An Unfortunate Accident

Carlo Mcclintock walked into Jackie's office at the ungodly hour of 6 am on a Tuesday. Jackie Dupre liked to get an early start as most of his day would be spent out conducting business. A business that involved collecting money from those for whom he had done favors.

It had been years since Carlo had been in the office, and he wasn't too happy about it now. The only two things on Jackie's desk were his 1929 Colt Police Special .38 revolver and the little black book. The last time he was here, there was also an old black telephone. I guess nobody used those anymore.

"Sit down, Carlo"

"Yes, boss."

"You don't have to call me boss. From now on, it's just Jackie."

Carlo didn't know what to make of that. The only people that got to call him Jackie were the girlfriend of the week and his right-hand man, Mort.

"Here you go," Jackie said, sliding the sleek black notebook toward him. "You're my new driver and collections guy. Don't let this out of your sight, and meet me back here at noon. I'll show you the ropes."

"What about Mort, boss? I mean Jackie."

"He got himself arrested out at the tracks trying to collect off that deadbeat Stan. I can't have him trading me for a deal, so he met with an unfortunate accident."

"When?"

Jackie looked at his Rolex Submariner, "In about two hours. Now get out of here. Eat before you come; we ain't got time for food. And don't forget the Moleskine."

Carlo hurried out of the office carrying the notebook, wondering about skinning moles but afraid to ask.

Carlo got back to his flat, carrying the book and a six of Natty Light. He tossed a chicken pot pie into the microwave, popped open a beer, and flipped through the book. It was a 5x8 hardback with a band you could use to mark today's collections. Each page was one day with a couple dozen entries, names, dates, and amounts. Plus, most had stars beside them, some had checkmarks, and a few had an X. Guess he'd find out about that after lunch.

Carlo got back to Jackie's office right on time. Before he could get to the door, it was opened by Jackie's muscle. Jackie strolled through and over to his new Mercedes Maybach GLS 600. Both Jackie and his bodyguard turned and looked at Carlo like he was the slow kid in school.

"Sorry, boss, uh... Jackie."

He rushed over and opened the rear door.

"I ride up front, numbnuts."

Carlo opened the front door for Jackie as his guard, Vince, folded his massive frame into the back seat.

As Carlo buckled in and started the car, Jackie told him, "If anyone starts shooting, they'll aim for the guy in back." Carlo glanced in his mirror, but Vince's expression never changed.

"What's the first name for today?" Jackie asked.

Carlo used the elastic strap to open the book and read, "Tom Murphy - June 8 - $3,200."

"Okay, Carlo, head into Decatur. The 8th was a week ago. Murphy coughs up the money today, or he has a conversation with Vince."

As Carlo headed south down Peachtree Street toward Atlanta, Jackie explained the little black book.

"Most mornings, we deliver loans to folks who have reached out to me for a favor. You'll write the name, amount, and date on the page it comes due. Pretty simple, right?"

Carlo just nodded.

"Afternoon's for collections. We hit everybody on the list until it's done. If we collect, you put a star by the name. If not, you move the entry to the next page for tomorrow. I'll tell you about the checkmarks later on if I think you're ready for it."

"What about the Xs?"

"Those are guys who, unfortunately, aren't able to repay what they owe. They will never be in a position to borrow again. From anybody. Get me?"

"Yeah, I get you, Jackie. Umm, do I have to..."

"Nah, that's Vince's job. That and taking a bullet for me. Right, Vince?"

Jackie chuckled as he turned in his seat.

Vince gave a barely perceptible nod and continued watching the street as we passed.

The day went pretty smooth with Carlo driving from place to place, collecting money, and making notes in the book. There were only two that had to be carried forward and none, thankfully got an X.

The rest of the week, he settled into the routine—deliveries in the morning and collections in the afternoon. The bags with the money were in the trunk in either a nice leather Kenneth Cole duffle or a cheap Samsonite briefcase, depending on the amount.

They all had a tag attached with the name, the amount, and the date due. There was also a second name written at the bottom. When Carlo asked Jackie told him that was the nearest loved one to the borrower, "just in case." Vince actually smiled when Jackie said that.

Friday afternoon, as Carlo got back to the office, Jackie turned in his seat.

"Ya done good this week. Here's a little bump," he said as he passed Carlo ten crisp $100 bills.

"There's more where that came from, and you can make a little on the side if you're interested."

"Sure, Jackie, whatever you say."

"I don't work most nights or weekends. Sometimes I'll need you for special duty, but mostly, you're on your own. Plus, there are days when I got to be someplace else for my other business interests."

Vince gave out with another smile at that.

"Once you get comfortable, you can handle some collections on your own. But you won't have me or Vince looking over your shoulder. Got it?"

"Yeah, I get it, Jackie. I can handle that."

