Pronto (29 page)

Torres said, "You believe what you read in the paper, huh? 'Warns U. S. Marshal...'?"

"'Warning Alerts Federal Marshal,' with one of those lines over it, 'He's got a gun!' The last time in the paper I was 'South Beach Resident Charged in Fatal Shooting,' page three. I've moved up to the front page, but I'm still South Beach Resident in the story."

"That was a weird investigation," Torres said. "There still some questions haven't been answered. We going to bring up this Gloria Ayres, accessory to attempted murder of a federal officer? Or was the Zip after you? You're not saying. What about this kid Nicky Testa? Is there some kind of connection? Says he's lifting weights when two guys come in wearing ski masks, pop Jimmy, and run out. McCormick wants to talk to him, somebody he thinks he can take. He says he might reopen the racketeering investigation. I told him Nicky Testa won't last three weeks running that show. Crimes Persons talked to him, they said he's in a daze, Gloria's leading him around by his dick."

"I don't know him or want to," Harry said. "McCormick mentions my name, tell him I'm leaving town any minute."

"I hear you're back running the sports book."

"Just till after the Super Bowl."

"Then what?"

"I don't know. I may give Italy another chance. Find someplace a little farther south. See what Joyce's doing, if she's still with the Lone Ranger. She wants to come along to Italy, fine. She doesn't, that's okay too."

"Just a sweet old guy," Torres said, "aren't you?"

Harry shrugged, eating his Jell-O.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Elmore Leonard was born in 1925 in New Orleans. He lived in Dallas, Oklahoma City and Memphis before his family settled in Detroit in 1935. He served in the US Navy during the Second World War and afterwards studied English literature at the University of Detroit, graduating in 1950. From 1949 to 1961 he worked as a copywriter in various advertising agencies and, apart from a few book reviews, he has been writing only novels and screenplays since 1967. LaBrava won the 1983 Edgar Allan Poe Award for the best mystery novel and in 1992 Elmore Leonard was named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America.

His books, most of which are available in Penguin, include Glitz, The Switch, The Hunted, Unknown Man No. 89, Cat Chaser, Split Images, City Primeval, Bandits, Gold Coast, Touch, Freaky Deaky, Killshot, Get Shorty, Maximum Bob, Rum Punch, Pronto, Riding the Rap, Out of Sight, Cuba Libre, and Be Cool.

Many of his novels have been filmed, notably Get Shorty, Rum Punch (as the movie Jackie Brown), Touch and Out of Sight. His most recent book, The Tonto Woman and Other Western Stories, is available in Viking.

Elmore Leonard is a member of the Author's Guild, The Writers' Guild of America, Western Writers of America and Mystery Writers of America.