They continued toward the town. When they came to the tavern, Achille stopped and looked around. “You know, Pissarro lived and painted hereabouts.”
“Pissarro, you say. Is he an Impressionist?”
“Yes, Chief. One of the best.”
“Do you think so? I wouldn’t know. It’s all the same daubery to me. I’m afraid I don’t share your interest in modern art. Now, before we go in I have a little confession. I said the drinks were on me. I lied.”
“I see. Do you expect me to pay?”
Féraud shook his head. “No, the drinks are on the house. The proprietor knows who we are. You see, there are some advantages to being the chief of detectives.”
Achille laughed loudly, and the old chief joined him. The lowering sun brushed the treetops. The detectives’ shadows lengthened as, arm in arm, they entered the tavern.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I am grateful to Donald P. Webb and Bill Bowler for reading and commenting on my early drafts of this novel. Many thanks to my great agent, Philip Spitzer, and his associate, Lukas Ortiz, for their outstanding representation, and thanks also to their associate, Kim Lombardini, for her kind assistance and sense of humor. Thanks also to Claiborne Hancock and his staff at Pegasus, most particularly my excellent editor Bowen Dunnan.
THE MAN UPON THE STAIR
Pegasus Books Ltd.
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New York, NY 10018
Copyright © 2018 by Gary Inbinder
First Pegasus Books cloth edition February 2018
Interior design by Maria Fernandez
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in whole or in part without written
permission from the publisher, except by reviewers who may quote brief excerpts in connection
with a review in a newspaper, magazine, or electronic publication; nor may any part of this
book be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or other, without written permission from
the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents
either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.
ISBN: 978-1-68177-635-4
ISBN: 978-1-68177-700-9 (e-book)
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