"Wait, that's not all. For any collection you make, you get to keep 10%. It's like skimming off the top, except I don't kill you for it." That got a chuckle out of Vince, which was as animated as Carlo had ever seen him.

"That's what the checkmarks were, the ones that Mort collected on his own."

Back at his apartment, Carlo sat up late Friday night, reading it cover to cover.

The book went back almost six months—page after page of names, dates, numbers, and symbols. Carlo tried to absorb it all, paying particular attention to the checkmarks, doing the math in his head. He had a good mind for numbers, but, after a couple of hours and another six-pack of beer, his head was swimming, so he called it a night.

About four the next morning, he bolted upright. Something was off about the books. He laid back down, but sleep wouldn't return, so he got up, started his Mr. Coffee, and got the book back out.

He started back at the beginning, January 1st, and went page by page, first quickly, then slower and slower. On the fourth pass, he saw it. With all the checks and stars, moving things around, as well as the occasional X, it was easy to miss.

In January, there was one entry with no mark beside it. That wasn't unusual as debts got carried forward to the next day, or whatever date Jackie agreed on. That's why it was hard to follow. Things got paid, or they didn't; entries got moved around to seemingly random dates.

That's why it was so hard to follow. Things got paid, or they didn't; entries got moved around to seemingly random dates.

But this one was different. It didn't show up again. Carlo went through the rest of the book, searching for that entry; Ray Robinson - January 15 - $2,200, but it wasn't there. He turned back to the original note to make sure, and that's when he saw the tiny dot where the star or check should be.

He then went through the rest of the book, carefully scanning for that little dot. There was one each in February and March, then two in April and four in June. In every case, that was the last time those entries showed up. Every amount was around $2,500.

Carlo thought about it for a while, and then a slow grin spread across his face.

"Mort, you son of a bitch, you were keeping some of the collections. 10% wasn't good enough - you wanted 100%." The total he had skimmed from Jackie was about $20,000.

He decided to show this info to Jackie on Monday, expecting a pat on the back, if not another nice bonus.

But before Monday rolled around, he had a change of heart.

Ten percent is good, but a hundred percent is better. He just needed to be careful. Mort had gotten greedy. If he hadn't been popped, sooner or later, he would have got caught. He hated to think what Jackie would have had Vince do to him.

So, on Monday, he didn't say anything to Jackie about his discovery. If he decided to come clean, he could do that later. But on Wednesday, they had just finished a collection in Dunwoody.

"What's next, Carlo?"

Carlo glanced down at the book and saw an entry for $1,000 out in Stone Mountain. He skipped over that one and read, "Jack Tomlinson for five large up in Sandy Springs."

"Well, let's go visit old Jack, shall we?" Jackie said with a grin.

Carlo thought he saw a sad look behind the grin, but he had learned not to try to figure out his boss's mood swings. Vince's eyes cut to Jackie, then back to Carlo as he pulled out to catch Roswell Road up to the next collection. He tried not to think about the line he was about to cross. It wasn't too late to back out.

That night, after a couple of beers for courage, he drove the 'Vette he had just bought out to the village of Stone Mountain to meet with Dave Saunders. The collection was easy-peasy, and he was soon back in his crib. Now, he faced the decision. By tomorrow, it would be too late. A dot or a checkmark?

Carlo was nervous over the next week or so, but nothing ever happened. He was thinking about his next private deal when he got to the office on July 1. Vince met him at the door and gave one of his tiny nods. This one meant to come inside. Uh-oh, what was this?

When he got inside, Jackie said, "Give me the book." Carlo felt his insides loosen as Jackie took the book. Jackie flipped through it then gave it back. Carlo felt his sphincter tighten as Jackie suddenly reached into a drawer, but all he pulled out was an identical black Moleskine notebook.

He tossed it to Carlo, saying, "We start a new book every January and July 1st. When you get home tonight, transfer every outstanding debt to the new book. Then bring me the old one in the morning" Jackie had a hard look as he continued, "Make sure you don't miss any, got me?"

"Yeah, I got you, Jackie. No problem."

Carlo breathed a sigh of relief as they headed out for the day's collections. That was a close one, he thought.

***

Jackie looked up from his desk as Jeff Black came through the door at precisely 6 o'clock. There was nothing on his desk but his old '38 Special and the little black book.

"Have a seat, Jeff; I got a new job for you."

"Okay, boss, thanks. I'm up for whatever you got in mind," Jeff said, a little nervous as he took his seat. He looked at the man behind the desk, dressed immaculately as always in a tailored bespoke suit, a silk tie, and a crisp white shirt. He was just noticing a tiny splotch of red on the collar when Jackie spoke again.

"Call me Jackie. You're my new collections guy and driver. Carlo met with an unfortunate accident," Jackie said, glancing at his watch.

If you enjoyed this story, please click the Heart, and if you really liked it, consider dropping me a tip below. Otherwise, I may have to ask Vince to pay you a visit.

Thanks for reading.