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That means that bastard Jack is with him.
Badde then said: “Kenny, did you know the basement of the house got broken into?”
Kenny was quiet another moment.
“Really?” he finally said, unconvincingly.
“They took whatever was in the filing cabinets,” Badde went on.
“Don’t know why,” Kenny said, clearly lying. “Just old voter files. Don’t know why anybody’d want those.” He paused, then said, “What’s the something better? You got the money or not?”
“I got the cash. Wasn’t easy.”
“Good man, Rapp,” Kenny said, his voice suddenly more chipper. “I knew you’d pull through.”
Badde looked at Williams and rolled his eyes.
Bullshit, he thought. You’re prepared to burn me at the stake.
“Look, Kenny. What’s this guy’s name we’re paying off?”
“Oh, no, man. He’d pop me just for saying names.”
“Kenny, I don’t have time for these games. It’s my money, and I want to know where it’s going. You don’t want to end up like Reggie, you goddamn well better tell me what I need to know.”
Kenny was quiet a long time while he considered that. And Badde definitely heard someone calling “bingo!” in the background.
“Dude’s name is Cicero,” Kenny then said.
“Cicero?” Badde repeated. “A drug dealer named Cicero?”
“Uh-huh. I think it’s Marcus Cicero. We just call him Cicero.”
Badde looked at Williams, who shook his head, not recognizing the name.
“Okay, Kenny, here’s the deal. I’ll do even better than the thirty-five thousand.”
“What’s that?”
“I’ve got a forty-five-thousand-dollar payday for you.”
“How much?”
“Ten Gs more than the thirty-five owed.”
He was quiet another long moment.
“Okay, Rapp, you got my attention. Talk.”
“You know the place where they found Reggie in Old City, Lex Talionis?”
“Uh-huh.”
“You’re aware that whoever took him there is eligible for a ten-thousand-dollar reward because Reggie had a long rap sheet?”
“Say what?”
Rapp Badde explained that, then said, “And it can be paid anonymously. So you could pop this Cicero guy, turn him in, and clear your debt, then get the reward.”
