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7232019 A Walk Among the Tombstones by Lawrence Block Extract
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-walk-among-the-tombstones-by-lawrence-block-extract 17
A WALK AMONG
THE TOMBSTONESA MATT SCUDDER MYSTERY
Lawrence Block
7232019 A Walk Among the Tombstones by Lawrence Block Extract
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-walk-among-the-tombstones-by-lawrence-block-extract 27
An Orion paperback
First published in Great Britain in 983089983097983097983091
by Orion Books
This paperback edition published in 983090983088983088983088
by Orion Booksan imprint of The Orion Publishing Group Ltd
Orion House 983093 Upper St Martinrsquos Lane
London 983127983107983090983112 983097983109983105
An Hachette UK company
983095 983097 983089983088 983096
Reissued 983090983088983089983092
Copyright copy Lawrence Block 983089983097983097983090
Published by arrangement with William Morrow amp Co Inc
The moral right of Lawrence Block to be identified as the author
of this work has been asserted in accordance with
the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 983089983097983096983096
All rights reserved No part of this publication may be
reproduced stored in a retrieval system or transmitted
in any form or by any means electronic mechanicalphotocopying recording or otherwise without the prior
permission of the copyright owner
All the characters in this book are fictitious
and any resemblance to actual persons living
or dead is purely coincidental
A CIP catalogue record for this book
is available from the British Library
983113983123983106983118 983097983095983096-983089-983092983088983097983089-983092983095983096983090-983092
Printed and bound in Great Britain by
Clays Ltd St Ives plc
The Orion Publishing Grouprsquos policy is to use papers that
are natural renewable and recyclable products and
made from wood grown in sustainable forests The logging
and manufacturing processes are expected to conform to
the environmental regulations of the country of origin
7232019 A Walk Among the Tombstones by Lawrence Block Extract
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-walk-among-the-tombstones-by-lawrence-block-extract 37
FIVE
I went to the eight-thirty meeting at St Paulrsquos On the way
over it had crossed my mind that I might run into Pete
Khoury there but he didnrsquot show up Afterward I helped
fold chairs then joined a group of people for coffee at the
Flame I didnrsquot stay there long though because by eleven Iwas at Pooganrsquos Pub on West Seventy-second Street one of
the two places where Danny Boy Bell could generally be
found between the hours of 900 pm and 400 am The
rest of the time you couldnrsquot count on finding him
anywhere
His other place is a jazz club called Mother Goose on
Amsterdam Pooganrsquos was closer so I tried there firstDanny Boy was at his usual table in back deep in
conversation with a dark-skinned black man with a pointed
chin and a button nose He was wearing wraparound
sunglasses with mirrored lenses and a powder-blue suit with
more in the shoulders than God or Goldrsquos Gym could have
put there A little cocoa-brown straw hat perched on top of
his head adorned with a flamingo-pink hatbandI had a Coke at the bar and waited while he finished
his business with Danny Boy After five minutes or so he
uncoiled himself from his chair clapped Danny Boy on
the shoulder laughed heartily and headed for the street
I turned around to get my change from the bar and when I
turned back again his place had been taken by a balding
white man with a brushy mustache and a belly straining at
h h f h d rsquo d h fi f ll h h
7232019 A Walk Among the Tombstones by Lawrence Block Extract
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-walk-among-the-tombstones-by-lawrence-block-extract 47
sporting events I had arrested him once ages ago on an
assault charge but the complainant had decided not to press
it
When Wolf left I took my second Coke with me and satdown lsquoBusy eveningrsquo I said
lsquoI knowrsquo Danny Boy said lsquoPick a number and wait itrsquos
getting as bad as Zabarrsquos Itrsquos good to see you Matthew I
saw you before but I had to suffer through the hour of the
Wolf You must know Seligrsquo
lsquoSure but I didnrsquot know the other fellow Hersquos head of
fund-raising for the United Negro College Fund rightrsquolsquoA mind is a terrible thing to wastersquo he said solemnly
lsquoTo think you would waste yours judging by appearances
The gentleman was wearing a sartorial classic Matthew
known as the zoot suit Thatrsquos a zoot suit you know with a
drape shape and a reet pleat My father had one in his closet
a souvenir of his flaming youth Every now and then he
would take it out and threaten to wear it and my mother would roll her eyesrsquo
lsquoGood for herrsquo
lsquoHis name is Nicholson Jamesrsquo Danny Boy said lsquoIt
should have been James Nicholson but the names were
reversed on some official document early on and he decided
it had more style that way You might say it goes with his
retro fashion statement Mr James is a pimprsquolsquoGo figure I never would have guessedrsquo
Danny Boy poured himself some vodka His own fashion
statement was one of quiet elegance a tailored dark suit and
tie a boldly patterned red-and-black vest He is a very
short slightly built albino African-American ndash it would be
way off the mark to call him black since hersquos anything but
He spends his nights in saloons and hersquos partial to dim
l h d l l l rsquo d l b
7232019 A Walk Among the Tombstones by Lawrence Block Extract
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-walk-among-the-tombstones-by-lawrence-block-extract 57
