Excerpts

Fragments of the Story

Wrong Hand Right - Excerpts

“Mr. Cho,” Finn said quietly, “My boss will not let this rest. I think there’s something you’d like to tell us about the source of the Sanchi watches, something that will make this go much easier for you.”

Cho shook, darting bird-like looks around the market and toward his partner. “You take watches, but no trouble,” he said.

“Whether you are in trouble depends on several things,” Finn replied. “Are you legally in this country? Have you got papers?”

“I…” Cho muttered. “papers not here; at home.” He stopped, sweating profusely, and then burst out, “I say place; but no jail, no send Korea.”

“We just want the source, Mr. Cho. That’s all we care about.”

“Okay,” Cho said, looking like he was about to wet his pants.

“Okay…old factory building…by railroad.”

“Cho!” Lee shouted, trying to push by Ainsley, which was never going to happen. His way blocked, Lee unleashed a torrent in Korean.

Cho looked more scared of Lee than of the trademark team or the cop standing at the edge of the drama. And with everyone’s attention on Cho, Lee reached beneath the counter and pulled out a handgun.

Cho dove for cover. Ainsley jumped back. Finn tripped over a box and hit the ground. The cop fumbled for the pistol in his holster.

Lee waved the gun wildly and shouted. The cop was just drawing his firearm when Terry leaped over a table and grabbed at Lee. A shot went off.

*  *  *

“What’s the play?” Finn asked.

“What’s Funny About Crime & Punishment?”

“Good question,” Finn chuckled. “Not quite Dostoevsky, I guess.”

Satch smiled. “Well, a little livelier we hope. In this version, Raskolnikov is a student barred from graduation because of a long-overdue library book, and when the bursar squeezes him for a bribe, Raskolnikov pushes him out a window.”

“Sounds ridiculous.”

“Well, yeah, and the real challenge will be running a slew of actors on and off.”

Finn laughed. “And how will you do the window thing on that tiny stage?”

“Oh, we’ll build a window frame and lay a mattress behind it. I hope so, anyway, since I’m the bursar who gets thrown out the window. But my main role is as Raskolnikov’s friend, Dimitri Prokofich Razumikhin.”

“Is that one character or three?”

“Only one, but altogether I have three parts.”

“Sounds like chaos.”

“To be honest, it will be, but it should also be fun. And hey, we’re amateurs.”

“It is called the Amateur Comedy Club.”

“Exactly.”

*  *  *

St. Mark’s Place stretched the few blocks between Astor Place and Tompkins Square Park, where Eighth Street became a bohemian center of open-front markets, mohawks and tattoo parlors. One writer called the aura of this street “superglue for fragmented identities.” By 1987 Thelonious Monk no longer played at the Five Spot and Andy Warhol and the Velvet Underground had moved on from the Dom, but there was still no shortage of late-night parties, drag queens and shadowy drug dealers hissing, “Smoke, smoke.” And mid-block sat the Café Kabul, serving Afghani food at small tables, including one in the front window, where diners sat on woven cushions.

It was not surprising this was where Dani worked as a waitress. Her bedazzled ankle boots and fluorescent rubber bracelets hardly even stood out in this shabby wonder of a neighborhood. But her ethereal beauty made it hard for Finn to see anything else when she was nearby. And now he would ambush her after her shift and try once again to get her to take him seriously. 

*  *  *

This was the biggest day of Finn’s career. This case would put Bolger & Plotkin on the map and make him a star in the legal world. But he wanted to get back to the office and dig into the documents before he told Victor what they found. He was not going to mess this up or hand it off to Ainsley.

*  *  *

Soon after lunch Henry got a thoughtful look on his face and approached Finn. “You know,” he said, “I’ve been thinking. You guys are all right, and what you’re doing makes a lot of sense. I never really focused on the kind of crap GlobalX sells, but some of it is pretty troubling.”

Finn put on his best look of empathy and gestured to go on.

“Well…” Henry looked around as if someone might overhear him. “Thing is, the watches are not the worst of it.”

Finn waved at Ted to join them. The three leaned in close together.

*  *  *

A rumble signaled the approach of the 6 Train. When the brakes stopped screeching, the doors opened on the first car, which was tagged from front to back, “CRIME IN THE CITY.”