"Yeah, that's great." Chili said. "So you'll promote it whether we remix or not."
"For what you're paying you get my expertise and you'll get some spins, guaranteed. I throw in my analysis of the record at no extra charge. You don't accept it, that's up to you."
Chili said, "You want to throw in Linda's contract?"
It stopped him for a moment.
Nick said, "I'll tell you something, bro. I can make more in one day wearing this fucking headset than I do in months going halves with Raji. I mean on his management deals. He cuts me in and gets a business card with his name on it says Car-O-Sell Entertainment. I'll forget what you said about my corporate name, last time you were here. The point I want to make, Raji cuts me in on the peanuts, but he gets absolutely nothing from what I do, zip. I'm more than self-sufficient, so I can say yeah, you want Linda, take her, it's no big deal. Take her and I'll try and sell her. But you're gonna get a much different response from Raji, 'cause he's got a fucking hoodlum mentality. You walked off with his act, and he can't let you get away with that. He asks me if I know where to find Joe Loop. Same as you did. I told Raji, how the fuck do I know?"
Chili said, "Nicky—"
"Chil, come on. That was a long time ago I was Nicky, okay? I go by Nick."
Grown up, making twenty-five grand fees for talking on the phone. . . . Give him his name if it meant that much to him.
"Nick? Did you know Joe Loop was dead?"
"No, what happened?"
He sounded surprised and Chili believed he was.
"He got popped in the back of the head. Twice."
"Yeah?"
"With his own gun. The same one he used on the Russian, in my house, when he came looking for me and popped the wrong guy."
Nick appeared to think about it before he said, "What was the Russian doing in your house? I remember reading about it, but it didn't say."
"That's not what you ask," Chili said. "The question is who did Joe Loop? With his own gun. Beat his head in and then shot him."
"That sounds like a mob hit, two in the back of the head."
"Raji didn't tell you?"
"How would he know about it?"
"Nick," Chili said, "I'll call you Nick if you'll cut the shit, okay? Raji comes to you looking for Joe Loop. Wants to know where to find him and you tell Raji, 'How the fuck do I know?' "
"That's right. Actually, I told him I didn't have any idea. That was the only time Joe's name came up. Raji never mentioned it again." He paused and said, "Jesus, I wonder what happened." Looked off, and then at Chili again. "But the point I was making, yeah, as far as I'm concerned you represent Linda, I'm out of it. But, you can understand why I can't speak for Raji."
"You want to get back to business?"
"Isn't that why we're here? Hey, guys like Joe Loop get clipped all the time. It's what they do, man, they get pissed off about something or bored and shoot each other; it's their fate."
Chili said, "So Raji must've found Joe Loop, without your help."
"It looks that way."
"Hired him and sent him to my house. The next day Joe's dead."
Nick said, "I didn't see anything in the paper about it. Did you?" When Chili shook his head Nick said, "Then how do you know about it?"
"I got a friend's a cop, working the case."
"You're kidding me."
"Nick, I was with Tommy Athens when he got hit. I come home two days later and find the Russian. I hear from my cop friend all the time. He tells me they're down to where they're looking for whoever hired Joe Loop."
Nick said, "Yeah?" sitting back in his chair and then coming forward to lean on the desk. He took off his headset. "Did you give 'em Raji?"
Chili shook his head.
Nick said, "I admire that. I really do."
"What?"
"You're not a snitch."
"Nick, if I knew for sure he's the one hired Joe? I'd put it on him in a minute. Not only I can't prove it, it could be somebody else."
"You don't see it's Raji?"
"Yeah, but who else?"
"You talking about me, for Christ sake?"
"I'll tell you," Chili said, "I'm not gonna sweat it. It could be Raji, it could be you and Raji. I don't think it could be just you. No, I'm concerned with something else now entirely, selling a record."
"Hey, Chil, come on. There is no fucking way I'm involved in any of Raji's shit. Jesus, give me a little credit."
"The only thing I'm afraid of," Chili said, "the cops could pick you up for questioning. You know, waste your time."
"You haven't mentioned me, have you?"
"No, not really."
