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"Why the hell did you bang them?" |
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It was a little after eight, and Jerry Mars was at a pay phone in the parking lot of Bagel Bonanza on the northbound side of Route 1 about four miles south of the 95 interchange. |
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"It was supposed to be an accident, not the Saint Valentine's Day massacre." |
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"Surprised you? We pay you not to be surprised," said Roman. |
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Jerry said nothing. Roman would pick at it like a scab. |
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"She was a crip in a wheelchair, for Chrissakes. You didn't have to blow her head off." |
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"I don't care if she had a bazooka. It was sloopy work. You're trigger-happy, and my people don't like it." |
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His instinct was to tell Roman he could crank his people through a meat grinder. Instead, he said, "It was the best I could do under the circumstances." |
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"Listen, Jerry, maybe it was, maybe it wasn't. Maybe she was Annie Oakley on wheels. Personally, I couldn't care less. I'm just reporting the news, capice? All's I'm saying is that my clients didn't like it. They wanted minimum attention, and you gave them the front page." |
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"So, where's that leave us?" Jerry asked. |
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"You're being riffed. It's only temporary, until things blow over." |
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"Uh-huh. Well, there's the matter of thirty-two thousand dollars." |
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