Pooganrsquos or Mother Goose listening to people and telling
them things
lsquoElainersquos not with yoursquo he said
lsquoNot tonightrsquolsquoGive her my loversquo
lsquoI willrsquo I said lsquoI brought you something Danny Boyrsquo
lsquoOhrsquo
I palmed him a pair of hundreds He looked at the
money without flashing it then glanced at me with his
eyebrows elevated
lsquoI have a prosperous clientrsquo I said lsquoHe wants me to takecabsrsquo
lsquoDid you want me to call you onersquo
lsquoNo but I thought I ought to spread a little of his dough
around All you have to spread is the wordrsquo
lsquoWhat word is thatrsquo
I ran through the official story without mentioning
Kenan Khouryrsquos name Danny Boy listened frowningoccasionally in concentration When I was finished he took
out a cigarette looked at it for a moment then put it back
in the pack
lsquoA question arisesrsquo he said
lsquoGorsquo
lsquoYour clientrsquos wife is out of the country and presumably
safe from those who would harm her So he assumes theyrsquolldirect their attention at someone elsersquo
lsquoRightrsquo
lsquoWell why should he care I love the idea of a public-
spirited dope dealer like all those marijuana growers in
Oregon who make huge anonymous cash donations to
Earth First and the eco-saboteurs Well when I was
growing up I liked Robin Hood as far as that goes But
h d ff d k f h b d
7232019 A Walk Among the Tombstones by Lawrence Block Extract
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-walk-among-the-tombstones-by-lawrence-block-extract 67
cash-flow situation thatrsquos all Or they screw up and thatrsquos the
end of them As long as his own wifersquos out of the picturemdashrsquo
lsquoJesus it was a perfectly good story until I told it to you
Danny BoyrsquolsquoSorryrsquo
lsquoHis wife didnrsquot make it out of the country They
snatched her and they killed herrsquo
lsquoHe tried to stonewall Wouldnrsquot pay the ransomrsquo
lsquoHe paid four hundred large They killed her anywayrsquo
His eyes widened lsquoYour ears onlyrsquo I added lsquoThe death
isnrsquot being reported so that part of it shouldnrsquot get out onthe streetrsquo
lsquoI understand Well that makes his motive easier to grasp
He wants to get even Any idea who they arersquo
lsquoNorsquo
lsquoBut you figure theyrsquoll do it againrsquo
lsquoWhy quit on a winning rollrsquo
lsquoNobody ever doesrsquo He helped himself to more vodkaAt both of his regular places they bring him the bottle in an
ice bucket and he drinks great quantities without paying
much attention to it just drinking it down like water
I donrsquot know where he puts it or how his body processes
it
He said lsquoHow many bad guysrsquo
lsquoMinimum of threersquolsquoSplitting four tenths of a mil They might be taking cabs
a lot themselves donrsquot you thinkrsquo
lsquoI had that thought myselfrsquo
lsquoSo if somebodyrsquos throwing a lot of money around that
would be useful informationrsquo
lsquoIt mightrsquo
lsquoAnd the drug dealers especially the major players
h ld h d h h rsquo k f k d
7232019 A Walk Among the Tombstones by Lawrence Block Extract
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-walk-among-the-tombstones-by-lawrence-block-extract 77
lsquoIrsquom not sure about thatrsquo
lsquoWhyrsquos thatrsquo
lsquoI think they enjoyed the killing I think they got off on
it I think they used her sexually and I think they torturedher and then when the novelty wore off they killed herrsquo
lsquoThe body showed signs of torturersquo
lsquoThe body came back in twenty or thirty pieces
individually wrapped And thatrsquos not for the street either I
hadnrsquot planned on mentioning itrsquo
lsquoIrsquod just as soon you hadnrsquot to tell you the truth
Matthew is it my imagination or is the world turningnastierrsquo
lsquoIt doesnrsquot seem to be lightening uprsquo
lsquoIt doesnrsquot does it Remember the Harmonic Conver-
gence all the planets lining up like soldiers Wasnrsquot that
supposed to signal the dawn of some kind of New Agersquo
lsquoIrsquom not holding my breathrsquo
lsquoWell they say itrsquos always darkest before the dawn I see
what you mean though If killingrsquos part of the fun and if
theyrsquore into rape and torture well they wonrsquot pick some
raggedy-ass dope dealer with a beer gut and a five orsquoclock
shadow Nothing queer about these fellowsrsquo
lsquoNorsquo
He thought for a moment lsquoTheyrsquoll have to do it againrsquo
he said lsquoThey could hardly be expected to quit after a score
like that I wonder thoughrsquo
lsquoIf theyrsquove done it before I was wondering the same
thing myselfrsquo
lsquoAndrsquo
lsquoThey were pretty slickrsquo I said lsquoI get the feeling they had
some practice rsquo
7232019 A Walk Among the Tombstones by Lawrence Block Extract
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-walk-among-the-tombstones-by-lawrence-block-extract 27
An Orion paperback
First published in Great Britain in 983089983097983097983091
by Orion Books
This paperback edition published in 983090983088983088983088
by Orion Booksan imprint of The Orion Publishing Group Ltd
Orion House 983093 Upper St Martinrsquos Lane
London 983127983107983090983112 983097983109983105
An Hachette UK company
983095 983097 983089983088 983096
Reissued 983090983088983089983092
Copyright copy Lawrence Block 983089983097983097983090
Published by arrangement with William Morrow amp Co Inc
The moral right of Lawrence Block to be identified as the author
of this work has been asserted in accordance with
the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 983089983097983096983096
All rights reserved No part of this publication may be
