Alvin's Overbearing Ways

Alvin helped cargo ship captain Otis see off a group of Miami crime bosses who had come to "pay their respects."

The most powerful among them was a Costa Rican man Alvin vaguely remembered. He used to be a crime boss who specialized in dealing in smuggled goods on the street where the Peace Hotel stood.

Back then, Alvin had been quick to anger. If Old Kent hadn't pleaded for the guy, the man whose name Alvin had long since forgotten would have ended up in the Corpse-Eater Vine's belly.

Now he looked much better off than he had in New York. Perhaps it was because he had money now, but the viciousness had faded from his eyes, too.

After shaking hands with the guy whose name he'd forgotten, Alvin smiled. "I'm sorry I disrupted your 'business,' but I imagine you won't mind..."

As he spoke, Alvin glanced at the other crime bosses who had come aboard with them. Frowning, he said seriously, "This guy was a handful. He gave me a headache for a long time..."

The unnamed crime boss grinned and laughed twice. Then he stroked his close-cropped curls and turned to give his fellow passengers a smug look.

"This is an honor. Your arrival will make these people remember the name Wanchop.

"They always thought I was talking nonsense..."

As he spoke, Wanchop, who regarded fleeing as a point of pride, beckoned to one of his men. He took two elegant cigar boxes from the bag the man was carrying and handed them to Alvin with a smile. "These are the finest Cuban cigars. Consider them compensation for the trouble I caused you back then...

"If I'd kept a lower profile, do you think I could be enjoying the same life as Bruto and the others now?"