"Whatta you mean not really?" Nick spitting the words out.
"I mean I haven't come right out and mentioned any names as yet. But you know how cops keep after you; they can drive you nuts. I'm trying not to say a word to 'em. I don't want you brought up when you got all this work to do. But I was thinking, if you did get picked up, you know, for questioning—"
"Chil, I'm not involved. No way, man, honest to God."
"Listen to me," Chili said. "What I'm saying, if you did get picked up and you couldn't work on Linda's record, I'd be out a whole twenty-five grand, wouldn't I? So I thought, why not pay your fee in installments till I know you're in the clear?" Chili brought a check from his inside coat pocket and laid it on the desk facing Nick. "Five grand at a time," Chili said, "the first installment. You like the idea, Nick? Or you want payment in full and we have to worry what happens if you go to jail?"
Chili watched him thinking about it, frowning.
"Is this a threat, for Christ sake? I take the five or I'm in trouble?"
Chili said, "Look at it any way you want."
THERE WERE TWO WAYS to do it. Walk in and shoot the motherfucker, or walk in, find out what Chili Palmer was doing here and then shoot him. And walk out. Yeah, see what was up and then do it. He touched the Beretta under his jacket, hard against his tummy but felt good, too, and walked into the office.
Nick, sitting at his desk but not wearing his phone, said, "You see him? Chili Palmer, he just left."
"Is that right? What'd he want?"
"They're giving me Linda Moon's promo. Hy Gordon set it up and Chili came by to talk about it."
That answered the question. But how come Nick was looking at him funny, tense, like something on his mind had him sitting up straight in his chair. Something going on here Raji didn't understand and it threw him off his pace, his rhythm, the idea of shooting the man and walking out. He could see the check lying on the desk, but wasn't able to read the figures.
"Gonna sell her record, huh?"
"They want the full shot. Sell the ass off it."
The man seemed to be loosening up, not as tense as before. He said, "Remember I told you Chili knows people, has the contacts? So we sit back and wait? Well, it turns out I'm their guy. They come to me 'cause they know I deliver."
Yeah, the man seemed to be all the way loose now, his old jive-ass self again.
"You believe you can make her record a hit?"
"If anybody can. You're a lucky guy, Raj."
"Why is that?"
"I'm gonna make you some money. The record takes off, you go directly to the label to collect the management fee. It's all yours; I'm making enough on the promotion. You go there, talk only to Hy Gordon. He's running NTL for Tommy's widow."
"What you saying," Raji said, "we don't have a reason now to wait on Chili Palmer?"
"Fuck him," Nick said. "You got me."
* * *
THE TOWN CAR was waiting in front of the building. Raji got in and Elliot took off like they were making a getaway.
"Man, take it easy. Slow down."
"You do it?"
"I was ready to. Walk in, not say a word. But you know who came in?"
"Chili Palmer," Elliot said. "I saw him, but didn't say nothing to him. I expected any minute you'd come running out. Chili's why you didn't do it?"
"He tu
rned my plan around on me. Hired Nicky to do the promo work for Linda. You understand what that means?"
"Be working his phone."
"It means he's gonna sell her record."
"Yeah? . . ."
"And give me the whole management cut."
"Yeah? . . ."
"So I need Nicky. Understand what I'm saying? Who I don't need is Chili Palmer no more. The way it stands now, I score offa Linda and it frees me to deal with Chili Palmer. In other words, take his ass out."
"For what?"
"What you mean for what? For my peace a mind."
"That's stupid."
"To you, yeah, being a bigass Samoan faggot. See, your problem, Elliot, being a homo you don't know how a man thinks. I'm talking about a actual man, not somebody only looks like a man."
Elliot held on to the steering wheel.
"What'd Chili do to you?"
"Man, he fucked with me. Stole my talent, my act."
His voice loud in the car creeping along in traffic with the windows closed, starting to see headlights, neon signs lit on stores. Elliot thought he was used to Raji's tough-guy act, but it had him gripping the wheel tight in his fists, listening to Raji wanting to kill a man shouldn't be killed. Elliot said, "If you gonna make money off Linda, then he hasn't stole her from you. Man, you still her manager."