reproduced stored in a retrieval system or transmitted
in any form or by any means electronic mechanicalphotocopying recording or otherwise without the prior
permission of the copyright owner
All the characters in this book are fictitious
and any resemblance to actual persons living
or dead is purely coincidental
A CIP catalogue record for this book
is available from the British Library
983113983123983106983118 983097983095983096-983089-983092983088983097983089-983092983095983096983090-983092
Printed and bound in Great Britain by
Clays Ltd St Ives plc
The Orion Publishing Grouprsquos policy is to use papers that
are natural renewable and recyclable products and
made from wood grown in sustainable forests The logging
and manufacturing processes are expected to conform to
the environmental regulations of the country of origin
7232019 A Walk Among the Tombstones by Lawrence Block Extract
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-walk-among-the-tombstones-by-lawrence-block-extract 37
FIVE
I went to the eight-thirty meeting at St Paulrsquos On the way
over it had crossed my mind that I might run into Pete
Khoury there but he didnrsquot show up Afterward I helped
fold chairs then joined a group of people for coffee at the
Flame I didnrsquot stay there long though because by eleven Iwas at Pooganrsquos Pub on West Seventy-second Street one of
the two places where Danny Boy Bell could generally be
found between the hours of 900 pm and 400 am The
rest of the time you couldnrsquot count on finding him
anywhere
His other place is a jazz club called Mother Goose on
Amsterdam Pooganrsquos was closer so I tried there firstDanny Boy was at his usual table in back deep in
conversation with a dark-skinned black man with a pointed
chin and a button nose He was wearing wraparound
sunglasses with mirrored lenses and a powder-blue suit with
more in the shoulders than God or Goldrsquos Gym could have
put there A little cocoa-brown straw hat perched on top of
his head adorned with a flamingo-pink hatbandI had a Coke at the bar and waited while he finished
his business with Danny Boy After five minutes or so he
uncoiled himself from his chair clapped Danny Boy on
the shoulder laughed heartily and headed for the street
I turned around to get my change from the bar and when I
turned back again his place had been taken by a balding
white man with a brushy mustache and a belly straining at
h h f h d rsquo d h fi f ll h h
7232019 A Walk Among the Tombstones by Lawrence Block Extract
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-walk-among-the-tombstones-by-lawrence-block-extract 47
sporting events I had arrested him once ages ago on an
assault charge but the complainant had decided not to press
it
When Wolf left I took my second Coke with me and satdown lsquoBusy eveningrsquo I said
lsquoI knowrsquo Danny Boy said lsquoPick a number and wait itrsquos
getting as bad as Zabarrsquos Itrsquos good to see you Matthew I
saw you before but I had to suffer through the hour of the
Wolf You must know Seligrsquo
lsquoSure but I didnrsquot know the other fellow Hersquos head of
fund-raising for the United Negro College Fund rightrsquolsquoA mind is a terrible thing to wastersquo he said solemnly
lsquoTo think you would waste yours judging by appearances
The gentleman was wearing a sartorial classic Matthew
known as the zoot suit Thatrsquos a zoot suit you know with a
drape shape and a reet pleat My father had one in his closet
a souvenir of his flaming youth Every now and then he
would take it out and threaten to wear it and my mother would roll her eyesrsquo
lsquoGood for herrsquo
lsquoHis name is Nicholson Jamesrsquo Danny Boy said lsquoIt
should have been James Nicholson but the names were
reversed on some official document early on and he decided
it had more style that way You might say it goes with his
retro fashion statement Mr James is a pimprsquolsquoGo figure I never would have guessedrsquo
Danny Boy poured himself some vodka His own fashion
statement was one of quiet elegance a tailored dark suit and
tie a boldly patterned red-and-black vest He is a very
short slightly built albino African-American ndash it would be
way off the mark to call him black since hersquos anything but
He spends his nights in saloons and hersquos partial to dim
l h d l l l rsquo d l b
7232019 A Walk Among the Tombstones by Lawrence Block Extract
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-walk-among-the-tombstones-by-lawrence-block-extract 57
Pooganrsquos or Mother Goose listening to people and telling
them things
lsquoElainersquos not with yoursquo he said
lsquoNot tonightrsquolsquoGive her my loversquo
lsquoI willrsquo I said lsquoI brought you something Danny Boyrsquo
lsquoOhrsquo
I palmed him a pair of hundreds He looked at the
money without flashing it then glanced at me with his
eyebrows elevated
lsquoI have a prosperous clientrsquo I said lsquoHe wants me to takecabsrsquo
lsquoDid you want me to call you onersquo
lsquoNo but I thought I ought to spread a little of his dough
around All you have to spread is the wordrsquo
lsquoWhat word is thatrsquo
I ran through the official story without mentioning
Kenan Khouryrsquos name Danny Boy listened frowningoccasionally in concentration When I was finished he took
out a cigarette looked at it for a moment then put it back
in the pack
lsquoA question arisesrsquo he said
lsquoGorsquo
lsquoYour clientrsquos wife is out of the country and presumably
safe from those who would harm her So he assumes theyrsquolldirect their attention at someone elsersquo
lsquoRightrsquo
lsquoWell why should he care I love the idea of a public-
