Down Under by James Patterson & Michael White
Author:James Patterson & Michael White [Patterson, James & White, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Amazon: B00H25FJ20
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Published: 2014-08-26T00:00:00+00:00
Chapter 54
âWHY THE HELL didnât you tell us about this woman?â I said.
Mark and I had walked to a deserted storage area at the back of the building.
âOne of my officers caught a pickpocket in Darling Harbour this morning, Craig,â Talbot said. âShould I have told you about that?â
He moved toward me, stepping right into my personal space. But he apparently had a whole routine starting.
âOh, and that pesky graffiti artist who keeps spray painting a wall just off George Street in the CBD? Got him too. Sorryâ¦forgot to mentionââ
âMaybe you think youâre being clever, Mark,â I said calmly. âBut we have a deal with the police, donât we?â
âYou have a âdealâ with the deputy commissioner.â
âAnd you have to abide by it.â
Talbot came even closer. He was about my height. We were eye-to-eye.
âThis morning I used my professional discretion.â
âNo, you didnât. You did this deliberately, to screw me over. And you just showed up here to continue the fun.â
He shrugged. âWell, yeah, maybe I did.â
âThanks to you, we lost five hours of precious investigation time.â
He laughed. I could feel his breath. âJust listen to youâ¦you fucking smart-ass. âPrecious investigation timeâ! Who the hell do you think you are? Youâre a PI. You can fool the deputy commissioner, but not me.â
âIâm very disappointed.â
âYou what?â
âIâm disappointed.â
He leaned in, his eyes narrow. âDisappointed! You cocksucker! Who do you think youâre talking to?â
I went to gently push him back. And that was when he took a swing at me.
I blocked his fist, and he stumbled back a step, went for me again, his right arm swinging round.
I had learned something about fighting since I was eight years old. Better yet, Mark wasnât in the best of shape. I dodged his fist so easily, it was embarrassingâwhich enraged him more. His left fist came up, slower, but at an oblique angle. It grazed my shoulder. I grabbed his wrist and bent his hand back.
âDonât, Mark!â I said in his ear.
His breath was on me again, his mouth close to my left cheek. I bent his hand a little more and sensed him shift position, his right knee moving up toward my groin. I turned my body away, and his knee hit me in the hip. It hurt. Still gripping him with my left hand, I swung round, sending a right hook to his face.
He fell back and landed heavily on the floor, blood streaming from a cut just below his left eye. He began to get up.
âStop!â I hollered, but he wouldnât listen.
âAsshole! You always have beenâ¦!â He growled, got to his feet with surprising speed, and rushed me. I whirled round, elbow out, and he ran straight into it, nose first. I heard the cartilage crunch. He spun, hit the floor again, lay still for a few moments. In the police business we call that âvictim supine.â
I heard him groan, crouched beside him, keeping my guard up. He glared at me, blood streaming from his nostrils. His left eye was already puffed up.
I offered him a hand, but he spat at it.
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