BooksBarbecue
Back Blood in the Water
Chapters (82)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Notice
  3. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  4. ONE
  5. TWO
  6. THREE
  7. FOUR
  8. FIVE
  9. SIX
  10. SEVEN
  11. EIGHT
  12. NINE
  13. TEN
  14. ELEVEN
  15. TWELVE
  16. THIRTEEN
  17. FOURTEEN
  18. FIFTEEN
  19. SIXTEEN
  20. SEVENTEEN
  21. EIGHTEEN
  22. NINETEEN
  23. TWENTY
  24. TWENTY-ONE
  25. TWENTY-TWO
  26. TWENTY-THREE
  27. TWENTY-FOUR
  28. TWENTY-FIVE
  29. TWENTY-SIX
  30. TWENTY-SEVEN
  31. TWENTY-EIGHT
  32. TWENTY-NINE
  33. THIRTY
  34. THIRTY-ONE
  35. THIRTY-TWO
  36. THIRTY-THREE
  37. THIRTY-FOUR
  38. THIRTY-FIVE
  39. THIRTY-SIX
  40. THIRTY-SEVEN
  41. THIRTY-EIGHT
  42. THIRTY-NINE
  43. FORTY
  44. FORTY-ONE
  45. FORTY-TWO
  46. FORTY-THREE
  47. FORTY-FOUR
  48. FORTY-FIVE
  49. FORTY-SIX
  50. FORTY-SEVEN
  51. FORTY-EIGHT
  52. FORTY-NINE
  53. FIFTY
  54. FIFTY-ONE
  55. FIFTY-TWO
  56. FIFTY-THREE
  57. FIFTY-FOUR
  58. FIFTY-FIVE
  59. FIFTY-SIX
  60. FIFTY-SEVEN
  61. FIFTY-EIGHT
  62. FIFTY-NINE
  63. SIXTY
  64. SIXTY-ONE
  65. SIXTY-TWO
  66. SIXTY-THREE
  67. SIXTY-FOUR
  68. SIXTY-FIVE
  69. SIXTY-SIX
  70. SIXTY-SEVEN
  71. SIXTY-EIGHT
  72. SIXTY-NINE
  73. SEVENTY
  74. SEVENTY-ONE
  75. SEVENTY-TWO
  76. SEVENTY-THREE
  77. SEVENTY-FOUR
  78. SEVENTY-FIVE
  79. SEVENTY-SIX
  80. Praise for Blood in the Water
  81. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  82. Newsletter Sign-up

Soh whistled, and could sense a shifting in the shadows around the pier. Eight more men emerged from different angles, converging on the base of the structure. With the ten of them walking toward the Mariner, anyone exiting would either have to go through them, or into the water. Boston’s historic cold snap was hanging on, with Fahrenheit air temperatures reaching only into the high single digits at the warmest part of the day. The nights had dipped below zero for more than a week. Chunks of ice wandered the surface of the harbor, crashing into each other to form large ice floats, separating and heading off on their own again. Anyone going into the water wouldn’t last more than a few moments before succumbing to the cold.

Soh made a hand gesture, and ten silhouettes started moving slowly toward the tavern.

Cookie had almost finished closing up the bar when they came in. He’d finished the last run of the dishwasher and hung the glasses; wiped the tables down and stacked the chairs; given the floors a cursory, though adequate, mopping; and counted out the register. The cash had been placed in the large plastic money pouch with a slip for the next morning’s deposit. All he had to do was put out the creosote candles and wipe down the bar, and he was done for the night. He’d just glanced at his watch—it was eleven forty—and was looking forward to sitting and watching the hockey game. It would be just ending as he got home, but that didn’t matter; he’d upgraded his cable account to add a state-of-the-art, unlimited storage DVR. It was not like him to splurge on technology, but the ease of recording and playback had changed his life in the short time he’d had the gadget.

The door opened, and Cookie felt the sharp bite of the winter air rushing at him from the entryway. He looked up from his musings. There were six of them, and they weren’t regulars. From the look of them, Cookie was pretty sure they weren’t even customers. They moved in silently, spreading out in formation. One of them headed to the far corner of the bar, one moved to the hallway that led to the toilets and the stairway to the upper floor, two stayed at the front door, and another headed to the hallway that led to the back door. The last of them just stood in the center of the bar, looking at Cookie. He was Southeast Asian, short and slight with a crew cut and tattoos covering his neck. He dominated the room without moving or speaking, standing expressionless, his cold eyes studying Cookie the way a Komodo dragon might. Cookie looked back at him without saying anything for a moment. This was bad, he knew instantly.