Richard Stark_Parker_14 by Slayground

Author:Slayground
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Police Procedural, Criminals, General Interest, Mystery & Detective, Hard-Boiled, Crime, Fiction, Amusement Parks, General, Parker (Fictitious Character)
ISBN: 9780226770925
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Published: 1971-01-02T06:00:00+00:00

2

PARKER STOOD at the window and watched the flashlights bob, out there by the fountain in the middle of the park. He cautiously raised the lower half of the window and then he could hear the voices, though he couldn't make out exactly what they were saying.

But he didn't have to know the exact words, he could pretty much tell what the conversation was about. Apparently he'd lucked out. It looked as though he'd got their leader on the first try, back at the fun house. That was why they were being so disorganized now, they hadn't worked it out yet who was going to be leader in the dead man's place. That was why they weren't pressing him now, keeping him moving.

But he should keep himself moving, anyway. He had to take advantage of the break he'd been given, chop away at them while they had no leader. And the first thing to do was find out how many of them there were in here, just exactly what the odds were against him.

He was in New York Island now. One of the ranks of stores had a second floor, containing administrative offices. The staircase was hidden behind a mirror in the women's clothing boutique and wasn't likely to be found by people in a hurry. That was why Parker had come here from the fun house, but now it seemed there was no necessity to hide out for a while. It would maybe be better to scout the enemy while he was regrouping his forces.

Parker was using no lights, not even a flashlight, so when he left the window and went downstairs he moved fast but with caution. To break a leg now, even to sprain an ankle, would be the end. He had to be able to move, to keep moving around. That was the biggest edge he had, that he was only one man, traveling light, mobile, not limited to a base of operations.

He closed the mirrored door carefully behind himself when he got to the first floor, then moved through the shop and out the front door to the street. He moved along the fake cobblestones to the right, past the shops, coming closer to the fountain.

They were still there, talking away. They weren't arguing exactly, but they hadn't yet come to an agreement. Two of them were doing most of the talking, and they seemed to be the ones Parker had seen at the fun house, the cop and the guy in the overcoat. When Parker got closer, he could hear that the guy in the overcoat wanted to report to somebody – Lozini, the name sounded like – wanted to call this Lozini and tell him the situation and ask what they should do next. But the cop didn't want any part of that. He wanted to press on right now, get Parker, get it over with. He was vague on some of his reasoning, telling the other guy he knew what the reasons were, as though he didn't want the others present to hear what he had to say.

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