“California DL, date of issue is today, no restrictions. You don’t wear glasses, do you, Holman, now you got some age?”

“No.”

“No restrictions.”

Raul glanced at Holman.

“Gonna need an address, his date of birth, the stats, and a signature.”

Chee took a pad and pen from his desk and handed them to Holman.

“Here. Put down your height and weight, too. Sign your name on a separate page.”

Holman did what he was told.

“How long before I get the license? I have an appointment.”

“Time you leave with the car, bro. It won’t take long.”

Chee had a brief conversation with Raul in Spanish, then Holman followed him out through the shop into a parking area where a row of cars was waiting. Chee eyeballed the beater.

“Man, no wonder you got pinched. That thing got ‘work release’ written all over it.”

“Can you have someone bring it back to the motel for me?”

“Yeah, no problem. Here’s what I got for you over here-a nice Ford Taurus or this brand-new Highlander, either one carry you in boring middle-class style. Both these vehicles are registered to a rental company I own without wants, warrants, or-unlike that piece of shit you driving now-traffic citations. You get stopped, I rented you the car. That’s it.”

Holman had never seen a Highlander before. It was black and shiny, and sat high on its big tires. He liked the idea of being able to see what was coming.

“The Highlander, I guess.”

“Sweet choice, bro-black, leather trim, a sunroof-you gonna look like a yuppie on your way to the Whole Foods. C’mon, get in. I got something else for you, too, make your life a little easier now you back in the world. Look in the console.”

Holman didn’t know what a Whole Foods was, but he was tired of looking like he had just spent ten years in the can and he was growing worried all of this was going to take too much time. He climbed into his new car and opened the console. Inside was a cell phone.

Chee beamed proudly.

“Got you a cell phone, bro. This ain’t ten years ago, stoppin’ at pay phones and digging for quarters-you got to stay on the grid twenty-four seven. Instruction book’s in there with your number in it. You plug that cord into the cigarette lighter to keep it charged up.”

Holman looked back at Chee.

He said, “Remember when you offered to front me some cash? I hate to do it, man, you being so nice with the car and this phone, but I gotta go back on what I said. I need a pack.”

A pack was a thousand dollars. When banks wrapped used twenties, they bundled fifty bills to a pack. A thousand dollars.

Chee didn’t bat an eye. He studied Holman, then touched his own nose.

“Whatever you want, homes, but I gotta ask-you back on the crank? I don’t want to help you fuck yourself up.”

“It’s nothing like that. I got someone to help me with this thing about Richie; a professional, bro-she really knows what she’s doing. I want to be ready in case there’s expenses.”

Holman had been both relieved and worried when Special Agent Pollard contacted him through Gail Manelli. He hadn’t held much hope he would hear from her, but he had. In typical paranoid FBI fashion, she had checked him out with both Manelli and Wally Figg at the CCC before calling him, and had refused to give him her phone number, but Holman wasn’t complaining-she had finally agreed to meet him at a Starbucks in Westwood to listen to his case. It wasn’t lost on Holman that she gave him a location near the FBI office.

Chee squinted at him.

“What do you mean, she? What kind of professional?”

“The Fed who arrested me.”

Chee’s eyes tightened even more and he waved his hands.

“Bro! Holman, you lost your fuckin’ mind, homes?”

“She treated me right, Chee. She went to bat for me with the AUSA, man. She helped me get a reduced charge.”

“That’s because you damn near gave yourself up, you dumb muthuhfuckuh! I remember that bitch runnin’ into the bank, Holman! She’s gonna set you up, homes! You even fart crooked this bitch gonna send you up!”

Holman decided not to mention that Pollard was no longer an agent. He had been disappointed when she told him, but he believed she would still have the connections and still be able to help him get answers.

He said, “Chee, listen, I gotta go. I have to meet her. You going to be able to help me with that money?”

Chee waved his hand again, axing away his disgust.

“Yeah, I’ll get you the money. Don’t mention my name to her, Holman. Do not let my name pass your lips in her presence, man. I don’t want her to know I’m alive.”

“I didn’t mention you ten years ago when they were sweating me, homes. Why would I mention you now?”

Chee looked embarrassed and waved his hand again as he left.

Holman familiarized himself with the Highlander and tried to figure out how to use the cell phone while he waited. When Chee returned, he handed Holman a plain white envelope and the driver’s license. Holman didn’t look in the envelope. He tucked it into the console, then looked at the license. It was a perfect California driver’s license, showing a seven-year expiration date and the state seal over Holman’s picture. A miniature version of his signature had been inserted beneath his address and description.

Holman said, “Damn, this looks real.”

“Is real, bro. That’s a legitimate Cal state driver’s license number straight up in the system. You get stopped, they run that license through DMV, it’s gonna show you at your address with a brand-new driving record as of today. The magnetic strip on back? It shows just what it’s supposed to show.”

“Thanks, man.”

“Give me the keys to that piece of shit you been driving. I’ll have a couple of boys bring it back.”

“Thanks, Chee. I really appreciate this.”

“Don’t mention my name to that cop, Holman. You keep me out of this.”

“You’re out of it, Chee. You were never in it.”

Chee put his hands on the Highlander’s door and leaned into the window, his eyes fierce.

“I’m just sayin’, is all. Don’t trust this woman, Holman. She put you in the joint once, bro. Don’t trust her.”

“I gotta go.”

Chee stepped back, watching Holman with disgusted eyes, and Holman heard him mutter.

“Hero Bandit, my goddamned ass.”

Holman pulled out into traffic, thinking he hadn’t been called the Hero Bandit in years.

16

HOLMAN ARRIVED fifteen minutes early and seated himself at a table with a clear view of the door. He wasn’t sure he would recognize Agent Pollard, but more importantly he wanted her to have an unobstructed view of him when she entered. He wanted her to feel safe.

The Starbucks was predictably crowded, but Holman knew this was one of her reasons for choosing it as their meeting place. She would feel safer with other people around and probably believed he would be intimidated by their proximity to the Federal Building.

Holman settled in, expecting her to be late. She would arrive late to establish her authority and to make sure he understood the power in this situation was hers. Holman didn’t mind. He had trimmed his hair that morning, shaved twice to get a close shave, and polished his shoes. He had handwashed his clothes the night before and rented Perry’s iron and ironing board for two dollars so he would appear as unthreatening as possible.

Holman was watching the entrance at twelve minutes after the hour when Agent Pollard finally entered. He wasn’t sure it was Pollard at first. The agent who arrested him had been bony and angular, with a thin face and light, short-cropped hair. This woman was heavier than he remembered, with dark hair to her shoulders. The longer hair was nice. She wore a straw-colored jacket over slacks and a dark shirt and sunglasses. Her expression gave her away. The serious game-face expression screamed FED. Holman wondered if she practiced it on the way over.