"And he still fucked with me. That hasn't changed none or been settled." Raji's voice rising as he said it. Then calming down to say, "You don't understand that 'cause once you become a homo there went your self-respect." Next thing, sounding like he was talking to a child: "You notice I don't put up with shit like you do. I bet you still waiting on them to call you for the screen test."
"I did a reading at the studio and they said yeah, they liked it."
"Who did?"
"Chili and the woman runs the place, Elaine. They gave me the Get Leo script to read from."
"They called you?"
"I went out to the woman's office."
"But they never called you like they said, did they? What'd you do, bust in? Climb through a window?"
"I'm having my screen test next week."
"Yeah? What day?"
"They say they let me know."
"Gonna call you?"
Elliot, gripping the wheel, didn't answer. If he didn't say anything maybe Raji would shut up. For a minute or so it was quiet in the car. Elliot thought of turning on the radio, but decided he liked the quiet. They moved along in the Wilshire traffic coming to high-rises now, both sides of the street, big swanky condos.
Raji said in the quiet, "Say they gonna call you, huh?"
Elliot stomped down on the brake pedal: tires screamed and Raji was thrown hard against the dashboard as the Town Car came to an abrupt stop in the middle lane of Wilshire Boulevard. Elliot waited while Raji pushed himself back in the seat mad as hell, asking, "What's wrong with you?"
"You say that again, I quit."
"What?"
"About them calling me."
Cars behind them started blowing their horns.
"You gotta promise me you won't say it."
"Man, I'm kidding with you."
Elliot opened his door.
"I can't kid with you?"
Elliot pushed the door all the way open.
"All right, I won't say it no more."
Horns still blowing at them.
"And you aren't gonna whack out Chili."
"Man, now that's something else."
"Lease till I get my screen test."
A white man in his shirtsleeves with a big gut walked up to Elliot's side of the car to say, "You got a problem?" in a nasty tone of voice.
Elliot stepped out of the car saying, "No, I don't."
The man in his shirtsleeves looked up at him, said, "Take your time," and went back to his car.
Now Raji was saying, "Elliot, will you get in the fuckin car?"
Elliot ducked just his head inside.
"You promise?"
"All right then, I won't shoot him till after your screen test. But what if they keep putting it off or say they change their mind?"
"Then I'll help you," Elliot said.
22
* * *
ELAINE FINALLY GOT TO MEET Linda Moon, the band opening for Harry Dean Stanton at Jacks Sugar Shack, the place packed. Linda reached across the table to shake Elaine's hand, said, "Hi, I've been dying to meet you," sat back looking around the room again in dim light and said, "Wow, it looks like we're catching on pretty fast." Speedy wasn't at the table to tell her Harry Dean doing his boozy blues was the attraction, and no one there felt a need to set her straight. Hy said to Chili, aside, "It's good she's confident." Edie said, "I love Harry Dean Stanton." Hy said, "You see him on the set. . . ." And Edie said, "You think he's one of the grips, huh?" Hy said, "No, they belong there. Harry always looks like he happened to wander in. But I'm told he never misses his mark, ever, or forgets his lines." Edie said to Elaine, "Isn't he supposed to be in Lusitania?" Elaine said, "We're trying to get him." Edie: "As the captain or the girl's father?" Elaine: "Either, they're both good parts."
Linda said, "We're gonna open with 'My Little Runaway.' "
Hy said, "Harry Dean can play anything, he's terrific." Edie said, "I hear Johnny Depp's the U-boat captain." Elaine: "We're talking to his agent." Edie: "I hear Sandra Bullock would kill for the girl part but she refuses to test." Elaine: "That's not true." Edie: "And so Cameron Diaz is getting the part." Elaine: "Maybe." Edie: "Pulled out of the water with a bunch of survivors and taken aboard the U-boat. She falls in love with Johnny Depp. He hides her in his cabin . . ." Derek Stones said, "He jump her?" Edie: "He hides her when they shoot the survivors out a torpedo tube, alive, screaming. . . ." Elaine: "That's being revised." Edie: "I read about it in Entertainment Weekly." Hy: "And they oughta know."
