Repairman Jack [03]-Conspiracies

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Book: Repairman Jack [03]-Conspiracies by F. Paul Wilson Read Free Book Online
Authors: F. Paul Wilson
Tags: Fiction, General, detective, Suspense, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery
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you let that happen?"
    The slide said nothing.
    "You fuckin' b-g!" Knitcap went on. "You had the gun in his face and let it go?"
    "As I was saying," Jack told the former gun owner, "that's a stupid way to hold a pistol. Not secure at all." He gestured to the ground. "Okay, guys. Have a seat."
    The slide finally spoke. "Fuck you!"
    Jack lowered the pistol and shot him in the foot. The report echoed like a cannon blast in the tunnel as the slide cried out and fell to the ground, moaning, rolling, and clutching his abruptly four-toed foot.
    Knitcap was down in a sitting position before the sound of the shot had completely faded away. He held his hands in the air.
    "I'm down! I'm sittin'!"
    Jack knew the appearance of the jogger had set a timer in motion, and the sound of the shot would only accelerate that. The underpass would funnel the report right toward Fifth Avenue. He had to figure someone in that direction had heard it, and was probably dialing 911 right now. Times like this, Jack hated cell phones.
    Had to move fast.
    "All right. Both of you—empty your pockets. I want to see everything you've got, even the lint. Put it all in Mr. Smith and Wesson's Yankee hat."
    Slowly, grudgingly, Knitcap complied, but the slide wouldn't let go of his bloody foot.
    "I can't, man!" he moaned. "My foot!"
    "Weren't you the tough guy gonna bust one in my face a minute ago?" Jack said. "You can get along fine with nine toes, but let's see how far you'll get with one knee, because that's where I bust the next one if you don't start emptying pockets now!"
    The slide got to it. Another knife appeared, extra rounds for the pistol, some change, and about a hundred in small bills between them.
    "Don't forget the rings and necklaces," Jack said.
    "Aw, not my dog, man," said Knitcap.
    "You're obviously a betting man," Jack said, pointing the pistol at his neck. "How much you wanna bet I can shoot that big fat chain holding the dog without hitting your neck?"
    With a sullen look he tugged off the rings and tossed them into the cap. Then with a look of utter misery, he grabbed the gold bulldog, broke the chain, and dropped it into the cap with the rest. He punched the back of the slide's shoulder—hard.
    "Told you to let me handle it, but no, you gotta bring out the fuckin' chrome."
    The slide just clutched his bloody sneaker and said nothing.
    Jack bent, retrieved the cash he'd dropped, then picked up the hat.
    "Nice doing business with you guys," he said, then trotted off, leaving them sitting in the shadows.
    He didn't expect them to come after him again. After all, they were unarmed now and one of them wasn't walking too well. And at the moment they were probably lots more interested in getting out of the park before the cops came, then coming up with a good story for the shaker as to why they were returning bloody footed and empty handed.
    Jack shoved the take into his pockets, then pressed the cap against his bleeding throat as he slowed to an energetic walk. Not a lot of blood there, but enough to attract attention.
    He felt a little shaky from the adrenaline aftereffects. Too close back there. He'd been lucky. It could have come out a lot worse—the slide could have simply shot him on sight and Jack would have been done.
    Why had he given in to a spur-of-the-moment gig? It went against all his rules. These things had to be planned. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
    He passed the statue of Balto the sled dog, then angled past the zoo. By the time he'd climbed the steps to Fifth at Sixty-fourth Street, he'd calculated that his little haul probably would add up to over a thousand after he hocked the gun, knives, and jewelry. The Little Leaguers ought to be able to buy lots of uniforms and equipment with that.
    He doubted they'd want the bloodstained Yankee cap, though.

2

    "A couple of days and then he'll be on his way back to Florida," Gia said. "You survived this food ... you can survive your father."
    She glanced up at him with her azure eyes, then

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