BY MARCH, THEY’D MADE good progress on JC’s sloop. The stem and stern were cut, the frames were up, and the lead keel had been cast. It was around this time that someone stole Alejandro’s van and dumped it in the ravine by the 12. They never figured out who did it but, at some point, Freddie Moltisanti told Uffa that he thought it was a group of teenagers who had taken it. Freddie never said how he knew this, and Alejandro didn’t believe him. Freddie was prone to lying. When he was younger, Freddie had been something of a local celebrity because he ran away from home for a week and lived in a cave. He was twelve years old and, allegedly, he survived on wild apples and several packages of saltines. Alejandro didn’t believe this story either.
In any case, the car was totaled and irretrievable and Alejandro left it in the ravine. A few weeks after it was stolen, JC stopped by the shop. Berg could tell he was important the moment he walked in. People often came by to see Alejandro. Joe Leggett was right that certain people thought Alejandro was crazy, but others clearly respected him. Neighbors would stop in with an extra fish they’d caught or some fresh corn or a root that they were trying to identify. They came around lunchtime and waited patiently outside the barn until Alejandro had finished his work. But JC didn’t do this. He stormed into the barn early one morning with no advance notice. He was a large man, two hundred pounds or so of sauntering muscle, and he wore a red knitted beanie. A smoky, fruity odor clung to him, as if he’d just come from a hookah bar.
“Alejandro!” he shouted. “You guys are doing great things. I need you to come with me for a second. I’m gonna show you something.”
To Berg’s surprise, Alejandro agreed. He had never seen Alejandro put down his work in the middle of the day for some random request. In fact, the most predictable way to irritate Alejandro was to distract him from his work. Now that Berg had done some boatbuilding, he understood why. The work required serious focus and any diversion made it that much more difficult.
As Alejandro and JC walked out of the shop, JC noticed Berg.
“Hey, who are you?” he asked.
Berg looked up from the plank he was spiling and introduced himself.
“This a new guy?” JC said to Alejandro. “You didn’t tell me that you had a new guy.”
“Berg’s been with us for several months now,” Alejandro said.
“Fuck yeah!” JC shouted. “Berg! My man. You’re coming with us, too. Come on.”
Berg looked at Alejandro and Alejandro smiled. “Come on,” he said. “You can finish that later.”
Alejandro and Berg got into JC’s Mercedes and they drove into the hills behind Talinas. Berg sat in the front seat and Alejandro sat in the back.
“I love that new boat you guys built, man,” JC said. “The Alma. I love it. It’s perfect. With the compartments down below. It’s great. What are those made out of again?”
“Iroko,” Alejandro said. “It’s the most durable hardwood we have.”
“Amazing. I love it,” JC said.
He opened the glove box and pulled out a pack of beef jerky, offered some to Alejandro and Berg. There was a gun in the glove compartment. Berg took the beef jerky and chewed it slowly, looked out the window at the bay as it receded from view.
“I heard about your car,” JC said to Alejandro, taking a big bite of the jerky and chewing it loudly. “Some motherfuckers stole your car.”
“Yes,” Alejandro said.
“Motherfuckers,” JC scowled.
After several minutes they rounded a corner and began heading up JC’s driveway. When they got to the top of the driveway, Berg saw Lammy and her kids. They were playing soccer in a grassy field, and behind them, in the distance, Berg could see a house. The house was built in the shape of a mushroom, or perhaps a snail? It was hard to say. Lammy came over and kissed Alejandro on the cheek.
“It’s so good to see you,” she said.
“It’s good to see you, dear,” Alejandro said.
“You showing him his present?” Lammy asked.
“Yep,” JC said.
“You’re gonna like it,” Lammy said, and then she called to the kids and retreated toward the house.
JC winked at Berg and then ushered them over to his garage. He lifted up the door to reveal several motorcycles and a brand new Cadillac. JC motioned toward the Cadillac like a game-show host.
“I bought you a Cadillac,” JC said, grinning at Alejandro. Alejandro stood there silently, staring at the Cadillac. JC motioned to the Cadillac again: “It’s yours,” he said. “Happy birthday. It’s a birthday present. You can take Rebecca out on a drive.”
“But it’s not my birthday,” Alejandro said.
“It’s for your last birthday then, whatever.”
“JC…” Alejandro began.
“You don’t want it,” JC said. “I can tell. You don’t want it. That’s totally fine, man. Totally fine.”
Berg looked at JC fearfully. He had no idea if he was being serious.
“Just do me a favor,” JC said. “Just drive it down to the water. You and Berg. Follow me down to the water in the Cadillac. I’m going to take the Mercedes. Just follow me down. You don’t have to accept the gift.”
He handed Alejandro the keys, hopped into his Mercedes, and cruised down the driveway. Berg’s first thought was, of course, that JC was going to murder them and dump them in the bay. He thought of the gun in the glove compartment. His mouth was dry and tasted like beef jerky.
Alejandro said nothing as they drove down the hill but, Berg noticed, his knuckles were white from gripping the wheel.
“How bad is this?” Berg asked.
“It’s not good,” Alejandro said.
“You should have just accepted the Cadillac.”
“I hate Cadillacs.”
“Jesus. Are we about to get fucked up?”
“I hope not.”
They parked on the turnout by Miller’s Point, about fifteen yards away from the cliff. JC got out of the car and walked over to the Cadillac.
“Okay, put the thing in neutral,” he said.
“Look, JC,” Alejandro said, still sitting in the car, the door open. “Let me explain…”
“No, man! You don’t want it! No need to explain. Put the thing in neutral and get out.”
Alejandro put it in neutral and he and Berg exited the car. Then JC asked them to help him push it.
“Push it off the cliff?” Berg said.
“Off the edge, man! Off the edge!”
It was difficult to get the car rolling but JC was an absurdly strong man. With his help, they were able to get it moving and, once it picked up speed, they gave it one last shove and stepped back. Alejandro bent over and panted like a linebacker, but JC walked to the edge of the cliff and watched the Cadillac plummet to the rocks below. It must have been a fifty-foot drop.
“Fuck yeah!” JC yelled and scrambled down a path on the side of the cliff toward the car. Once he was down on the beach, he began picking up rocks and throwing them at the car, smashing its windows, denting the parts of it that were not yet dented from its fall.
“Fuck this Cadillac, man! Fuck it!” he yelled. Berg watched him from the top of the cliff, still slightly terrified, but also relieved. Several minutes later JC scrambled back up the cliff and shook Alejandro’s hand. He was covered in sweat, but he seemed relaxed, like he’d just had a massage.
“Okay, man,” he said. “I’ll drop you guys home now. Happy birthday, Ale.”