Read Online Parker 05 - The Darkness by Jason Pinter - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Jason Pinter
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eyes settled on us, and I caught him taking
a deep breath. He wasn't making any secret that he didn't
want to be talking to us, and resented the fact that we were
even here.
I stood up, assumed Jack would do the same. When he
didn't, I looked at him. He didn't seem to have noticed there
was someone else in the room; either that or he didn't care.
"Mr. O'Donnell?" the man said. Now Jack's eyes
perked up. He didn't say a word, waited for the other man
to speak. "Bill Talcott. How can I help you?"
Jack stood up. Gave Talcott a once-over, sizing him up.
Talcott shifted as he stood there, eyes meeting the floor.
Jack was trying to make the guy nervous, take him out of
any comfort zone he might have. It didn't look like Talcott
had much of one when he joined us, but I guess Jack
wanted to break his spirit completely.
"Thanks for finally joining us," Jack said.
"My apologies for the wait." He glanced at Iris with a
condescending, apologetic smile, as though blaming her
for the delay. Iris didn't look up from her desk. This did
not paint Mr. Talcott in an impressive light.
"Actually Iris was quite helpful," Jack said. I noticed
Iris's face look up slightly. "You have no need to embarrass her. Or yourself."
Talcott's face went pink, and he stammered. "Of
course, I didn't mean to put anybody down. We're all
66
Jason Pinter
under an enormous amount of stress these days, as you
can imagine. And if I can say so, without embarrassing
myself again, I'm a fan of your work, Mr. O'Donnell."
Jack nodded, but did not respond to the compliment.
"Should we go somewhere more private?" he said.
"Is this an issue that requires privacy?" Talcott said,
confused.
"I'd say so."
Talcott nodded, said, "Right this way." We followed
him down the hallway behind the reception desk. The
corridor was filled with gray metal filing cabinets. A few
people stood by, filing, rifling through papers with a
quickness that said they'd done it for years. On the walls
hung pictures of buildings. Some residential, some commercial, obviously the properties Orchid Realty managed.
We passed by a small kitchen and a large conference
room, and eventually were led into Talcott's office. He
ushered us in and closed the door. There were two leather
chairs in front of a heavy marble desk. The desk, as well
as the windowsills and bookshelves, were lined with
snow globes from around the world. The man had literally hundreds of them.
"I buy one in every city I set foot in," Talcott said
proudly. "Three hundred and forty-eight and counting."
Jack and I sat down. Talcott seemed disappointed that
we weren't impressed. We took out our notepads and pens
as Talcott sat down. He waited a moment to see if we might
compliment his collection. When it was clear we weren't
going to, he said, "So, gentlemen. What can I do for you?"
"First off, Mr. Talcott, this is my associate Henry
Parker. My apologies for not introducing him earlier."
"Parker," Talcott said. "Where have I heard that name
before?"
The Darkness
67
"It's a pretty common surname," I replied.
"Any relation to Peter Parker?" Talcott asked.
"You mean Spider-Man?"
"Is that the character's name? I could have sworn I
knew someone else named Parker. In any event, your
name does ring a bell."
I looked at Jack, hoping we could move on. He seemed
to get the nod.
"Mr. Talcott," he said, "do you manage the property at
sixteen-twenty Avenue of the Americas?"
"I do," Talcott said.
"Are you aware of a company called 718 Enterprises
that, up until recently, occupied space in that building?"
Talcott took a moment before responding, "No."
Jack's eyebrows raised. "You're saying there was
never a company at that location with the name 718 Enterprises, or anything similar to that?"
"Yes," he said.
"Yes, there was a company, or yes there was not?"
"There was no company with that name at that location."
Jack turned to me, shifting his whole body. I realized
Jack had never seen
a deep breath. He wasn't making any secret that he didn't
want to be talking to us, and resented the fact that we were
even here.
I stood up, assumed Jack would do the same. When he
didn't, I looked at him. He didn't seem to have noticed there
was someone else in the room; either that or he didn't care.
"Mr. O'Donnell?" the man said. Now Jack's eyes
perked up. He didn't say a word, waited for the other man
to speak. "Bill Talcott. How can I help you?"
Jack stood up. Gave Talcott a once-over, sizing him up.
Talcott shifted as he stood there, eyes meeting the floor.
Jack was trying to make the guy nervous, take him out of
any comfort zone he might have. It didn't look like Talcott
had much of one when he joined us, but I guess Jack
wanted to break his spirit completely.
"Thanks for finally joining us," Jack said.
"My apologies for the wait." He glanced at Iris with a
condescending, apologetic smile, as though blaming her
for the delay. Iris didn't look up from her desk. This did
not paint Mr. Talcott in an impressive light.
"Actually Iris was quite helpful," Jack said. I noticed
Iris's face look up slightly. "You have no need to embarrass her. Or yourself."
Talcott's face went pink, and he stammered. "Of
course, I didn't mean to put anybody down. We're all
66
Jason Pinter
under an enormous amount of stress these days, as you
can imagine. And if I can say so, without embarrassing
myself again, I'm a fan of your work, Mr. O'Donnell."
Jack nodded, but did not respond to the compliment.
"Should we go somewhere more private?" he said.
"Is this an issue that requires privacy?" Talcott said,
confused.
"I'd say so."
Talcott nodded, said, "Right this way." We followed
him down the hallway behind the reception desk. The
corridor was filled with gray metal filing cabinets. A few
people stood by, filing, rifling through papers with a
quickness that said they'd done it for years. On the walls
hung pictures of buildings. Some residential, some commercial, obviously the properties Orchid Realty managed.
We passed by a small kitchen and a large conference
room, and eventually were led into Talcott's office. He
ushered us in and closed the door. There were two leather
chairs in front of a heavy marble desk. The desk, as well
as the windowsills and bookshelves, were lined with
snow globes from around the world. The man had literally hundreds of them.
"I buy one in every city I set foot in," Talcott said
proudly. "Three hundred and forty-eight and counting."
Jack and I sat down. Talcott seemed disappointed that
we weren't impressed. We took out our notepads and pens
as Talcott sat down. He waited a moment to see if we might
compliment his collection. When it was clear we weren't
going to, he said, "So, gentlemen. What can I do for you?"
"First off, Mr. Talcott, this is my associate Henry
Parker. My apologies for not introducing him earlier."
"Parker," Talcott said. "Where have I heard that name
before?"
The Darkness
67
"It's a pretty common surname," I replied.
"Any relation to Peter Parker?" Talcott asked.
"You mean Spider-Man?"
"Is that the character's name? I could have sworn I
knew someone else named Parker. In any event, your
name does ring a bell."
I looked at Jack, hoping we could move on. He seemed
to get the nod.
"Mr. Talcott," he said, "do you manage the property at
sixteen-twenty Avenue of the Americas?"
"I do," Talcott said.
"Are you aware of a company called 718 Enterprises
that, up until recently, occupied space in that building?"
Talcott took a moment before responding, "No."
Jack's eyebrows raised. "You're saying there was
never a company at that location with the name 718 Enterprises, or anything similar to that?"
"Yes," he said.
"Yes, there was a company, or yes there was not?"
"There was no company with that name at that location."
Jack turned to me, shifting his whole body. I realized
Jack had never seen
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