بخش 05

I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t do that.

I’m open for business.

Um, I’m looking for a Hoover Max.

Pressure Max, Max Pressure.

Hoover, or maybe it’s a Pro Max.

Got like a like a filter.

Hoover products are right over there on the wall behind you.

Look, I don’t remember the exact, like, password.

All right?

But it was a vacuum thing.

Okay, fine.

Here you go.

Four.

six.

ten.

fourteen, sixteen, eighteen, twenty, twenty-two.

twenty-four, twenty-five.

There you go; $125000

Come on, man, you know why I’m here.

I can’t say I do, no.

Yeah, you do. You’re the guy.

Yeah, you do.

You’re the guy.

Look, I am 96 percent sure that you are the guy, so why don’t you just, like, admit it?

Look, all right, no wire.

Okay? No wire.

And no gun.

Okay? And nobody knows I’m here.

I just need.

just need your services.

The day at the pickup spot, you pulled up in a minivan, a red Toyota minivan.

Looks like a kidney bean.

Same exact minivan you got parked out back.

All right?

I saw it.

All right.

You got rules.

All right.

I get that, and I apologize, seriously.

I didn’t go with you that day, and I am sorry.

Look, you will never know how sorry, but I am here now.

All right?

And I have cash.

So, please?

Okay?

Please?

You owe me for that first pickup.

Yes!

You’re the gu.

Wait, what?

This is previously-owed.

Going forward, were we to, would require an additional 125.

All right.

Fair is fair.

A deal’s a deal.

All right. Look.

Four.

eight.

ten, fourteen, eighteen.

twenty.

twenty.

Twenty-two.

Twenty-two.

Yeah.

Twenty-three.

By my arithmetic, you’re $10,000 shy; Eighty-two hundred; Eighty-two hundred.

May I borrow this?

What are you doing?

I’m gathering your belongings.

No, no no.

No, no.

Stop.

I’m not gonna try to collect what you owe me.

I don’t think it would end well for either one of us.

This is not an inconsequential amount of money.

Hey, listen to me.

Spend it wisely, it will last you for years.

Please, you don’t understand.

Keep a low profile, travel by night.

Oh, God.

With a little luck, you will soon find yourself many miles from here.

Godspeed to you.

So that’s it?

That’s it.

Now, please leave.

You are going to jack me up over a measly $1,800?

I’ve got to reopen.

The longer you stick around here, the more you jeopardize yourself.

No, hey.

No. Hey.

Have you been watching the news?

I have. Very much so.

So you hear what they’ve been saying about me.

Yeah?

Yeah.

Look, these people, they have kept me in a concrete hole.

Look, I don’t even know what month it is.

They made me watch when they when they shot someone.

If you believe that you can pull on people’s heartstrings, you should take your chances with the police.

From where I sit, you made your own luck.

As did your former partner.

As did your lawyer.

You said it yourself, a deal’s a deal.

No.

I am not going anywhere.

I am staying right here until you help me.

What are you doing?

Hi, yes.

There’s a young man in my store, and he refuses to leave.

Hey, stop.

I.

Yeah, he might be armed.

Stop it.

Uh, not overtly.

But, yes, I’m beginning to feel threatened.

Are you serious?

Sure.

My name is Ed Galbraith.

I own Best Quality Vacuum, 2714, 4th Street.

Northwest. That’s correct.

I would appreciate it very much if you’d send someone immediately.

You are so full of crap.

You didn’t call anybody just now.

You faked it.

And you wanna know how I know?

You got as much to lose as I do.

More. Way more.

When your “cops” get here and they bust me, first question they’re gonna ask is what am I doing here, trying to hand over a Hefty bag full of cash to a dude who runs a vacuum cleaner store.

What comes out then?

Huh?

Oh, and you, uh, wanna know what else is bullshit?

You know, like, word to the wise: next time to try to pull this shit on someone, you don’t just hang up on a 9-1-1 call.

They won’t let you.

Because the lady, or dude, or whoever is like, “Stay on the line with me, sir”.

“Stay on the line until the officers arrive”.

And if you did hang up, they’d call you back immediately.

But, hey, guess what?

Seriously, yo. Pathetic.

Wow, you gotta love that response time.

Take your money.

Officers, thank you very much for getting here so fast.

He obviously heard my call and.

Is he still here?

No, he’s not, he’s gone. I, uh.

Uh, he was spooked by my phone call and he headed up northbound, uh on foot maybe 30 seconds ago.

Can you describe him?

Uh, sure I can.

He was, uh young, uh, he’s white, skinny, very tall guy.

Six-five, six-six.

Had a tattoo over his right eyebrow.

Interesting. A large insect.

Best Quality Vacuum, how may I help you?

A deal’s a deal? Your word is your bond?

It is.

I’ll get you your money.