BooksBarbecue
Back Straight Shot Save as PDF
Chapters (70)
  1. Dedication
  2. Chapter One
  3. Chapter Two
  4. Chapter Three
  5. Chapter Four
  6. Chapter Five
  7. Chapter Six
  8. Chapter Seven
  9. Chapter Eight
  10. Chapter Nine
  11. Chapter Ten
  12. Chapter Eleven
  13. Chapter Twelve
  14. Chapter Thirteen
  15. Chapter Fourteen
  16. Chapter Fifteen
  17. Chapter Sixteen
  18. Chapter Seventeen
  19. Chapter Eighteen
  20. Chapter Nineteen
  21. Chapter Twenty
  22. Chapter Twenty-One
  23. Chapter Twenty-Two
  24. Chapter Twenty-Three
  25. Chapter Twenty-Four
  26. Chapter Twenty-Five
  27. Chapter Twenty-Six
  28. Chapter Twenty-Seven
  29. Chapter Twenty-Eight
  30. Chapter Twenty-Nine
  31. Chapter Thirty
  32. Chapter Thirty-One
  33. Chapter Thirty-Two
  34. Chapter Thirty-Three
  35. Chapter Thirty-Four
  36. Chapter Thirty-Five
  37. Chapter Thirty-Six
  38. Chapter Thirty-Seven
  39. Chapter Thirty-Eight
  40. Chapter Thirty-Nine
  41. Chapter Forty
  42. Chapter Forty-One
  43. Chapter Forty-Two
  44. Chapter Forty-Three
  45. Chapter Forty-Four
  46. Chapter Forty-Five
  47. Chapter Forty-Six
  48. Chapter Forty-Seven
  49. Chapter Forty-Eight
  50. Chapter Forty-Nine
  51. Chapter Fifty
  52. Chapter Fifty-One
  53. Chapter Fifty-Two
  54. Chapter Fifty-Three
  55. Chapter Fifty-Four
  56. Chapter Fifty-Five
  57. Chapter Fifty-Six
  58. Chapter Fifty-Seven
  59. Chapter Fifty-Eight
  60. Chapter Fifty-Nine
  61. Chapter Sixty
  62. Chapter Sixty-One
  63. Chapter Sixty-Two
  64. Chapter Sixty-Three
  65. Chapter Sixty-Four
  66. An Extract from Breacher
  67. Chapter One
  68. Also by Jack Lively
  69. GET A FREE NOVELLA
  70. Enjoy this book?

The target was the second office, third floor. I didn’t know what I was going to find there. Whatever it was, I didn’t want to be seen entering, and climbing around looking for an open window in broad daylight isn’t very subtle. Climbing over fences and through back yards didn’t seem any better. The direct approach was best. In through the front door.

The bathroom door of Le Foxy Kebab had worked once so why wouldn’t it work again?

The counter was empty. Only one guy working. Double duty, counter service and kitchen. The two young guys at the booth didn’t even look up at me. So I walked straight through to the bathroom door and turned the knob, which was locked.

A voice called from the kitchen. “Hey!” The guy was looking at me. “Hold on!” I waited. He came out of the kitchen. “I locked the door because the cleaners came.” He held out a key on a cheap plastic tab and a length of old string. “Be careful. The floor might be wet.”

I shrugged. “Thanks, pal.”

“No problem.”

Chapter Thirty-One

The floor was not wet. I walked up the stairs. The window was open on the half-landing. I kept on going. Second floor, the door across from the Mediterranean beach photo was exactly as I had left it. No one had come to work yet. Monday mornings are tough. I walked across the hall to the stairwell and continued up. A stout young guy in a bulky blue uniform and cap was mopping the stairs. He wore thin disposable sanitary booties over his shoes and blue latex gloves.

The guy jumped to the side when he saw me. “Excuse me, sir.”

I nodded politely in return. “Thanks,” and brushed past him.

As I walked up to the third floor the cleaner called from below. He had a strong accent that I wasn’t able to place. “Sir. Excuse me, sir.”

I waited at the top of the stairs. He stopped just below me. “Please be careful the floor is wet.” The man had blue eyes and a Slavic or Caucasian facial structure. High cheekbones and narrow eyes.

I said, “I’ll be careful,” and turned back up the stairs.

The third floor was wet. I looked down at the footprints my boots made on the tiles. They were clear and well defined. I might as well have stepped in black forensic ink. Which didn’t make me very happy. I heard the sound of a vacuum cleaner.