Free Family Business by Michael Z. Lewin

everywhere.’
    â€˜So?’
    â€˜So I played the tape.’
    â€˜What tape?’
    â€˜From our telephone last night. The quality was supposed to be so good. I thought I’d check it.’
    â€˜And was it good?’
    â€˜Listen,’ Gina said. There was a cassette player on the desk. She turned it on.
    Angelo heard a telephone ring as heard by a caller. ‘Clear,’ he said.
    Then the telephone was answered. A male voice said, ‘Yeah?’
    â€˜Terry?’ The caller was Marie.
    â€˜Who the fuck d’you think?’ Terry said.
    Marie said, ‘I … I promised I’d ring tonight. Don’t you remember? You said I should.’
    â€˜Did I?’ Terry said. Then, ‘Oh yeah. I remember something, dimly, from the smoke-filled haze hanging over the sunset.’
    â€˜What’s that from?’ Marie asked.
    â€˜Nothing.’
    â€˜I like it,’ Marie said. ‘It’s pretty.’
    â€˜Pretty’s no recommendation,’ Terry said. ‘What do you want?’
    â€˜I said I’d let you know if I was in or not.’
    â€˜In?’
    â€˜Saturday,’ Marie said, losing a little patience. ‘You said you guys needed me.’
    â€˜I don’t remember “need”,’ Terry said.
    â€˜You said it would go better if I was there. You said we’d get more.’
    â€˜Yeah, yeah,’ Terry said. ‘Don’t go ratty.’
    â€˜I’m not ratty,’ Marie complained. ‘It’s just if I do it with you guys I’m going to have to lie to my parents.’
    â€˜So?’
    â€˜So nothing,’ Marie said. ‘It’s not a problem. I lie to them all the time.’
    â€˜Well?’
    â€˜Well what?’
    â€˜Are you in or not? Because we can get someone else. If we decide we need somebody.’
    â€˜I’m in,’ Marie said. ‘I need the money.’
    â€˜Ea-sy mon-ey,’ Terry sang. ‘Ea-sy mon-ey.’
    â€˜Yeah,’ Marie said. ‘Easy money. That’s what I want. They make me live on nothing .’
    â€˜Well, there’s plenty there for the taking if we don’t fuck it up. I went down and checked it out this afternoon. It’s a piece of piss.’
    â€˜I looked for you in school,’ Marie said.
    â€˜Schoo-ool,’ Terry sang, ‘ain’t coo-ool.’
    â€˜This better work out,’ Marie said. ‘They’ll kill me if they find out. I’m taking a hell of a chance.’
    â€˜Gotta gamble to win, little girl,’ Terry said.
    â€˜I know,’ Marie said, ‘and I’m not a little girl.’
    â€˜Lit-tle girl,’ Terry sang teasingly. ‘Lit-tle vir-gin and tonic.’
    â€˜You might be surprised,’ Marie said.
    â€˜Just make sure you’re up to it on Saturday.’
    â€˜I’ll be ready,’ Marie said. ‘Just make sure you guys don’t chicken out or screw up.’
    â€˜You talk tough,’ Terry said. ‘But we’ll see. Gotta go. Little girl.’ He hung up.
    Gina turned the tape recorder off.
    Angelo didn’t know what to think, what to say.
    Gina said, ‘Good quality recording, eh?’

CHAPTER SEVEN
    Rosetta and David were late sitting down to Thursday dinner. ‘Sorry!’ Rosetta said as they arrived. ‘We were trying the new computer.’
    â€˜It’s great!’ David said, eyes bright.
    â€˜Yuk,’ Marie said.
    â€˜No really!’ David said. ‘It’s not like school computers at all.’
    â€˜Yuk-a-rama, dial a llama,’ Marie said.
    â€˜It’s good for the boy to show enthusiasm,’ the Old Man said.
    â€˜Mega-mega-mega-yuk,’ Marie said, but she too appeared animated, if not about miracles of modern electronics.
    Gina and Angelo both noticed Marie’s alertness but they could say nothing about what most concerned them. The fault was Angelo’s. He freely admitted it. He had