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PART I
SPEAKING IN TONGUES

17

BROTHER JOHN LAZIA and his chief enforcer Charlie “the Wop” Carrollo were waiting for Trey when he walked into the speak late Saturday afternoon after having spent the entire day with Marina, Gio, and Dot at Muehlebach Field at a Monarchs game, teaching the girls how to watch baseball. It was more fun to watch and easier to teach when the Monarchs were winning, which they were doing a whole lot of this year. If Trey and Gio—both inveterate baseball fans—wanted to hit any ballgames, they were going to have to make their girls like it.

What he didn’t want was to come home to see Kansas City coppers hanging around across the street, and Lazia and Carrollo making themselves at home in Trey’s speak by sitting at his table with Lazia in his fucking chair!

Trey stormed up the stairs. “You disrespect me in my own house?”

Lazia looked up at him and stubbed his cigarette in the ashtray. “It’s not yours.”

“Boss Tom know you’re here stickin’ your nose in my business?”

“I am not sticking my nose in your business. I’m here asking you why you’re undercutting my business.”

Trey was about to get a little more forceful when Lazia decided to vacate Trey’s chair. Trey snapped his fingers before settling himself into his throne, at which time a cigar and glass of whisky was put in front of him. He took his time with his cigar, clipping the end, lighting it, puffing on it a few times, blowing smoke rings.

“I’m a businessman, Lazia,” Trey said finally. “If I can get good quality hooch at a good price, I’m gonna get it. Furthermore, I’m retail, not wholesale, so the only way I’m cuttin’ into your business is just ’cuz I ain’t buyin’ from you.”

“And why is that, may I ask?”

“You know very good and well why.”

“Humor me.”

“You cut the bonded stuff you buy, and I don’t sell watered whisky. People come here to get the real stuff. Second, I don’t like the swill you make yourself. Third, as a general rule, I don’t like middlemen.”

Lazia’s jaw ground.

“You forget that I was bootlegging for years before I landed here, and I already had relationships with the distilleries I get my whisky from.”

“Look, Dunham. I just want your Remus and I’m willing to pay for it.”

“No,” Trey answered flatly. “I don’t supply anybody else. That’s part of my deal with him.”

Carrollo’s hand fisted. “We’ll find your route,” he growled.

Trey took another puff off his cigar. “Naw, you won’t. Try it. See what Boss Tom has to say about the bullet I put in your head.”

Lazia laid his hand gently on his man’s arm. “Relax.” Carrollo stood up abruptly, upending the chair, and stalked down the stairs. “You watch your mouth. The second you win this bet, I’ll be on you.”

“Oh, you know about that.”

“Everybody knows about that.”

That confused Trey. If everybody knew about it— “Say, why’n’t Scarritt know about it by now, then? All you cats want my job.”

“No,” Lazia corrected patiently, “we want the speak.”

“Since Boss Tom’s gonna demand his very generous cut of the profits from anybody who owns this place, you still won’t be making much. Don’t you have enough irons in your fire?”

“I have people taking care of my irons. Shit, I’d keep you on here. Any smart cat would. All I want from you is your Remus.”

“You’re going to the conference next week. Likely Remus will be there, so get your own meeting and beg him. I’m loyal to Boss Tom and I’m not going back on my word to Remus. Your bootlegging is your business and mine is mine.”

“I’m curious. What would Albright have to say about his girls,” he said, stressing the plural, “walking out with a Machine underboss and a whore?”

“He would say, ‘Dot, you may not walk out with that whore. Marina, I’m going to tell your daddy who Trey Dunham is and what he wants.’ Somewhat responsible daddying, but if I’s a daddy, I’d’a hunted me an’ Gio down already an’ told us to steer clear or go for a swim in the river.”

“I can’t argue with that.”

“Don’t get in the middle of my bet. You have nothing to gain if I lose and not much more to gain if I win.”

Lazia stood and smoothly slid his fedora over his perfectly coifed hair. “Dunham,” he said finally. “You got a way about you. I don’t like you, but if you ever need a job, you got one with me.”

That shocked the shit out of him. “’Preciate it,” he said sincerely.

Soon enough, Lazia’s car, his enforcer, and the Kansas City police were gone.

“Well,” Gio said heartily as he plopped into the chair Lazia had just left, “I guess we’ll need to spend more time with the girls, won’t we? Make sure they’re safe and protected, Dot’s god and Colt notwithstanding.”

Trey growled. “Lazia won’t touch ’em, but he can let Albright know who we are just to throw the dice and see what comes up.”

Gio was silent for a few seconds. “That would be … bad.”

“Very, very bad. Time to get a wiggle on.”

• • •

“Hello, Mrs. Scarritt,” Trey said cheerfully Tuesday afternoon.

“Hello, Mr. Dunham,” Marina’s mother said suspiciously through the screen door of the parsonage, where Trey stood with fedora in hand. “Marina is at school.”

“Yes, ma’am. I know. I was wondering if I could have a word with the reverend?”

