~2.12~

The meeting with the ministers concluded, and the van proceeded to make its way to branches of nearly every bank that did business in Jericho. At some of them, it merely went through the ATM drive-up, where Ivan made a withdrawal using a card passed to him by the Minister of Finance. At others, the van sat parked in the lot while the same minister went inside to take out larger sums of money.

When this was done, a portion of the funds they had collected was given over to Welfare for the purchase of food and other necessities, and another portion to Boundaries, for bribes and tribute to the other powers on the streets. The two shares were depressingly close in size.

The balance of the cash went into a box beneath Mama’s bench… petty cash, fuel, and living expenses for the week.

The ministers each disembarked at different locations. As each stepped out of the van, a pair of nondescript men in nondescript dress fell into place beside them. They weren’t quite shabby enough to arouse suspicion or be asked to leave most ordinary places of business, but they also weren’t quite polished enough to stick out on the street. They might have been down-on-their-luck day laborers. They might have been up-on-their-luck bums. They could have blended in nearly anywhere on the east side, and a few places on the west.

“Do I have to ask who ordered the security details?” Mama asked Ivan when they were alone.

“You are Mama,” Ivan replied. “You do not have to ask anything.”

In her head, the cartoon accent echoed “You haff to ask nuzzink.” She refrained from smiling.

“Now, on to the next order of business,” Mama said.

“Meier Avenue,” Ivan said, pulling the van back into traffic. “The mall.”

“The mall,” Mama agreed, nodding. “I’ve got to have words with our Ginger. Her collection’s getting a little too big… sooner or later, somebody’s bound to notice. Somebody‘s going to start counting heads.”