The Goliath Bone by Mickey Spillane & Max Alan Collins

Author:Mickey Spillane & Max Alan Collins [Spillane, Mickey & Collins, Max Alan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Suspense, Fiction, General, Mystery & Detective, New York, New York (State), Hard-Boiled, Private Investigators, Relics, Hammer; Mike (Fictitious Character)
ISBN: 9781847245953
Google: y1IVi0W3jpgC
Barnesnoble:
Publisher: Vanguard Press
Published: 2007-12-31T06:00:00+00:00

The first flight Paul Vernon had been able to get was a red-eye, but at least the plane landed on time. He was ambling from the gate area into the terminal when he saw me wave and picked up the pace to join Velda and me, flashing his infectious smile.

A handsome devil with a full head of salt-and-pepper hair and a purely pepper beard, he was wearing jeans and the long-sleeved gray USC sweatshirt that was his Californian's idea of being ready for a New York winter. Fortunately for him, that winter had lately thrown in the towel, trading snow for rain.

Lugging his little carry-on bag, he held out his free hand for me to shake and said, "Sure glad to see you, old buddy. Nice to see a monster that still has some flesh on its bones .... This must be Velda."

She smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek, as if they were old friends, which they were, from hearing so much about each other over the years.

The three of us walked together, Paul in the middle. It was so early the restaurants and newsstands hadn't opened for business yet, and the airport was fairly underpopulated, not yet quite awake.

I asked, "Take you away from anything important?"

"Hell, no. All those bones in the tar pits have names, and the specialists have a good month's work to clean and sort them out. I'll have all the time I'll need, if this is half as interesting as you indicated." He winked at Velda and told me, "How did you ever rate such a beautiful assistant?"

"The beauties of this world always love the beasts," I reminded him. "Didn't you ever see King Kong?"

"All three versions ... I suppose she carries a concealed weapon, too."

"She carries quite a few concealed weapons."

"She ever shoot anybody?"

Velda's mouth tightened in a small smile; she was getting a kick out of being talked about.

"Only rival beasts," I said.

It had started to rain again. At the office we were the first ones there, except for the doorman, who was keeping dry under the entrance canopy. He nodded good morning, and I told him my guest would possibly be going out later to ship something for me and was not to be bothered with any inspection rigamarole.

Once upstairs, with the office door locked behind us, I went to the closet and lifted the false bottom of the compartment in the floor and removed the original Goliath bone, which had fit snugly within. That compartment had hidden many things over the years, from money to machine guns, but this was its first historical relic.

I laid Matthew and Jenna's discovery, plump with bubble wrap, on Velda's desk. I didn't unwrap it. I took in Paul's awestruck expression and nodded at him to do the honors.

Until now, Paul's decorum had never slipped in my presence, but this was a rare moment in a life that was no stranger to discovery and wonder. His breathing had grown noticeably heavy, his eyes taking on a glaze while his tongue flicked nervously across his lips.

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