“Does Marina know you’re here?”

“No, ma’am, she does not.”

The woman was not happy; that much was obvious. In Trey’s experience, it was the mother who was thrilled and the father who was not, so what this switcheroo said, he wasn’t clear on yet.

“Hrmph. I’ll ask.”

She returned in a few moments and simply held the door open, then led him through the house to a small office in the back just big enough for a Wooton desk, red velveteen divan and chairs, and tea table to match. Gio was right. This cat had expensive taste and that was definitely a desk only Rockefeller—or a charlatan evangelist—could afford. Even a reproduction would be costly, and far more than Trey would’ve spent for a place to put pencil to paper.

Scarritt was at the desk writing intently so Trey awaited his pleasure and looked around without shame. It was rude to gawp, but it was what a man like Scarritt wanted to happen.

Trey thought the desk alone might cost as much as his three-year-old Chrysler convertible, and Trey didn’t know how much that divan and chairs set cost, but Trey wouldn’t be surprised if it was at least half the desk’s price. The rug was an Aubusson.

Trey wondered what other treasures Scarritt had squirreled away, awaiting the day he could break them out to impress some Rockefellerian cat. Trey didn’t have to wonder if the missus knew how much this office cost, nor would she know about anything else he might or might not have.

“Well, young man,” Scarritt said soberly, arising from his fine desk chair with studied elegance and graciously gestured to a chair. His clothes were fine, but only enough. “Please have a seat. Tea? Coffee? Cigarette?”

“No, thank you,” Trey said politely as he sank into one of the red velveteen chairs.

“How may I help you today?” Scarritt sat in the other chair, crossed his legs, and leaned toward Trey with his hands clasped, which was precisely how Trey would’ve sat if he were playing that role.

Trey continued to conspicuously fiddle with his fedora. “Well, sir, I won’t waste your time. I would like your permission to court Marina more seriously.”

He gave Trey a carefully crafted look of concern. “What are your intentions for the future with Marina, Mr. Dunham?”

“I have greatly enjoyed your daughter’s company, Pastor,” he began earnestly. “I find her charming and intelligent. I am also under the impression that she is an excellent homemaker and cook.”

“That is true,” Reverend Scarritt said ponderously, “but that doesn’t answer the question.”

He wasn’t as stupid or oblivious as Trey had hoped. “Well, sir, I’m twenty-four and it’s past time I settled down. I am … hoping … Marina is … Well, sir. I simply won’t know until I spend a little more time with her without—”

Scarritt waited for him to finish the sentence, but Trey waited for him to take the bait.

“Without … ?”

Trey sighed. “Dorothy, sir,” he confessed. “She is … forceful and sometimes … ”

Scarritt looked a little surprised, which Trey suspected was genuine.

“She runs over Marina when I’m trying to talk to her,” Trey blurted. “Speaks for her, I should say, as if she is protecting Marina. It’s difficult to converse deeply with Marina under those circumstances.”

Scarritt’s face cleared. “Oh, yes, of course. I see what you mean. You must forgive Dorothy, though. She is very protective of Marina and I do appreciate that about her.”

“Yes, she is a fine young woman with impeccable morals, and she is a fine chaperone. However, I can’t discern Marina’s true thoughts sometimes. It’s as if she is hiding them more from Dorothy than from me. I would like time alone with Marina, without Dorothy, to make sure if my intentions can include Marina. I will tell you, sir, that I would very much like them to.”

“Is … Your employee, who is courting Dorothy. Is … ” He stopped, then said baldly, “Marina believes you are paying your friend to squire Dorothy to round your numbers. Is that true?”

“It was,” Trey answered. “Gene has since refused payment because he enjoys her company.”

Scarritt’s eyebrows flew into his hairline. “Ah. Hm. Interesting.”

“I am not quite sure what to think, myself.”

“Well, Mr. Dunham, I have been impressed with your patience and persistence thus far, as I don’t imagine keeping company with Dorothy is easy. Furthermore, I appreciate your willingness to attend services with Marina and, though Marina told me you are Methodist, I would hope you could consider joining our congregation.”

“I am indeed considering it, sir.”

“Excellent. Well, you have my permission,” Scarritt said with grand soberness, “under the following conditions: Marina mayn’t go out on school nights. She may stay out until ten p.m. on Fridays, and nine p.m. on Saturdays. She may not go dancing or to moving picture shows or Fairyland.” Trey wasn’t going to bother asking why not Fairyland, although it did put a bit of a hole in his activities list. “She may not attend any Mormon activities. I will trust, until you give me reason not to, that since you are an upright Christian gentleman who is looking for an upright Christian woman, you know what she should and should not be doing.”

“Of course, sir.”

With that, Scarritt stood to signal that the meeting was over. “As for Dorothy, how you and your employee deal with her is up to you.”

“Pray for me, sir.”

“Of course.”

17

If you don’t want to wait 2 years to get to the end, you can buy it here.

Speakeasy staff.