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b047f49
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The Men's Central Jail is an anonymous building behind Central Station, less than ten minutes from the Criminal Courts Building in downtown L.A. I parked in a neat, modern underground parking structure, then walked up steps to a very nice plaza. Nicely dressed people were sipping lattes and strolling about the plaza, and no one seemed to mind that the plaza adjoined a place housing felons and gangbangers and the wild men of an otherwise civ..
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Robert Crais |
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c0e8e0a
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LARKIN WATCHED Pike leaving, and in the moment he stepped outside, he was framed in the open door of their Echo Park house like a picture in a magazine, frozen in time and space. A big man, but not a giant. More average in size than not. With the sleeves covering his arms, and his face turned away, he seemed heartbreakingly normal, which made her love him even more. A superman risked nothing, but an average man risked everything.
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Robert Crais |
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0e04cac
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Kyle was my friend. You have to take care of your friends.
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Robert Crais |
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b0bb3fa
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There is a machine-like quality to Joe, as if he had tuned his body the way he might tune his Jeep, and, as the Jeep was perfectly tuned, so was his body. It was easy to imagine him doing a thousand pushups or running a hundred miles, as if his body were an instrument of his mind, as if his mind were a well of limitless resource and unimaginable strength. If the mind said start, the body would start. When the mind said stop, the body would ..
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Robert Crais |
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9372967
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The buzz cut and his friend came over. "You are coming with us." The buzz cut spoke the words with a careful, starched pronunciation that made me think of Arnold Schwarzenegger, only the accent was Russian. "Sez who?" I can slay 'em with these comebacks."
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Robert Crais |
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4af9c2e
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Pike closed his eyes, and filled his lungs, then pushed with his diaphragm. He breathed deep again. Pranayamic breathing from the hatha yoga. Pike lost himself in a cool forest glade, dappled by sunlight filtered through lime green leaves. When he breathed, he smelled moss and sumac. His pulse slowed. He grew calm. He centered. Pike
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Robert Crais |
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86be4a4
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She said, "Oh, Studly." I could see her smile. "The law is not about justice. You know that."
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Robert Crais |
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359dfd9
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Eternal vigilance is the price of freedom.
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Robert Crais |
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26ac314
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Throughout the meal Lucy would grin with the knowledge of her secret, and I would ask, "What?" and she would say, "You'll see." Then everyone stopped looking at Johnny Depp and turned toward the door. Lucy grinned wider, and I looked, too. Joe came over, gliding across the floor as the room parted for him. Tall men in sleeveless sweatshirts and dark glasses and brilliant red tattoos tend to stand out in Spago. Even Johnny Depp was looking."
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Robert Crais |
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fd973c5
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The girl seemed even younger in sleep, and smaller, as if part of her had vanished into the couch. With her asleep, Pike believed he was seeing her Original Person. Pike believed each person created himself or herself; you built yourself from the inside out, with the tensions and will of the inside person holding the outside person together. The outside person was the face you showed the world; it was your mask, your camouflage, your messag..
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Robert Crais |
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23661c5
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to the bullet clips the same way every
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Robert Crais |
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edec82b
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fuckin
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Robert Crais |
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1c11019
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Sometimes. Sometimes you can change what's there, sometimes what's there changes you.
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Robert Crais |
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70a9ef2
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The zen of housecleaning allows one to reach inner peace.
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Robert Crais |
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44c8649
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Bender's eyebrows kissed in a frown.
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Robert Crais |
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012dc1f
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We have to look at the people who opened the case, and see how they're tied with the I-Man. Melon gave me a hint. He told me the I-Man never does anything alone, and only with people he trusts. He wasn't implying they're honest." "What"
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Robert Crais |
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e077172
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She spoke in a fast rush. "Can't talk. Meet me in forty minutes. Say where." Forty minutes. Not half an hour or an hour. Forty. Like we were Ukrainian spies. We"
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Robert Crais |
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45f814d
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Waiters and busboys flowed in and out of the kitchen, and walked on tightropes between the tables.
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Robert Crais |
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bfd17fe
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I told myself Tyson was going to pick up their laptops, but half a mile later they joined the drive-thru line at an In-N-Out Burger. Tyson. Eating was constant. Maybe he needed sustenance before they retrieved the laptops.
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Robert Crais |
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bf1c351
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Amber tried to pull away, but couldn't. "Let go! Lemme go! You can't--" I ignored her and focused on Tyson. "Is anyone here besides you and Amber?" Tyson stood mute, eyes unnaturally wide, too scared to answer. Amber thrashed pretty good."
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Robert Crais |
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a7c2cd9
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She glanced at Pike again. "He doesn't look like a detective." Pike's head moved, just enough to acknowledge he heard her. His shades were so dark, they looked like twin doors to nowhere. He considered her, but said nothing. He turned back to the peephole. Amber grinned."
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Robert Crais |
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91ecf57
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Amber was cooperative once she got on board, and Tyson was docile. We grabbed Tyson's backpack and toiletries, and Amber stuffed a few clothes and toiletries into a tote bag. I watched what they packed, and checked their bags. Amber moved quickly once she got going, and didn't whine or complain. Tyson said nothing, and avoided eye contact. I grabbed two towels from Amber's bathroom on the way out, and tossed a towel to Joe. He draped it ove..
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Robert Crais |
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35f04a6
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I watched the mirror for black sedans as we pulled away, and checked every side street as we drove to the freeway. I looked for their big black beast as we climbed the ramp, and kept looking, even after the freeway swallowed us, a buffalo joining a herd, one hiding among the many, and finally safe.