spirited dope dealer like all those marijuana growers in
Oregon who make huge anonymous cash donations to
Earth First and the eco-saboteurs Well when I was
growing up I liked Robin Hood as far as that goes But
h d ff d k f h b d
7232019 A Walk Among the Tombstones by Lawrence Block Extract
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-walk-among-the-tombstones-by-lawrence-block-extract 67
cash-flow situation thatrsquos all Or they screw up and thatrsquos the
end of them As long as his own wifersquos out of the picturemdashrsquo
lsquoJesus it was a perfectly good story until I told it to you
Danny BoyrsquolsquoSorryrsquo
lsquoHis wife didnrsquot make it out of the country They
snatched her and they killed herrsquo
lsquoHe tried to stonewall Wouldnrsquot pay the ransomrsquo
lsquoHe paid four hundred large They killed her anywayrsquo
His eyes widened lsquoYour ears onlyrsquo I added lsquoThe death
isnrsquot being reported so that part of it shouldnrsquot get out onthe streetrsquo
lsquoI understand Well that makes his motive easier to grasp
He wants to get even Any idea who they arersquo
lsquoNorsquo
lsquoBut you figure theyrsquoll do it againrsquo
lsquoWhy quit on a winning rollrsquo
lsquoNobody ever doesrsquo He helped himself to more vodkaAt both of his regular places they bring him the bottle in an
ice bucket and he drinks great quantities without paying
much attention to it just drinking it down like water
I donrsquot know where he puts it or how his body processes
it
He said lsquoHow many bad guysrsquo
lsquoMinimum of threersquolsquoSplitting four tenths of a mil They might be taking cabs
a lot themselves donrsquot you thinkrsquo
lsquoI had that thought myselfrsquo
lsquoSo if somebodyrsquos throwing a lot of money around that
would be useful informationrsquo
lsquoIt mightrsquo
lsquoAnd the drug dealers especially the major players
h ld h d h h rsquo k f k d
7232019 A Walk Among the Tombstones by Lawrence Block Extract
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-walk-among-the-tombstones-by-lawrence-block-extract 77
lsquoIrsquom not sure about thatrsquo
lsquoWhyrsquos thatrsquo
lsquoI think they enjoyed the killing I think they got off on
it I think they used her sexually and I think they torturedher and then when the novelty wore off they killed herrsquo
lsquoThe body showed signs of torturersquo
lsquoThe body came back in twenty or thirty pieces
individually wrapped And thatrsquos not for the street either I
hadnrsquot planned on mentioning itrsquo
lsquoIrsquod just as soon you hadnrsquot to tell you the truth
Matthew is it my imagination or is the world turningnastierrsquo
lsquoIt doesnrsquot seem to be lightening uprsquo
lsquoIt doesnrsquot does it Remember the Harmonic Conver-
gence all the planets lining up like soldiers Wasnrsquot that
supposed to signal the dawn of some kind of New Agersquo
lsquoIrsquom not holding my breathrsquo
lsquoWell they say itrsquos always darkest before the dawn I see
what you mean though If killingrsquos part of the fun and if
theyrsquore into rape and torture well they wonrsquot pick some
raggedy-ass dope dealer with a beer gut and a five orsquoclock
shadow Nothing queer about these fellowsrsquo
lsquoNorsquo
He thought for a moment lsquoTheyrsquoll have to do it againrsquo
he said lsquoThey could hardly be expected to quit after a score
like that I wonder thoughrsquo
lsquoIf theyrsquove done it before I was wondering the same
thing myselfrsquo
lsquoAndrsquo
lsquoThey were pretty slickrsquo I said lsquoI get the feeling they had
some practice rsquo
7232019 A Walk Among the Tombstones by Lawrence Block Extract
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-walk-among-the-tombstones-by-lawrence-block-extract 37
FIVE
I went to the eight-thirty meeting at St Paulrsquos On the way
over it had crossed my mind that I might run into Pete
Khoury there but he didnrsquot show up Afterward I helped
fold chairs then joined a group of people for coffee at the
Flame I didnrsquot stay there long though because by eleven Iwas at Pooganrsquos Pub on West Seventy-second Street one of
the two places where Danny Boy Bell could generally be
found between the hours of 900 pm and 400 am The
rest of the time you couldnrsquot count on finding him
anywhere
His other place is a jazz club called Mother Goose on
Amsterdam Pooganrsquos was closer so I tried there firstDanny Boy was at his usual table in back deep in
conversation with a dark-skinned black man with a pointed
chin and a button nose He was wearing wraparound
sunglasses with mirrored lenses and a powder-blue suit with
more in the shoulders than God or Goldrsquos Gym could have
put there A little cocoa-brown straw hat perched on top of
his head adorned with a flamingo-pink hatbandI had a Coke at the bar and waited while he finished
his business with Danny Boy After five minutes or so he
uncoiled himself from his chair clapped Danny Boy on
the shoulder laughed heartily and headed for the street
I turned around to get my change from the bar and when I
turned back again his place had been taken by a balding
white man with a brushy mustache and a belly straining at
h h f h d rsquo d h fi f ll h h
7232019 A Walk Among the Tombstones by Lawrence Block Extract
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-walk-among-the-tombstones-by-lawrence-block-extract 47
sporting events I had arrested him once ages ago on an
assault charge but the complainant had decided not to press
it
When Wolf left I took my second Coke with me and satdown lsquoBusy eveningrsquo I said
lsquoI knowrsquo Danny Boy said lsquoPick a number and wait itrsquos
getting as bad as Zabarrsquos Itrsquos good to see you Matthew I
