“Listen, Steve,” he said, “you and I can do a lot for each other. Savvy?”
The other man laughed.
“I might be able to do a lot for you, Joe. It’s a question how much you could do for me.”
“I can do plenty, Steve.”
“What, for instance?”
“Well, I can tip you off to a bit of interesting information for a starter. Did you ever hear of Monk Thurman?”
The question produced another laugh from the stocky individual.
“Did I ever hear of Monk Thurman!” he exclaimed. “What’s this, a game of ‘Ask Me Another’? Next you’ll be wanting to know if I ever heard of George Washington.”
Joe le Blanc indulged in a grim smile.
“All right,” he said. “Of course you’ve heard of Monk Thurman. But did you ever meet him?”