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Robert Crais |
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7c042f8
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The neighbor's dog burst into frenzied barking. Devon jumped so hard, she clutched the door. Toby was a big dog with a loud bark. He sounded right outside the window, crazy loud snarling barks like he wanted to tear something apart. The barking stopped. Devon heard a car, and a faraway truck, and birds. Then a creak from the front of the house. Her heart slammed. Devon couldn't tell if the sound came from inside the house, or out. It could ..
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Robert Crais |
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48795fb
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Tyson looked miserable as we drove to The Carl, and neither of us said much. We each had our reasons, but our reasons were different.
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Robert Crais |
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84543c5
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Deep purple moved through the blue as Pike left. Pike was creepy good at this stuff, but Pike had taken a serious risk by entering Jon's home. A cocked-and-locked Kimber .45 was only inches away, not that it had done Jon any good. Embarrassing. Jon
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Robert Crais |
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3a73759
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He took memory sticks and an external drive from his desk, and cables from the mess on the floor. Pike loaded his gear into the backpack, and we made our way toward the garage. Pike stopped when we reached the living room. "The fish." The aquarium stood on its stand, bubbling. I said, "What about them?" Tyson said, "We gotta feed them." We waited while Pike fed the fish, then followed him into the garage. The walls were lined with gray meta..
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Robert Crais |
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380a9b0
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The tears were his. Tyson had earned them.
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Robert Crais |
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32adfa9
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She asked me why I always had something flip to say. I said that I didn't know, but having been blessed with the gift, I felt obliged to use it.
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Robert Crais |
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b2bf52e
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Most of the homes were immaculate Spanish or Mediterranean villas, reminiscent of an earlier time and rich with genteel elegance. More Ross Macdonald than Raymond Chandler.
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Robert Crais |
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98c9600
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An older woman wearing breeches and riding boots pushed a stroller out of a driveway and into the street. I stopped to let her cross. She smiled, thanking me. I smiled, saying take your time. A tiny hand reached from the stroller and waved at the sky.
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Robert Crais |
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3376c9c
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A black Chevy coupe with acne corrosion passed in the opposite direction, and two aging black pickups.
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Robert Crais |
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a9b2ce6
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I don't get the new shoe business." "You walk around, step on stuff, the heel gets nicked, the sole picks up dings and cuts. A pattern develops, right? It's called a Schallamach pattern. And since no two people walk exactly alike, the Schallamach on your shoe is unique to you."
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Robert Crais |
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95ec178
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I'll be there in five." Eight minutes later I parked in the parking garage, climbed the four flights to my floor, and walked down the hall. The building has an elevator, but tough guys climbed stairs. Picture me bristling with manliness. Also, impatience. Cindy's door was closed. The door to the little insurance agency across from my office was closed. My door was open."
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Robert Crais |
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d60ac90
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Tyson glanced at Amber, and eased his phone from his pocket. He was frowning at my reply when Amber stepped away from the woman and her dog. Tyson saw her turn, and jammed the phone back into his pocket. Even from the sidewalk, his mad scramble to hide the phone told me Tyson was keeping secrets. Double hm.
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Robert Crais |
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1d29d7f
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I had seen Tyson in person only once, and then from a block away. He was a nice-looking kid, but held himself close, as if wary. Amber was the opposite. She was lean, pretty, and her smile was bright with confident energy. A blousy, off-the-shoulder cream top exposed flawless skin, and long, slender legs were revealed by little white shorts that were loose, but not nasty. The Gucci sunglasses looked great on her.
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Robert Crais |
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a6d0081
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Amber swirled up from behind him, and rolled over him like a wave. "We don't have our drinks? What's taking so long?" She leaned forward across the counter, and spoke so quickly her words mashed together. "Agrandeskinnycaramelmacchiatowithextrafoam and aventivanillafrappuccinowithextravanilla. You didn't give them to someone else, did you? We need caf-feine!" Her personality swept over and around him, and defined their dynamic. He stood tal..
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Robert Crais |
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3ac3589
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Amber said, "I love your earrings." The waitress rolled her eyes. "Boyfriend medicine." "Girl, don't I know!" They laughed together like besties forever. Tyson had seen Amber's magic too many times to count, but it still left him awed. People fell in love with her." --
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Robert Crais |
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e7486d9
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The Godfather doesn't call the police. He sends Luca Brasi.
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Robert Crais |
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edd21cc
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Men like Neff and Hensman lived between raindrops and worked under eaves.
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Robert Crais |
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cd6fd99
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I looked at the picture, and Tyson looked back. Dave was speaking, but his voice was lost. I thought about Devon. She would have questions I couldn't answer. She would need help I wasn't sure I could give.
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Robert Crais |
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4d57ddf
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Manchuria
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Robert Crais |
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b46ee6a
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The bodyguard and the driver took the old man's arms and the four of them crept up the walk, moving at an old man's pace. The front door opened almost at once, revealing a burly man in his middle forties. He was short but wide, with a weight lifter's chest and thin legs. His face was round, and pocked so badly he looked like a pineapple; his arms were covered with gang tats and scars. He studied Pike, then looked at the old man and held his..
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Robert Crais |
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2f1397c
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THE GIRL was moody getting out of the car, making a sour face to let him know she hated the shabby house and sun-scorched street smelling of chili and episote. To him, this anonymous house would serve. He searched the surrounding houses for threats as he waited for her, clearing the area the way another man might clear his throat. He felt obvious wearing the long-sleeved shirt. The Los Angeles sun was too hot for the sleeves, but he had lit..
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Robert Crais |