Death of Television by Conal O'Brien

Author:Conal O'Brien
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: BookBaby
Published: 2022-09-15T13:50:09+00:00

Chapter Five

Monday, July 19th, 2021

“Anything new from Ray?” Mak asked as he steered the car off the Palisades Parkway at the first exit.

“No.” Artemis was sitting in the front passenger seat checking his messages. “But I spent a while going over his report last night.” In New Jersey, the morning was already getting hot and humid, but Artemis lowered his window halfway to let in the fresh air. He took a long breath.

“How are you?” Mak asked.

“Okay,” Artemis murmured. “Thanks.”

“So, Bert Rocca,” Mak said to distract him. “I wasn’t surprised to hear he was dead. You?”

“No,” Artemis agreed. “He was a patsy. But I have been wondering about the timing. Rocca was in Italy for more than a year and a half. Why was he killed now?”

Mak turned at a traffic light onto a tree-lined suburban street. Artemis scanned the well-tended houses with their green lawns and manicured gardens. Mak took a quick check and saw that faraway look in his friend’s eyes.

“Anything I should know?” Mak asked.

Artemis slowly returned from his mental journey. “Not yet. I have a theory, but... not yet.”

The car bumped over a railroad track as they headed through a small town.

“I remember this place,” Artemis said wistfully as they passed a vintage-looking diner. “From back when you could still go out to eat. Looks like they’re still in business.”

Mak knew they weren’t far from the house in Halesburgh, but he chose not to say anything. He turned the car into a side street that was marked with a dead-end sign.

“All these expensive houses,” Artemis mused as they passed fenced yards and large mansions. “Do you think anyone here knows about this place?”

“I sure hope not,” Mak said. At the end of the road, they came to a property entirely hidden by tall hedges. Mak turned the car into the driveway and stopped at a tall iron gate. From a small security box clamped to a metal pole came a sharp voice. “Yes?”

Mak looked at the camera mounted above the speaker. “Good morning,” he said. The gate unlocked with a click, swung open, and they drove in. The gate disappeared behind them as they drove along a curved driveway lined with tall evergreen trees. After another turn, the trees were gone, and they could see a Tudor-style mansion. Mak pulled up at the front entrance where a serious-looking woman in a dark suit was waiting for them. As she stepped to the car, Mak rolled down his window and held up his FBI identification. She smiled at him.

“Nice to see you again, Agent Kim.”

“You too,” Mak said as he pulled a file from the back seat, and they got out. “This is Artemis Bookbinder.”

Artemis took out his mask and put it on. As she led them up the steps, the leaded-glass front door was opened from inside by another agent. They stepped into a two-story open gallery with dark wood-paneled walls that were crowded with small landscape paintings. There was a grand double staircase and a heavy cut-glass chandelier.

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