“That he has not,” Sam stated, guiding his cigar to his mouth.
He patted Mr. Leonetti gently on the head, the old man’s scant
white hair soft to the touch.
“You’d better go see if Mr. Early has come out of it yet, kid,” Sam
dictated to Virgil, who went back into the kitchen like an obedient child.
Sam sat on the chair opposite Mr. Leonetti and blew a few
rings of smoke into the air above his gaze. His suit coat was snug on his
forearms, his buttons clattering on the table’s surface as he knocked his
arm up and down to a light beat. He glanced down at his white dress
shirt and nonchalantly brushed off a faint trace of dust. It looked as if he
was trying to kill some time.
“Well gentlemen,” Sam declared with renewed zest, “I suppose
you all deserve something of an answer as to why I’m here.”
Eddie Coyle stood in awe and waited for Sam’s next words. Joe
took a seat at the far end of the bar as Frank motioned for Sam to go on.
The man of the hour puffed on his cigar.
“I think I last saw you, Joe, at Christmastime, was it?” Sam
offered.
The men turned to Joe, who nodded nervously.
“And, Frank, it’s been awhile,” Sam continued as he pointed at
Frank with his cigar in hand.
Frank shrugged his shoulders.
“Eddie,” Sam started, flicking some ashes into a tray next to a
napkin stack before letting his cigar rest there. “Eddie, I saw you right
before I checked out.”
Eddie paled. Joe’s head loomed over the floor. Frank sighed.
“I know I’m unexpected,” Sam went on, “I get the feeling I’m
even unwelcome. But trust me, I won’t be here long.”
He gulped his scotch and set his glass down forcefully.
“No, I’ll be leaving at midnight,” Sam purported.
Eddie expressed a slight look of relief but was still confused. It
didn’t matter, though, as long as Sam wasn’t going to be around for long.
Eddie’s mind raced with audacious thoughts. How the hell could Sam
Taylor be in Merle Early’s bar? He’s dead! Eddie kept rehashing the facts
in his mind while Joe groaned from his stomach pain.
“You ought to have an operation for that ulcer, Joe,” Sam advised.
“It’s been quite a long time. How long do you intend to suffer?”
142