‘God forbid. You’d have no reason left to live.’

‘Exactly.’

‘So what is Cambion holding back on the shooters?’

‘Their names. Cambion doesn’t trade in rumors. Maybe they crossed his path once. He might even have tried to recruit them.’

‘And, like you, they turned him down.’

‘But, unlike me, they sound like religious zealots.’

‘True. Nobody could ever accuse you of darkening church doors, not unless you were planning to shoot somebody from the shadows. So Cambion is waiting for you to get the contract voided, and then he’ll give you more?’

‘That would be my guess, theoretically.’

‘Can you do it? Can you burn the contract?’

‘No. It’s gone too far. There are too many people with an interest in seeing Cambion dead, either for what he’s done or for what he knows.’

‘But if Cambion is as clever as you say, then he must realize that.’

‘Probably.’

‘Then what’s the game?’

‘He’s trying to buy time. Like I told you, he works the percentages. I think he knows exactly who we’re looking for, so right now he’s trying to figure if the people who were sent after Parker are more dangerous than I am. If they are, then he can sell me out to them in return for whatever it is he needs: money, a hiding place, or most likely the heads of some of those who are hunting him. If Cambion doesn’t believe that the shooters are good enough to take me out then he’ll feed them to us, but he’ll wait until we have more to offer him. I don’t think he was lying when he said he wanted to live out the rest of his days in peace. He wants a guarantee of protection, but he knows that’s more than I alone can give him.’

Angel considered this.

‘Feds,’ he said, after a time. ‘He wants a government screen.’

‘Feds,’ confirmed Louis.

‘But we only know one Fed.’

‘That’s right.’

‘And he doesn’t like you and me.’

‘No, but right now I’d say he’s real interested in us.’

‘How can you be sure?’

‘Because I reckon that’s who’s been following us for the last two blocks.’

‘The big blue Ford? I was wondering about that. Maybe he figures he’s undercover.’

‘I don’t think he cares.’

Louis stepped out into the street in front of the creeping car, put his fingers to his lips, and gave a piercing whistle as it braked within feet of him.

‘Yo, taxi!’ said Louis.

Through the wipers and the rain, Special Agent Ross of the Federal Bureau of Investigation grimaced at him. His lips moved soundlessly as Angel joined Louis. Angel cupped a hand to his ear.

‘Sorry, “Mother –” what?’ said Angel.

The second time, Ross shouted the word, just to make sure.

They sat together in Henry Public at 329 Henry. Each ordered a Brooklyn Brown Ale. It seemed only right, given the neighborhood. They were almost alone in the bar, given the hour.

‘I’ll pay,’ said Ross, as the beers were brought to their table. ‘It’s bad enough that I’m sitting with you. I don’t want to be accused of corruption as well.’

‘Hey, wasn’t this how that Fed in Boston got caught, the one who was tight with Whitey Bulger?’ said Angel. ‘One minute you’re just enjoying a drink with friends in Southie, the next you’re doing forty years.’

‘To begin with, we’re not friends,’ said Ross.

‘I’m hurt,’ said Angel. ‘Now how am I going to get my parking violations fixed?’

‘That’s the fucking NYPD, knucklehead,’ said Ross.

‘Ah, right,’ said Angel. He took a sip of his beer. ‘But suppose I get ticketed in DC?’

‘Fuck you.’

‘You know, you swear more than the Feds on TV.’

‘I only swear under stress.’

‘You must be stressed a lot.’

Ross turned to Louis.

‘Is he always like this?’ said Ross.

‘Pretty much.’

‘I never thought I’d say it, but you must be a fucking saint.’

‘I believe so,’ said Louis. ‘He also has his uses.’

‘I don’t even want to know,’ said Ross.

He took a long draught from his bottle.

‘You been to see him?’

‘Parker?’ said Louis.

‘No, the new pope. Who the fuck else would I be talking about?’

A look passed between Angel and Louis. Angel wanted to go up to Maine, but Louis had demurred. He believed they could be of more use to Parker in New York. He was right, of course, but it still sat uneasily with Angel. He was deeply fond of the detective. If Parker wasn’t going to pull through then Angel wanted to be able to say goodbye to him.

‘No,’ said Louis. ‘They say he’s dying.’

‘That’s what I hear.’

‘Is it true?’

‘He’s like a cat: he has nine lives. I just don’t know how many of them he’s used up by now.’

They let that one sink in while they drank.

‘What do you want, Agent Ross?’ said Louis.

‘My understanding is that you’re turning the town upside down trying to find out who shot him. I was wondering how far you’d got.’

‘Is this an attempt at an information exchange?’ said Louis. ‘If so, you’re about to be gravely disappointed.’

‘I know who you were seeing in Hunts Lane,’ said Ross.

Louis’s left eye flickered. For him, it was an expression of extreme surprise, the equivalent of someone else fainting. Ross caught it.

‘How fucking inefficient do you think we are?’ he said.

‘Is that a rhetorical question?’

‘You want to see my file on you?’

Louis let that one pass.

‘How long have you been watching him?’ said Angel.

‘Ever since he got back into town,’ said Ross. ‘How’s he looking? We haven’t been able to get a clear shot of him. The last pictures we had of him, he wasn’t doing so good.’

‘He’s probably still having a little trouble dating,’ said Angel.

‘Was he involved?’

Ross watched them both, and waited. He was very patient. A full minute went by, but he didn’t seem perturbed.

‘No,’ said Louis, eventually. ‘Or not directly.’

‘Were you planning on bringing him in?’ said Angel.

‘We’ve got nothing but stories. We do hear there’s money for whoever pushes the button on him, though.’ His gaze flicked back to Louis. ‘I thought you might be looking to cash in.’

‘You got the wrong guy,’ said Louis.

‘Clearly.’

‘Were you listening?’

‘I wish. He hasn’t left that old store since he took up residence. There’s no landline. If he’s using cell phones, they’re throwaways. He conducts all of his business away from the windows, which means we can’t pick up vibrations, especially with all those drapes.’

‘So?’ said Louis.

‘My understanding is that he’s been making informal approaches, looking to have the contract lifted. Is it true?’

Again Louis waited for a while before answering. Angel remained silent. If this was to be an exchange, then it was for Louis to decide how much to give, and what he wanted in return.

‘That’s true,’ said Louis. ‘You considering offering him a deal?’

‘Our understanding is that he holds a lot of secrets.’

‘He’ll bleed you for every one he reveals, and you’ll never get him to testify.’

‘Maybe we don’t want testimony,’ said Ross. ‘Maybe we just want details. It’s not just about putting people behind bars. It’s about knowledge.’

Angel thought of the list of names now in Louis’s possession. It might be worth something. Then again, it might be worth nothing at all. The truth, in all likelihood, lay somewhere in between.

Ross finished his first beer and held up the bottle, signaling the waitress for another round, even though Louis had barely touched his first drink.

‘I heard he tried to bring you into his fold,’ Ross said to Louis. ‘Way back in the day.’

‘Not so far back,’ said Louis.

‘You didn’t bite?’

‘Like you, he seemed to be confused about what I did for a living.’

‘And you didn’t like him.’

‘There wasn’t a great deal to like. Even less now, seeing as so much of him has rotted away.’

The second beers arrived, but no one reached for them. Angel sensed that they had reached a crucial point in whatever negotiation was unfolding, although, as far as Angel could tell, there didn’t seem to have been much obvious progress of any kind. Angel wasn’t built for negotiation. That UN job just got further out of reach every day.