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Back The Devils You Know Save as PDF
Chapters (46)
  1. COVER PAGE
  2. PRAISE
  3. DEDICATION
  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. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
  45. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  46. SNEAK PEEK: EXIT .45

Vincent said, ‘And then I followed him to your place from the hotel. So what did he want to talk about?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘Yes you do. When I showed up, you were talking to him.’

‘I …’ Page scraped his hands through his hair. ‘He just said you were looking into things and to ride it out.’

‘Which meant what? Staying quiet?’

Page was back to his drawer search. ‘I don’t know. But I’d say this is breaking the rules.’

The ringing finally stopped.

Page threw up his arms, fingers tensed, clutching at nothing. ‘Look, I don’t know what’s going on, I honestly don’t. If Sly Crow’s not running things, I don’t know who is.’

Erin said, ‘Guess.’

‘Christ, look, I said I don’t know.’

Erin said, ‘Terry, look at me.’

It took a moment, but Page looked at her.

Erin said, ‘I should’ve given the police your name yesterday, but I didn’t. And that means instead of doing this in an interview room, you’re doing it in your own office, which means that whatever comes out of your mouth won’t be used against you in court. I think most people would say I’ve cut you some slack. And when you add in the fact I’m prepared to accept you’re only half involved, I think it counts as a pretty big favour. Don’t you think?’

Page looked at his wife, but she was looking at Erin.

Erin said, ‘So—sit down, use your brain, and give me your best guess.’

He didn’t sit down. But he said, ‘Delroy is Sly’s man. If he’s not working for Sly, I don’t know who’s running things. I don’t know who the buyer is.’

The phone started to ring again.

Page said, ‘Tasha, will you please pick that up?’

Vincent said, ‘I’ll get it.’

He stood up and headed for reception, and he was halfway along the corridor when he heard glass breaking.

He hesitated, and in the same moment the phone fell silent. Vincent sprinted the remaining distance, and as he reached the front counter he found Andre Gutierrez and Delroy Clemons stepping in through the shattered front door.

TWENTY-SIX

TWENTY-SIX

Andre entered first. He had the fire extinguisher in one hand and a duffel bag in the other. He set the fire extinguisher down beside the coffee table and said to Vincent, ‘Was this your idea? Pretty good glass breaker, huh?’

The door marked PAGE was still intact, but the SWANSON one had been reduced to a pile of glass. Delroy crunched across it and sat on the sofa by the coffee table and studied the magazine covers. A Newsweek caught his eye, and he pulled it out of the line-up. ‘Terry down the back there, is he?’

‘No, it’s just me. I wouldn’t bother getting comfy, either.’