Linda said, "We'll do 'Changing of the Guard,' 'Hammer on the Nail,' 'Stealing My Thunder,' 'Wake Up, What's the Matter,' . . ."
Hy said, "I like that Cameron Diaz."
Linda said, "And for the encore we'll go with 'Saw You at the Hop,' and wind her up with 'Odessa.' " She said to Chili, "Unless you think we should finish with 'Changing of the Guard.' "
Chili was watching Curtis, at the bar talking to Nick Carcaterra.
Linda: "Chil, did you hear me?" Chili said, "I'd save 'Odessa' and wind it up with 'Changing of the Guard.' " Linda: "But I love 'Odessa.' " Chili: "It's up to you." He saw Elaine watching him and said to Linda, "You have two more dates this week, the Troubadour and Toes in Redondo Beach. Mix 'em up. You don't have to do the same set each time." Linda: "I know that. Why don't you want me to do 'Odessa'?" Chili: "I said, it's up to you. Play what you want." And saw Elaine still looking at him. Elaine and behind her, Jesus, Elliot Wilhelm approaching the table, putting his hand now on the back of Elaine's chair, everyone at the table taking time to look up at the Samoan in his gray suit and a red neckerchief instead of the red tie.
Elliot looked at Chili and then said to Elaine, "I don't mean to bother you, I just want to check, you said you're gonna call me for sure."
"Today's Tuesday," Elaine said. "By Friday the latest."
"Then when do I do the screen test?"
"That, I'll have to let you know."
"Am I doing that same part I read, only I'll be talking to somebody?"
"Unless you have a scene you'd rather do. But if you need props you'd have to keep it simple."
"No, I wouldn't need anything special," Elliot said. "I been working on a routine, but I don't want to tell you what it is."
"That's fine," Elaine said.
The Samoan looked at Chili and Chili nodded. "Whatever you want to do."
"Anything I want, right?"
Chili said, "Elliot, we'll see you. Okay?"
Everyone at the table looked at Chili as Elliot walked away. Derek said, "You gonna put that ape in a movie?" Linda said, "I wonder what his 'routine' is." She told the table Elliot could raise one eyebrow and was supposed to b
e Samoan, only he was from Torrance. Hy asked Derek where Tiffany was. Derek said, "She's always late." Hy asked him where his nose ring was. Derek said, "I got a fuckin cold, man, and can't blow my nose with the ring in it." Elaine excused herself and left to say hello to Harry Dean Stanton.
Linda hunched in closer to Chili, so she wouldn't have to raise her voice against Chuck Berry coming out of the sound system, wailing his blues.
"Elaine's nice."
"Yeah, she is."
"Nothing at all phony about her. She looks good, too, for her age."
"She's no older'n I am."
"No, but you're a guy. Guys don't go through menopause. She has a thing for you. Did you ever get it on with her?"
"We're old friends."
"You don't go to bed with friends?" Chili hesitated and she said, "You have, but you don't want to talk about it, it's none of my business." And said right after that, "Why don't you want us to play 'Odessa'?" Her gaze holding, not letting him go.
Chili said, "The band's Linda Moon now. I thought it might confuse the audience. Who are they, Linda Moon or Odessa?"
"It's a place and it's a state of mind, and that's what the song's about. You know that."
Chili said, "I thought it might be a little too country for this audience, or on the tour, singing about 'underneath the Texas sky.' "
"You don't like it?"
"I do. My favorite line is 'Drinking hot water from a railway tank.' What I want you to do is get a good response right away, from people who've never heard you before."
"I feel that song," Linda said, "maybe more than any I've written. I'm looking back in it thinking, that's where I came from, where it all started. The lyrics go, 'The little girl's got her head in the clouds, she thinks she's going somewhere,' and I am, I know it, I can feel it. It came to me when we performed at the Forum. Here were thousands of people yelling, waving their arms in the air. The feeling I got—there's nothing else comes close to it. You're just doing your thing, yeah, but it's like you're controlling all those people out there, making 'em do what you want."