bucks of my booze, I also learn what questions to ask to see if he lies to me. When did the German say he would show?”
“Sunday.”
Bell nodded. Johnny had died Saturday. He could have been intending to make another run Sunday.
“When did he tell you Sunday?”
“Last week.”
“O.K. You’re doing pretty good so far. Next question: What’s his name?”
“He called himself Johnny.”
“I know he called himself Johnny. What’s his real name?”
“What do you mean? It’s Johnny.”
“Germans don’t call themselves Johnny.”
“Oh yeah. Well, Johann. Something like that. Johann.”
“You’re doing O.K., Tom. Tell me his last name and we’re in business.”
Tom Kemp wet his lips. Bell suspected that the oysterman knew Johann’s last name but didn’t want to tell. He wondered why it mattered to him.
“Tom, I thought we’re on the square.”
“Kozlov. Johann Kozlov.”
“Good,” said Bell. “Very good.” Finally, a breakthrough, but he still wondered why Tom hesitated to reveal Kozlov’s name. He pulled a large roll of bills from his pocket and peeled off a hundred-dollar bill.
“Down payment,” he said. As Tom Kemp reached eagerly for the money, Bell asked, “Did you know him long?”
“Nope.”
“Then how’d you meet him?”
Tom wet his lips again.
Bell held tightly to the bill. “How did Johann know where to find you?”
“I don’t know. He just found me.”
“Why would he trust you?”
“I got an uncle works on the ships. Stoker. He hooked up with Johann Kozlov when the Wobblies were trying to put some backbone in the seamen’s union.”
