Another Life by Andrew Vachss

Author:Andrew Vachss
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9780307377821
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Published: 2008-06-27T16:00:00+00:00

Border-crossing isn’t what it used to be. But Homeland Security never was what it was supposed to be.

All it took was a quick conversation over a sat-phone, ending with a PIN number that would disgorge bank-certified cash from a certain ATM. The one we used had security cameras that were easier to grease than a poultry inspector. Less than forty-eight hours after my call, I touched down in Geneva.

The hotel was still there. Same name, same spot. Only now it was part of an international chain. You never have to worry about some Historical Preservation Society interfering in a country where the most treasured tradition is treasure.

Looking around the lobby, I didn’t see anything I remembered. But I wasn’t looking for memories.

The last time I’d been there, it had been an all-cash experience. This time, my suite had been direct-billed to an import-export company. That company was as phony as my passport, but it was flush with some of the absolutely real money Pryce had handed over in that gym bag.

I wasn’t worried about the hotel running any serious check on my personal paperwork, but I knew the credit card would have already been vetted like a candidate for bank president.

I was booked in for eight days. I had to move fast and walk slow. Like being back Inside.

Dinner didn’t give me any hints. The only way to tell the wealthy vacationers from the arms dealers was the age gap between them and their female companions. And even that was a guess. All the servers were too young for me to even think about asking them my question.

Access to the hotel’s personnel records was about as likely as the chef allowing me to take over the kitchen for the evening.

The concierge was everything you’d expect in such a joint—he knew all the answers, including the ones he couldn’t give out.

In a spy novel, I’d charm some luscious chambermaid into bed. Her best pal would be a girl who worked in the pension department. A few hours of expertly inducing full-body orgasms, and I’d have all my answers.

Me, I went for a walk. At least the damn river still looked the same.

The little shop where I’d gone after I’d been taught to say, “Avez-vous des livres anglais?” was still there . . . but it wasn’t a bookstore anymore.

The man who’d taught me that phrase was who I was looking for. Norbert had been a junior concierge when I’d come to this same hotel, eons ago. He was only a few years older than me, but a century ahead in experience.

I’m not sure what tipped him, but the possibilities were endless: my clothes weren’t right; I couldn’t speak French or German, never mind Russian or Chinese; I didn’t know “steak tartare” meant raw meat. And the only time I’d seen the inside of a prep school had been during a burglary.

After I’d waited a couple of days, Norbert came over to where I was sitting in the lobby. I was smoking the last of the Dunhills I’d picked up in England, figuring they’d give me some class.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
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.