“You know how I am. I’m too nervous. I’d break into a sweat at the hotel counter. I’d start stammering. They’d call the police. I’d crack before the interrogation even began. I don’t hold up well under pressure, you know.”

“Sure,” Sarah said. “That’s why it’s totally out of the question. It’s just something to talk about, that’s all.”

“That’s right,” I said. “Just something to talk about.”

“Yeah,” said Sarah, a bit dreamily. “Just something to talk about.”

Another car went by. A couple of kids rode by on bicycles, laughing.

“I’ll bet, though,” Sarah said, “and I’m just thinking out loud here, but I’ll bet if you made an appointment to see Harley, told him you needed something to calm you down, I’ll bet you he could give you something.”

She kept her head down, focused on her notepad, afraid to look at me.

I got up from the chair. “I’m gonna go see if we have any Scotch,” I said, and went into the house.

Acknowledgments

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Some people need to be thanked.

The folks at Bantam Dell have been, and continue to be, a joy to work with, particularly Irwyn Applebaum, Nita Taublib, Bill Massey, and my superb editor, Micahlyn Whitt. Thanks for your confidence, attention to detail, and kindness. Andie Nicolay deserves a special mention for her encouragement and commitment.

And I am grateful, as always, to my wonderful agent, Helen Heller.

About the Author

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

LINWOOD BARCLAY is the author of Bad Move. He is a columnist for the Toronto Star and lives with his family near Toronto.

Also by Linwood Barcalay

ALSO BY LINWOOD BARCLAY

BAD MOVE

Copyright Page

BAD GUYS

A Bantam Book / June 2005

Published by
Bantam Dell
A Division of Random House, Inc.
New York, New York

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2005 by Linwood Barclay

Bantam Books is a registered trademark of Random House, Inc., and the colophon is a trademark of Random House, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file with the publisher.

eISBN: 978-0-553-90158-0

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