saw you before but I had to suffer through the hour of the
Wolf You must know Seligrsquo
lsquoSure but I didnrsquot know the other fellow Hersquos head of
fund-raising for the United Negro College Fund rightrsquolsquoA mind is a terrible thing to wastersquo he said solemnly
lsquoTo think you would waste yours judging by appearances
The gentleman was wearing a sartorial classic Matthew
known as the zoot suit Thatrsquos a zoot suit you know with a
drape shape and a reet pleat My father had one in his closet
a souvenir of his flaming youth Every now and then he
would take it out and threaten to wear it and my mother would roll her eyesrsquo
lsquoGood for herrsquo
lsquoHis name is Nicholson Jamesrsquo Danny Boy said lsquoIt
should have been James Nicholson but the names were
reversed on some official document early on and he decided
it had more style that way You might say it goes with his
retro fashion statement Mr James is a pimprsquolsquoGo figure I never would have guessedrsquo
Danny Boy poured himself some vodka His own fashion
statement was one of quiet elegance a tailored dark suit and
tie a boldly patterned red-and-black vest He is a very
short slightly built albino African-American ndash it would be
way off the mark to call him black since hersquos anything but
He spends his nights in saloons and hersquos partial to dim
l h d l l l rsquo d l b
7232019 A Walk Among the Tombstones by Lawrence Block Extract
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-walk-among-the-tombstones-by-lawrence-block-extract 57
Pooganrsquos or Mother Goose listening to people and telling
them things
lsquoElainersquos not with yoursquo he said
lsquoNot tonightrsquolsquoGive her my loversquo
lsquoI willrsquo I said lsquoI brought you something Danny Boyrsquo
lsquoOhrsquo
I palmed him a pair of hundreds He looked at the
money without flashing it then glanced at me with his
eyebrows elevated
lsquoI have a prosperous clientrsquo I said lsquoHe wants me to takecabsrsquo
lsquoDid you want me to call you onersquo
lsquoNo but I thought I ought to spread a little of his dough
around All you have to spread is the wordrsquo
lsquoWhat word is thatrsquo
I ran through the official story without mentioning
Kenan Khouryrsquos name Danny Boy listened frowningoccasionally in concentration When I was finished he took
out a cigarette looked at it for a moment then put it back
in the pack
lsquoA question arisesrsquo he said
lsquoGorsquo
lsquoYour clientrsquos wife is out of the country and presumably
safe from those who would harm her So he assumes theyrsquolldirect their attention at someone elsersquo
lsquoRightrsquo
lsquoWell why should he care I love the idea of a public-
spirited dope dealer like all those marijuana growers in
Oregon who make huge anonymous cash donations to
Earth First and the eco-saboteurs Well when I was
growing up I liked Robin Hood as far as that goes But
h d ff d k f h b d
7232019 A Walk Among the Tombstones by Lawrence Block Extract
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-walk-among-the-tombstones-by-lawrence-block-extract 67
cash-flow situation thatrsquos all Or they screw up and thatrsquos the
end of them As long as his own wifersquos out of the picturemdashrsquo
lsquoJesus it was a perfectly good story until I told it to you
Danny BoyrsquolsquoSorryrsquo
lsquoHis wife didnrsquot make it out of the country They
snatched her and they killed herrsquo
lsquoHe tried to stonewall Wouldnrsquot pay the ransomrsquo
lsquoHe paid four hundred large They killed her anywayrsquo
His eyes widened lsquoYour ears onlyrsquo I added lsquoThe death
isnrsquot being reported so that part of it shouldnrsquot get out onthe streetrsquo
lsquoI understand Well that makes his motive easier to grasp
He wants to get even Any idea who they arersquo
lsquoNorsquo
lsquoBut you figure theyrsquoll do it againrsquo
lsquoWhy quit on a winning rollrsquo
lsquoNobody ever doesrsquo He helped himself to more vodkaAt both of his regular places they bring him the bottle in an
ice bucket and he drinks great quantities without paying
much attention to it just drinking it down like water
I donrsquot know where he puts it or how his body processes
it
He said lsquoHow many bad guysrsquo
lsquoMinimum of threersquolsquoSplitting four tenths of a mil They might be taking cabs
a lot themselves donrsquot you thinkrsquo
lsquoI had that thought myselfrsquo
lsquoSo if somebodyrsquos throwing a lot of money around that
would be useful informationrsquo
lsquoIt mightrsquo
lsquoAnd the drug dealers especially the major players
h ld h d h h rsquo k f k d
7232019 A Walk Among the Tombstones by Lawrence Block Extract
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-walk-among-the-tombstones-by-lawrence-block-extract 77
lsquoIrsquom not sure about thatrsquo
lsquoWhyrsquos thatrsquo
lsquoI think they enjoyed the killing I think they got off on
it I think they used her sexually and I think they torturedher and then when the novelty wore off they killed herrsquo
lsquoThe body showed signs of torturersquo
lsquoThe body came back in twenty or thirty pieces
individually wrapped And thatrsquos not for the street either I
hadnrsquot planned on mentioning itrsquo
lsquoIrsquod just as soon you hadnrsquot to tell you the truth
Matthew is it my imagination or is the world turningnastierrsquo
lsquoIt doesnrsquot seem to be lightening uprsquo
lsquoIt doesnrsquot does it Remember the Harmonic Conver-
gence all the planets lining up like soldiers Wasnrsquot that
supposed to signal the dawn of some kind of New Agersquo
lsquoIrsquom not holding my breathrsquo
lsquoWell they say itrsquos always darkest before the dawn I see
what you mean though If killingrsquos part of the fun and if
