The Spoilers by Matt Braun

Author:Matt Braun
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Published: 2011-06-20T16:00:00+00:00

A gentle rain was falling as the carriage turned off O’Farrell Street. Starbuck wasn’t at all surprised that their destination was located in the Uptown Tenderloin. His theory regarding the boss of San Francisco’s underworld was now confirmed.

All the way uptown he had tried in vain to learn the identity of Mr. Frisco. His questions finally provoked Denny O’Brien, and he was told to drop the subject. Still, with or without a name, it was clear O’Brien and Fung answered to one man. A man who rubbed elbows with the city’s social elite, the rich and the powerful. A mastermind who had created a brilliant cover, disassociating himself completely from Chinatown and the Barbary Coast. And therefore a man who was exceedingly dangerous.

The thought was foremost in Starbuck’s mind as the carriage rolled to a halt in the alleyway. He knew the next few minutes would determine whether he lived or died. Mr. Frisco had gone to great lengths to conceal his identity. Yet he apparently had no qualms about exposing himself to a Colorado whoremaster. The conclusion was obvious, and the hazard involved was beyond question. Unless Mr. Frisco got all the right answers, the end result was chillingly simple to predict. One whoremaster, more or less, would never be missed.

The alley door opened and Knuckles Jackson waved them inside. Starbuck was treated to yet another search, but took scant comfort from the fact that his hideout gun once again went undetected. McQueen and Jackson, who belonged to the same brotherhood of gorillas, remained on guard in the storeroom. O’Brien escorted him up the stairs, which meant he was covered front and rear. The chances of shooting his way out weren’t even worth calculating. His wits were now his only hope for survival.

The light in the office was dim, and the man behind the desk sat immobile. Starbuck had the fleeting impression of a store-window dummy propped up in a chair. Then O’Brien closed the door, removing his hat, and walked forward. Starbuck followed suit, quickly inspecting the office. The door to the storeroom stairs was the only exit.

“Here he is,” O’Brien said, halting in front of the desk. “Harry Lovett.”

“Thank you, Denny.” Buckley made a small gesture of dismissal. “Wait downstairs. I’ll call if I need you.”

O’Brien seemed on the verge of questioning the order. Then he bobbed his head, turning away, and crossed the office. A moment later the door closed. Starbuck grinned and stuck out his hand.

“Pleased to meet you, Mr. Frisco.”

Starbuck was rocked by a sudden jolt of awareness. His arm extended, leaning over the desk, he got his first good look at the man. The face was a living waxwork, and behind the dark tinted glasses, the eyes were marble-like. He had the eerie sensation of gazing into the eyes of a stuffed animal, glassy and unmoving. Nell’s word’s flitted through his head, and abruptly it all made sense. The blind man! She’d almost blurted it out, and now he saw it for himself. The boss of San Francisco’s underworld was blind.

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.