The Score: A Parker Novel by Richard Stark Read Free Book Online Page A

company.”
    “Edgars, you ought to be lookout at the town line. You know the town, know the circumstances there. You can figure anything that moves quicker than anybody else.”
    Edgars said, “I thought I'd be better off taking care of the police station. I know a little something about police procedure there, I could probably fake it better than anybody else if a phone call came in or anything like that.”
    Parker shrugged. “Wherever you think you'd do the most good.”
    “Police station.”
    “All right.” Parker turned to Paulus. “You got a list of the jobs? Wait a minute, the other two juggers first. I'll see if I can get Handy McKay. He could get in at the payroll as fast as anybody I know.” He looked around the table. “We need another jugger. A vault man. Any ideas?”
    Paulus said, “What about Rohatch? He's a drunk, but he's good at vaults.”
    Grofield shook his head and said, “I heard he died. The liver got him.”
    Wycza said, “I worked once or twice with a fella named Kemp. Any of you know him?”
    “He's unreliable,” said Paulus primly. “He's on the needle. He may even be in jail by now for all I know.”
    Wycza said, “All right, forget him. How about Wiss? Little guy, but fast.”
    “I've worked with him,” said Parker. “While I was having that trouble with the Outfit. He's a good man.”
    “I'll see can I get in touch with him,” said Wycza.
    Edgars said, “What about you, Parker? What's your job going to be?”
    It was Wycza who answered. “He ought to be the loose one, the troubleshooter.”
    Edgars nodded. “Fine by me.”
    “I'm writing all this down,” said Paulus.
    Parker said to him, “What other jobs?”
    “You want Wiss to work the other side of Raymond Avenue, right? So you need someone to work with him, like Wycza's working with me.”
    “We'll let him pick his own sideman. Lookout's next. We want somebody fast, and cool.”
    “Salsa,” said Grofield. “That bastard could hunker down in Times Square and disappear. You'd never see him, and he wouldn't move for a hundred years if he had to. But when it was time to move, zoom.”
    “I know Salsa,” said Parker. “He's a good man.”
    “I'll get word to him.”
    Parker turned to Paulus. “What's left?”
    “Just three. Fire department, gate guard, and plant office. Three men in place.”
    “I know the guy for the gate guard,” said Wycza. “PopPhillips. He wears some kind of uniform just about every job he takes.”
    “Good old Phillips,” said Grofield. “Pop Phillips, the sweet old rummy.”
    “He don't drink when he's on a job,” Wycza told him.
    “You're right, he doesn't. But he's got bad breath.”
    Parker said, “Shut up, Grofield. Okay, Wycza, get Phillips. Now we need two more.”
    “The Chambers brothers,” said Paulus.
    Grofield shook his head. “Ernie's in jail.”
    “What the hell for?”
    “Statutory. You know how those hillbillies like young meat.”
    “What about his brother?”
    Grofield shrugged. “He's as good as the next man.”
    “I'll get in touch with him,” said Paulus, and wrote it down.
    Parker said, “If Littlefield's still working, he'd be a good man for the plant office.”
    “I worked with him last year,” said Wycza. “He was still going strong then.”
    “Get in touch with him, will you?”
    “Right.”
    Paulus looked up from his notes. “That's all,” he said. “Except Wiss' sideman. He can get him himself.”
    “Day after tomorrow,” said Parker. “Here again. Nine o'clock.”
    Edgars got to his feet and rubbed his hands together. “This is going to work out,” he said. “It's going to work out.”
    They left the apartment one at a time. This time Parker waited, to be the last out. When he was alone with Edgars he said, “Something I wanted to ask you.”
    “What?”
    “What about Owen?”
    “Owen? What about him?”
    “He's dead.”
    “I know that.” Edgars was frowning at him, but then his face lit up with understanding. “Oh.