theyrsquore into rape and torture well they wonrsquot pick some
raggedy-ass dope dealer with a beer gut and a five orsquoclock
shadow Nothing queer about these fellowsrsquo
lsquoNorsquo
He thought for a moment lsquoTheyrsquoll have to do it againrsquo
he said lsquoThey could hardly be expected to quit after a score
like that I wonder thoughrsquo
lsquoIf theyrsquove done it before I was wondering the same
thing myselfrsquo
lsquoAndrsquo
lsquoThey were pretty slickrsquo I said lsquoI get the feeling they had
some practice rsquo
7232019 A Walk Among the Tombstones by Lawrence Block Extract
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-walk-among-the-tombstones-by-lawrence-block-extract 47
sporting events I had arrested him once ages ago on an
assault charge but the complainant had decided not to press
it
When Wolf left I took my second Coke with me and satdown lsquoBusy eveningrsquo I said
lsquoI knowrsquo Danny Boy said lsquoPick a number and wait itrsquos
getting as bad as Zabarrsquos Itrsquos good to see you Matthew I
saw you before but I had to suffer through the hour of the
Wolf You must know Seligrsquo
lsquoSure but I didnrsquot know the other fellow Hersquos head of
fund-raising for the United Negro College Fund rightrsquolsquoA mind is a terrible thing to wastersquo he said solemnly
lsquoTo think you would waste yours judging by appearances
The gentleman was wearing a sartorial classic Matthew
known as the zoot suit Thatrsquos a zoot suit you know with a
drape shape and a reet pleat My father had one in his closet
a souvenir of his flaming youth Every now and then he
would take it out and threaten to wear it and my mother would roll her eyesrsquo
lsquoGood for herrsquo
lsquoHis name is Nicholson Jamesrsquo Danny Boy said lsquoIt
should have been James Nicholson but the names were
reversed on some official document early on and he decided
it had more style that way You might say it goes with his
retro fashion statement Mr James is a pimprsquolsquoGo figure I never would have guessedrsquo
Danny Boy poured himself some vodka His own fashion
statement was one of quiet elegance a tailored dark suit and
tie a boldly patterned red-and-black vest He is a very
short slightly built albino African-American ndash it would be
way off the mark to call him black since hersquos anything but
He spends his nights in saloons and hersquos partial to dim
l h d l l l rsquo d l b
7232019 A Walk Among the Tombstones by Lawrence Block Extract
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Pooganrsquos or Mother Goose listening to people and telling
them things
lsquoElainersquos not with yoursquo he said
lsquoNot tonightrsquolsquoGive her my loversquo
lsquoI willrsquo I said lsquoI brought you something Danny Boyrsquo
lsquoOhrsquo
I palmed him a pair of hundreds He looked at the
money without flashing it then glanced at me with his
eyebrows elevated
lsquoI have a prosperous clientrsquo I said lsquoHe wants me to takecabsrsquo
lsquoDid you want me to call you onersquo
lsquoNo but I thought I ought to spread a little of his dough
around All you have to spread is the wordrsquo
lsquoWhat word is thatrsquo
I ran through the official story without mentioning
Kenan Khouryrsquos name Danny Boy listened frowningoccasionally in concentration When I was finished he took
out a cigarette looked at it for a moment then put it back
in the pack
lsquoA question arisesrsquo he said
lsquoGorsquo
lsquoYour clientrsquos wife is out of the country and presumably
safe from those who would harm her So he assumes theyrsquolldirect their attention at someone elsersquo
lsquoRightrsquo
lsquoWell why should he care I love the idea of a public-
spirited dope dealer like all those marijuana growers in
Oregon who make huge anonymous cash donations to
Earth First and the eco-saboteurs Well when I was
growing up I liked Robin Hood as far as that goes But
h d ff d k f h b d
7232019 A Walk Among the Tombstones by Lawrence Block Extract
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cash-flow situation thatrsquos all Or they screw up and thatrsquos the
end of them As long as his own wifersquos out of the picturemdashrsquo
lsquoJesus it was a perfectly good story until I told it to you
Danny BoyrsquolsquoSorryrsquo
lsquoHis wife didnrsquot make it out of the country They
snatched her and they killed herrsquo
lsquoHe tried to stonewall Wouldnrsquot pay the ransomrsquo
lsquoHe paid four hundred large They killed her anywayrsquo
His eyes widened lsquoYour ears onlyrsquo I added lsquoThe death
isnrsquot being reported so that part of it shouldnrsquot get out onthe streetrsquo
lsquoI understand Well that makes his motive easier to grasp
He wants to get even Any idea who they arersquo
lsquoNorsquo
lsquoBut you figure theyrsquoll do it againrsquo
lsquoWhy quit on a winning rollrsquo
lsquoNobody ever doesrsquo He helped himself to more vodkaAt both of his regular places they bring him the bottle in an
ice bucket and he drinks great quantities without paying
much attention to it just drinking it down like water
I donrsquot know where he puts it or how his body processes
it
He said lsquoHow many bad guysrsquo
lsquoMinimum of threersquolsquoSplitting four tenths of a mil They might be taking cabs
a lot themselves donrsquot you thinkrsquo
lsquoI had that thought myselfrsquo
lsquoSo if somebodyrsquos throwing a lot of money around that
would be useful informationrsquo
lsquoIt mightrsquo
lsquoAnd the drug dealers especially the major players
h ld h d h h rsquo k f k d
7232019 A Walk Among the Tombstones by Lawrence Block Extract
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lsquoIrsquom not sure about thatrsquo
