12b The Blackbird by Richard Stark
Author:Richard Stark [Stark, Richard]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00
FIFTEEN
THE TRUCK stopped.
Grofield roused himself from a brown study. âWe there?â
âNo no,â Marba said, smiling. âWe have a long way to go yet. Weâre just stopping for lunch.â
âLunch?â Grofield looked at his wrist, but his watch wasnât there any more, it had gone away with his gabby clothing.
âNearly one oâclock,â Marba said. âShall we go?â
The others had already started to get out of the truck, and Grofield and Marba joined them, stepping down into cold clear sunlight on a quiet street in what looked like a neat New England town. Grofield said, âAm I allowed to know where I am?â
âCertainly. This is Roberval, on Lake Saint John. Weâre about a hundred and seventy miles north of Quebec.â
âI donât see the lake.â
âI believe itâs in that direction.â
âWhatâs north of here?â
âVery little. Woods, mountains, lakes.â
âRoads?â
Marba smiled. âAll in good time,â he said, and took Grofieldâs arm. âWeâll pay for lunch, of course.â
The restaurant was a smallish white clapboard building, converted from a private home. Three bearded men in hunting jackets sat in a corner sharing a bottle of red wine and speaking together in French. There had been ten people in the truck, nine in the back and the driver, and they now spread themselves over three tables, generally segregating themselves by race. There were three Orientals, and they sat at one table. The driver was a Caucasian, possibly an American, and he sat with the two Latin Americans. That left Marba and two other blacks, who took the table beside the window overlooking the side street where the truck was parked. Grofield joined this latter trio, staying close to Marba.
The waitress spoke only French, but it turned out to be a language Marba knew, so there was no trouble. Grofield chose a veal cutlet and asked, âDoes your expense account cover wine?â
âI believe so,â Marba said, and ordered.
While waiting for their food, Grofield tried to start a conversation with the other two, but Marba said, âIâm sorry, they donât speak English.â
Grofield looked at their stolid faces. They were both young and strong-looking, with burly shoulders and thick necks. Bodyguard types, who wouldnât be expected to communicate with words. âThey speak French?â
âNo. Nothing but a dialect you wouldnât have heard of.â
Grofield looked at him. âWould I have heard it on that tape?â
âTape?â Marba looked blank.
âThe one your people played for me.â
âOh! Grofield, Iâve already assured you we didnât murder your friend Carlson.â
âHave you listened to the tape?â
âYes, of course.â
âDid you recognize the language?â
âToward the end, do you mean?â
âWhile he was killing Carlson, I mean.â
Marba shook his head. âNo, it wasnât familiar to me. But I donât believe it was an African language. It didnât seem to be related to any of the African languages I know.â
Grofield looked around the room. âWeâve also got Asians,â he said. âAnd Latin Americans. And God knows what else.â
Marba smiled. âWe could be termed heterogeneous,â he said. âBut I will tell you that we played that section of tape for different members of our party, and none of them recognized it.
Download
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.
THE SOUTH BANK MURDERS an absolutely gripping crime mystery with a massive twist (Detective Rob Miller Mysteries Book 5) by Biba Pearce(1008)
All is Vanity: (Parish & Richards #21) by Tim Ellis(994)
Broken Whispers: An Arranged Marriage Mafia Romance (Perfectly Imperfect Book 2) by Neva Altaj(935)
Fever Pitch (Kenzie Gilmore Crime Thriller Book 6) by Biba Pearce & Without Warrant(849)
Dead Heat: A Kenzie Gilmore Thriller by Biba Pearce & Without Warrant(815)
THE VITAL MINUTE an utterly gripping crime mystery thriller full of twists by Ormerod Roger(713)
The Quiet Tenant by Clémence Michallon(710)
Dark Angel by John Sandford(698)
Brotherhood: An urban thriller packed full of suspense (Mason & Sterling Thrillers Book 1) by David Beckler(673)
Beset (The Lieutenant Harrington Series Book 2) by Reinhard E.H. & Reinhard E.H(669)
Storm Surge (Kenzie Gilmore Crime Thriller Book 7) by BIBA PEARCE & Without Warrant(593)
Cold Sky by Ryan L.T. & Pearce Biba(572)
Burnout: A Kenzie Gilmore Thriller by Biba Pearce & Without Warrant(560)
The Island by Adrian McKinty(540)
Deep Heat (Kenzie Gilmore Crime Thriller Book 5) by Biba Pearce & Without Warrant(528)
Livid: a Scarpetta Novel by Patricia Cornwell(526)
The Lie Maker by Linwood Barclay(525)
The Marlow Murders by Biba Pearce(491)
Unnatural Death by Cornwell Patricia(487)
