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Authors: Robert B. Parker
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top of her, his face pressed in her hair, she made a small hip thrust that told him to get off. As he withdrew she shivered slightly as she always did.
He rolled over on his back beside her, holding her hand. She squeezed his hand, then pulled hers away. And sat up on the edge of the bed.
“I’ve got to get up,” she said. “I’m full of glop.”
10
In the morning Janet went to the Boston Public Library and spent the day in the microfilm room reading back issues of
The Boston Globe
for information about Adolph Karl. She went up to the university for her one o’clock class and came back at two-thirty and worked until five. When she got home at six that evening she knew that Karl was married, had two sons, had been in jail for five years on an armed-assault charge, had been arrested four other times for loan sharking and narcotics and had been released. She knew that one of his sons had graduated from B.C. and was now in Suffolk law school. She knew that Karl had a summer home in Fryeburg, Maine. That he like to hunt and fish around Fyreburg, that he was probably active in organized crime, had probably killed four people. She knew that Mrs. Karl’s first name was Madelyn and that her maiden name had been Corsetti and that she was active in Roman Catholic women’s groups in Lynn and Boston. And she knew that Adolph Karl owned a discount furniture store on Portland Street in Boston.
Her husband and Chris Hood learned of the storetoo. It was ten-thirty in the morning when Karl and two other men came out of the house and got into the blue Lincoln with the orange vinyl roof. Hood watched from the seawall and then turned and stared out to sea. Newman started the Bronco and cruised down slowly. He stopped, Hood got in, and they swung out three cars behind the Lincoln.
“He alone?” Newman asked.
“No. There’s two men with him. He’s in the back seat with one of them. The other one’s driving.”
The blue Lincoln drove west along the shore drive onto the Lynnway, and south on the Lynnway. It stopped once at a doughnut shop. The man in the back seat got out and went into the shop. Newman pulled the Bronco into a gas station next door and parked by the air hose.
“That Karl?” Hood said.
“No.”
Hood got out and put air in the tires. The man came back out of the doughnut shop with a box of doughnuts and a paper bag. Hood got back in the Bronco. The Lincoln pulled back out into the Lynnway traffic, the Bronco fell in behind it. They drove to Boston.
The Lincoln pulled up into a loading zone with a yellow curb and parked in front of a furniture store on Portland Street just up from North Station. The sign said Adolph Karl’s Union Furniture. Karl and the two other men got out and went in. Newman drove around the block. On the next pass by Union Furniture the Lincoln was still there.
“Why don’t you go in and look around?” Newman said. “I’ll keep circling.”
Hood nodded. “Let me out on the corner. I’ll strollin and act like a customer. You go around the block and be on that corner. Double-park there. If I have to come out fast I want to know you’ll be there.”
Newman said, “I’ll be there.” He stopped the car.
Hood got out of the car and strolled toward the furniture store. Newman put the car back in gear and went around the block again. He double-parked where Hood had told him to. He could see the front of the store. As he sat, a short fat woman in a tight pink dress that didn’t reach her knees shuffled up to the car. She wore blue rubber clogs on her feet. She handed a card through the window of the Bronco. Newman took it. The card said, “I am a deaf mute. You may buy this card for a quarter.” Newman dug a quarter from his pocket and gave it to the woman. Her hair was gray and in a tight coil at the back of her head. She wore sunglasses. She took the quarter and moved away up Portland Street, toward Government Center. Newman turned the card over. On the back were diagrams of
He rolled over on his back beside her, holding her hand. She squeezed his hand, then pulled hers away. And sat up on the edge of the bed.
“I’ve got to get up,” she said. “I’m full of glop.”
10
In the morning Janet went to the Boston Public Library and spent the day in the microfilm room reading back issues of
The Boston Globe
for information about Adolph Karl. She went up to the university for her one o’clock class and came back at two-thirty and worked until five. When she got home at six that evening she knew that Karl was married, had two sons, had been in jail for five years on an armed-assault charge, had been arrested four other times for loan sharking and narcotics and had been released. She knew that one of his sons had graduated from B.C. and was now in Suffolk law school. She knew that Karl had a summer home in Fryeburg, Maine. That he like to hunt and fish around Fyreburg, that he was probably active in organized crime, had probably killed four people. She knew that Mrs. Karl’s first name was Madelyn and that her maiden name had been Corsetti and that she was active in Roman Catholic women’s groups in Lynn and Boston. And she knew that Adolph Karl owned a discount furniture store on Portland Street in Boston.
Her husband and Chris Hood learned of the storetoo. It was ten-thirty in the morning when Karl and two other men came out of the house and got into the blue Lincoln with the orange vinyl roof. Hood watched from the seawall and then turned and stared out to sea. Newman started the Bronco and cruised down slowly. He stopped, Hood got in, and they swung out three cars behind the Lincoln.
“He alone?” Newman asked.
“No. There’s two men with him. He’s in the back seat with one of them. The other one’s driving.”
The blue Lincoln drove west along the shore drive onto the Lynnway, and south on the Lynnway. It stopped once at a doughnut shop. The man in the back seat got out and went into the shop. Newman pulled the Bronco into a gas station next door and parked by the air hose.
“That Karl?” Hood said.
“No.”
Hood got out and put air in the tires. The man came back out of the doughnut shop with a box of doughnuts and a paper bag. Hood got back in the Bronco. The Lincoln pulled back out into the Lynnway traffic, the Bronco fell in behind it. They drove to Boston.
The Lincoln pulled up into a loading zone with a yellow curb and parked in front of a furniture store on Portland Street just up from North Station. The sign said Adolph Karl’s Union Furniture. Karl and the two other men got out and went in. Newman drove around the block. On the next pass by Union Furniture the Lincoln was still there.
“Why don’t you go in and look around?” Newman said. “I’ll keep circling.”
Hood nodded. “Let me out on the corner. I’ll strollin and act like a customer. You go around the block and be on that corner. Double-park there. If I have to come out fast I want to know you’ll be there.”
Newman said, “I’ll be there.” He stopped the car.
Hood got out of the car and strolled toward the furniture store. Newman put the car back in gear and went around the block again. He double-parked where Hood had told him to. He could see the front of the store. As he sat, a short fat woman in a tight pink dress that didn’t reach her knees shuffled up to the car. She wore blue rubber clogs on her feet. She handed a card through the window of the Bronco. Newman took it. The card said, “I am a deaf mute. You may buy this card for a quarter.” Newman dug a quarter from his pocket and gave it to the woman. Her hair was gray and in a tight coil at the back of her head. She wore sunglasses. She took the quarter and moved away up Portland Street, toward Government Center. Newman turned the card over. On the back were diagrams of
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