lsquoWhyrsquos thatrsquo
lsquoI think they enjoyed the killing I think they got off on
it I think they used her sexually and I think they torturedher and then when the novelty wore off they killed herrsquo
lsquoThe body showed signs of torturersquo
lsquoThe body came back in twenty or thirty pieces
individually wrapped And thatrsquos not for the street either I
hadnrsquot planned on mentioning itrsquo
lsquoIrsquod just as soon you hadnrsquot to tell you the truth
Matthew is it my imagination or is the world turningnastierrsquo
lsquoIt doesnrsquot seem to be lightening uprsquo
lsquoIt doesnrsquot does it Remember the Harmonic Conver-
gence all the planets lining up like soldiers Wasnrsquot that
supposed to signal the dawn of some kind of New Agersquo
lsquoIrsquom not holding my breathrsquo
lsquoWell they say itrsquos always darkest before the dawn I see
what you mean though If killingrsquos part of the fun and if
theyrsquore into rape and torture well they wonrsquot pick some
raggedy-ass dope dealer with a beer gut and a five orsquoclock
shadow Nothing queer about these fellowsrsquo
lsquoNorsquo
He thought for a moment lsquoTheyrsquoll have to do it againrsquo
he said lsquoThey could hardly be expected to quit after a score
like that I wonder thoughrsquo
lsquoIf theyrsquove done it before I was wondering the same
thing myselfrsquo
lsquoAndrsquo
lsquoThey were pretty slickrsquo I said lsquoI get the feeling they had
some practice rsquo
7232019 A Walk Among the Tombstones by Lawrence Block Extract
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-walk-among-the-tombstones-by-lawrence-block-extract 57
Pooganrsquos or Mother Goose listening to people and telling
them things
lsquoElainersquos not with yoursquo he said
lsquoNot tonightrsquolsquoGive her my loversquo
lsquoI willrsquo I said lsquoI brought you something Danny Boyrsquo
lsquoOhrsquo
I palmed him a pair of hundreds He looked at the
money without flashing it then glanced at me with his
eyebrows elevated
lsquoI have a prosperous clientrsquo I said lsquoHe wants me to takecabsrsquo
lsquoDid you want me to call you onersquo
lsquoNo but I thought I ought to spread a little of his dough
around All you have to spread is the wordrsquo
lsquoWhat word is thatrsquo
I ran through the official story without mentioning
Kenan Khouryrsquos name Danny Boy listened frowningoccasionally in concentration When I was finished he took
out a cigarette looked at it for a moment then put it back
in the pack
lsquoA question arisesrsquo he said
lsquoGorsquo
lsquoYour clientrsquos wife is out of the country and presumably
safe from those who would harm her So he assumes theyrsquolldirect their attention at someone elsersquo
lsquoRightrsquo
lsquoWell why should he care I love the idea of a public-
spirited dope dealer like all those marijuana growers in
Oregon who make huge anonymous cash donations to
Earth First and the eco-saboteurs Well when I was
growing up I liked Robin Hood as far as that goes But
h d ff d k f h b d
7232019 A Walk Among the Tombstones by Lawrence Block Extract
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-walk-among-the-tombstones-by-lawrence-block-extract 67
cash-flow situation thatrsquos all Or they screw up and thatrsquos the
end of them As long as his own wifersquos out of the picturemdashrsquo
lsquoJesus it was a perfectly good story until I told it to you
Danny BoyrsquolsquoSorryrsquo
lsquoHis wife didnrsquot make it out of the country They
snatched her and they killed herrsquo
lsquoHe tried to stonewall Wouldnrsquot pay the ransomrsquo
lsquoHe paid four hundred large They killed her anywayrsquo
His eyes widened lsquoYour ears onlyrsquo I added lsquoThe death
isnrsquot being reported so that part of it shouldnrsquot get out onthe streetrsquo
lsquoI understand Well that makes his motive easier to grasp
He wants to get even Any idea who they arersquo
lsquoNorsquo
lsquoBut you figure theyrsquoll do it againrsquo
lsquoWhy quit on a winning rollrsquo
lsquoNobody ever doesrsquo He helped himself to more vodkaAt both of his regular places they bring him the bottle in an
ice bucket and he drinks great quantities without paying
much attention to it just drinking it down like water
I donrsquot know where he puts it or how his body processes
it
He said lsquoHow many bad guysrsquo
lsquoMinimum of threersquolsquoSplitting four tenths of a mil They might be taking cabs
a lot themselves donrsquot you thinkrsquo
lsquoI had that thought myselfrsquo
lsquoSo if somebodyrsquos throwing a lot of money around that
would be useful informationrsquo
lsquoIt mightrsquo
lsquoAnd the drug dealers especially the major players
h ld h d h h rsquo k f k d
7232019 A Walk Among the Tombstones by Lawrence Block Extract
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-walk-among-the-tombstones-by-lawrence-block-extract 77
lsquoIrsquom not sure about thatrsquo
lsquoWhyrsquos thatrsquo
lsquoI think they enjoyed the killing I think they got off on
it I think they used her sexually and I think they torturedher and then when the novelty wore off they killed herrsquo
lsquoThe body showed signs of torturersquo
lsquoThe body came back in twenty or thirty pieces
individually wrapped And thatrsquos not for the street either I
hadnrsquot planned on mentioning itrsquo
lsquoIrsquod just as soon you hadnrsquot to tell you the truth
Matthew is it my imagination or is the world turningnastierrsquo
lsquoIt doesnrsquot seem to be lightening uprsquo
lsquoIt doesnrsquot does it Remember the Harmonic Conver-
gence all the planets lining up like soldiers Wasnrsquot that
supposed to signal the dawn of some kind of New Agersquo
lsquoIrsquom not holding my breathrsquo
