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“I was beginning to think you weren’t coming,” Rodarte said when Griff halted about ten yards away from him.
“You were expecting me?”
“Hoping. What kept you? Bet I know.” He winked. “The widow’s hot snatch. Hope you got a piece of it, ’cause it’ll be your last.” Leer still in place, he said pleasantly, “Hand over the pistol.”
“Pistol?”
“You want a knee blown out?”
“You can’t aim at both of us at the same time. If you take your gun off Manuelo, he’ll be on you before you can blink.”
“Okay. What say I shoot him first, then blow your knee out just for giving me lip?”
Griff reached behind his back.
“Easy.”
With exaggerated slowness, Griff pulled the pistol from his waistband. He could kill Rodarte without remorse. Marcia was reason enough, not to mention the rest of it. But even with a fatal wound, Rodarte might have time to get off one shot. Griff couldn’t risk Manuelo dying. He still needed the aide’s testimony about Speakman. He held the pistol far out to his side.
“Toss it over.”
Griff did as told. The pistol landed among the butts at Rodarte’s feet. “Thanks. Now we can all relax.”
Nodding in Manuelo’s direction, Griff said, “Let him go.”
“No, I don’t think so.”
“He’ll head straight for El Salvador. You’ll never see him again.”
“Probably. But why should I lose sleep over it? He might develop a guilty conscience about running out on you.”
“So you know he killed Speakman?”
“Must have, or you wouldn’t have told me where he was at.”
“I realized that mistake too late.”
“Lost your famous timing, Number Ten?” The detective formed a sad face. “Gee, that’s too bad. And just when you needed it most.”
“Let him go. Your quarrel is with me, not him.”
Rodarte chuckled. “Well, you’ve got that right.”
“You want me to go down.”
“What gave me away?”
“You want me to go down for Bill Ba
ndy. But not because you think I killed him. You know I didn’t.”
Rodarte grinned. “You’re getting warmer.”
“You know I didn’t because you did.”
“And they call jocks dumb.” He snorted. “Of course, it did take you five years to figure it out.”
“The Vista boys hired you to muzzle him permanently.”
