“You’re Greek to me.”

I said, “No, you’ve never seen me before.”

“You aren’t telling me anything. I never forget a face. You said you had a message?”

“Yes.”

“From the chief?”

“Yes.”

“Who do you mean, the chief?”

I said, “The chief of police.”

He was lighting a cigarette when I said that, and the match didn’t so much as waver. He didn’t look over at me until after he’d taken a deep drag at the cigarette, then his reddish-black eyes turned my way.

“Spill it.”