lsquoWell they say itrsquos always darkest before the dawn I see
what you mean though If killingrsquos part of the fun and if
theyrsquore into rape and torture well they wonrsquot pick some
raggedy-ass dope dealer with a beer gut and a five orsquoclock
shadow Nothing queer about these fellowsrsquo
lsquoNorsquo
He thought for a moment lsquoTheyrsquoll have to do it againrsquo
he said lsquoThey could hardly be expected to quit after a score
like that I wonder thoughrsquo
lsquoIf theyrsquove done it before I was wondering the same
thing myselfrsquo
lsquoAndrsquo
lsquoThey were pretty slickrsquo I said lsquoI get the feeling they had
some practice rsquo
7232019 A Walk Among the Tombstones by Lawrence Block Extract
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-walk-among-the-tombstones-by-lawrence-block-extract 67
cash-flow situation thatrsquos all Or they screw up and thatrsquos the
end of them As long as his own wifersquos out of the picturemdashrsquo
lsquoJesus it was a perfectly good story until I told it to you
Danny BoyrsquolsquoSorryrsquo
lsquoHis wife didnrsquot make it out of the country They
snatched her and they killed herrsquo
lsquoHe tried to stonewall Wouldnrsquot pay the ransomrsquo
lsquoHe paid four hundred large They killed her anywayrsquo
His eyes widened lsquoYour ears onlyrsquo I added lsquoThe death
isnrsquot being reported so that part of it shouldnrsquot get out onthe streetrsquo
lsquoI understand Well that makes his motive easier to grasp
He wants to get even Any idea who they arersquo
lsquoNorsquo
lsquoBut you figure theyrsquoll do it againrsquo
lsquoWhy quit on a winning rollrsquo
lsquoNobody ever doesrsquo He helped himself to more vodkaAt both of his regular places they bring him the bottle in an
ice bucket and he drinks great quantities without paying
much attention to it just drinking it down like water
I donrsquot know where he puts it or how his body processes
it
He said lsquoHow many bad guysrsquo
lsquoMinimum of threersquolsquoSplitting four tenths of a mil They might be taking cabs
a lot themselves donrsquot you thinkrsquo
lsquoI had that thought myselfrsquo
lsquoSo if somebodyrsquos throwing a lot of money around that
would be useful informationrsquo
lsquoIt mightrsquo
lsquoAnd the drug dealers especially the major players
h ld h d h h rsquo k f k d
7232019 A Walk Among the Tombstones by Lawrence Block Extract
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-walk-among-the-tombstones-by-lawrence-block-extract 77
lsquoIrsquom not sure about thatrsquo
lsquoWhyrsquos thatrsquo
lsquoI think they enjoyed the killing I think they got off on
it I think they used her sexually and I think they torturedher and then when the novelty wore off they killed herrsquo
lsquoThe body showed signs of torturersquo
lsquoThe body came back in twenty or thirty pieces
individually wrapped And thatrsquos not for the street either I
hadnrsquot planned on mentioning itrsquo
lsquoIrsquod just as soon you hadnrsquot to tell you the truth
Matthew is it my imagination or is the world turningnastierrsquo
lsquoIt doesnrsquot seem to be lightening uprsquo
lsquoIt doesnrsquot does it Remember the Harmonic Conver-
gence all the planets lining up like soldiers Wasnrsquot that
supposed to signal the dawn of some kind of New Agersquo
lsquoIrsquom not holding my breathrsquo
lsquoWell they say itrsquos always darkest before the dawn I see
what you mean though If killingrsquos part of the fun and if
theyrsquore into rape and torture well they wonrsquot pick some
raggedy-ass dope dealer with a beer gut and a five orsquoclock
shadow Nothing queer about these fellowsrsquo
lsquoNorsquo
He thought for a moment lsquoTheyrsquoll have to do it againrsquo
he said lsquoThey could hardly be expected to quit after a score
like that I wonder thoughrsquo
lsquoIf theyrsquove done it before I was wondering the same
thing myselfrsquo
lsquoAndrsquo
lsquoThey were pretty slickrsquo I said lsquoI get the feeling they had
some practice rsquo
7232019 A Walk Among the Tombstones by Lawrence Block Extract
httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-walk-among-the-tombstones-by-lawrence-block-extract 77
lsquoIrsquom not sure about thatrsquo
lsquoWhyrsquos thatrsquo
lsquoI think they enjoyed the killing I think they got off on
it I think they used her sexually and I think they torturedher and then when the novelty wore off they killed herrsquo
lsquoThe body showed signs of torturersquo
lsquoThe body came back in twenty or thirty pieces
individually wrapped And thatrsquos not for the street either I
hadnrsquot planned on mentioning itrsquo
lsquoIrsquod just as soon you hadnrsquot to tell you the truth
Matthew is it my imagination or is the world turningnastierrsquo
lsquoIt doesnrsquot seem to be lightening uprsquo
lsquoIt doesnrsquot does it Remember the Harmonic Conver-
gence all the planets lining up like soldiers Wasnrsquot that
supposed to signal the dawn of some kind of New Agersquo
lsquoIrsquom not holding my breathrsquo
lsquoWell they say itrsquos always darkest before the dawn I see
what you mean though If killingrsquos part of the fun and if
theyrsquore into rape and torture well they wonrsquot pick some
raggedy-ass dope dealer with a beer gut and a five orsquoclock
shadow Nothing queer about these fellowsrsquo
lsquoNorsquo
He thought for a moment lsquoTheyrsquoll have to do it againrsquo
he said lsquoThey could hardly be expected to quit after a score
like that I wonder thoughrsquo
lsquoIf theyrsquove done it before I was wondering the same
thing myselfrsquo
lsquoAndrsquo
lsquoThey were pretty slickrsquo I said lsquoI get the feeling they had
some practice rsquo
