Under Cover of Darkness
Page 39
“That’s about the size of it.”
“That’s really interesting.” Gus knew his old buddy was serving him a lob, a chance to confess in confidence and settle an old score with Martha and the others at P&C. The truth was, however, he had never slept with Martha. But he still had an angle.
“This is a delicate matter,” said Gus. “I’m not in a position to say that Martha Goldstein slept with a married man. Namely me.”
“I understand.”
“But I can tell you she sent a letter in her own handwriting to my wife saying that a certain married man had given himself to her.”
“No kidding?”
“I swear, I read it myself just a few months ago.”
“The president will have very strong feelings about that.”
“I would expect nothing less from a divinity-school grad.”
“Thanks for the help, Gus.”
“No, thank you.”
“You doing okay with the new firm?”
“Terrific.”
“Business is good?”
“Couldn’t be better.” His secretary flashed him a message on the digital display phone. Morgan would be waiting for him. “Hate to cut you off, buddy, but I’m afraid I gotta run.”
“Busy, busy. Still the same old Gus, I see.”
He went to the closet to get the present he had bought for Morgan over lunch. “Yup,” he said with a thin smile. “Same old Gus.”
Acknowledgments
With each book my debt of gratitude only grows deeper. Again, my thanks to Carolyn Marino, Robin Stamm, and Joan Sanger for their editorial expertise, and to Artie and Richard Pine for being experts in pretty much everything else. Thanks also to the critics at large who endured the early drafts, Carlos Sires, Eleanor Rayner, Nancy Lehner, Jennifer Stearns, Terri Gavulic, and Roberta Hall.
Certain scenes could not have been done right without the help of James Hall, Yakima County Sheriff’s Department, and Patricia Wachtel, Legal and Media Relations Liason, Washington Corrections Center for Women.
And, as always, nothing could have been done right without Tiffany. Thanks for making it all so easy.
About the Author
JAMES GRIPPANDO is the bestselling author of fifteen novels, including Last Call, Lying with Strangers, When Darkness Falls, Got the Look, and Hear No Evil, which are enjoyed worldwide in twenty-six languages. He lives in Florida, where he was a trial lawyer for twelve years.
www.jamesgrippando.com
Visit www.AuthorTracker.com for exclusive information on your favorite HarperCollins author.
Acclaim for UNDER COVER OF DARKNESS
“Another riveting tale of suspense from Grippando.”
Library Journal
“An intriguing mystery…a shocking and utterly unpredictable ending…engrossing on several levels…the perfect beach read.”
January Magazine
“Grippando writes well, and has created an interesting character in Gus Wheatley.”
Cleveland Plain Dealer
“A smart, straightforward, and—yes, the pun is unavoidable—gripping thriller.”
Booklist
“Better than any John Grisham novel…well written and gripping…A must for summer reading with twists and turns galore.”
Barnes & Noble Guide to New Fiction
“A real gripper from the eerie opening to the catastrophic denouement.”
BookPage.com
“I’ve always liked Grippando’s intrigues…There’s humor bubbling along with the suspense.”
Poisoned Pen
FOUND MONEY
“Readers will want to applaud…Number this intelligent, cleverly constructed thriller among the best.”
Booklist
“Thrilling…filled with terrifying images of money’s dark side. Grippando has done it again.”
Library Journal
“A wild ride…A cautionary tale of greed, family secrets and the dangers of getting what you wish for…The final revelation is a kicker.”
Publishers Weekly
THE ABDUCTION
“Truly dirty politics and crime…Hits a nerve…As timely as today’s headlines.”
San Francisco Chronicle
“Breathless.”
Philadelphia Inquirer
THE INFORMANT
“Grippando writes with the authenticity of an insider…A thoroughly convincing edge-of-your-seat thriller.”
John Douglas, former chief of the FBI’s Investigative Support Unit and New York Times bestselling author of Mind Hunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit
“Spectacular effects…entertaining…Grippando has done his homework on FBI forensics, criminal profiling and the internal protocol for backstabbing…Plenty of blood is spilled on the rug.”
New York Times Book Review
THE PARDON
“A gritty mystery that…rings true to the emotional realities of contemporary life. Readers will turn the pages of The Pardon faster than a bailiff can swear in a witness.”
People
“A gripping mélange of courtroom drama and psychotic manipulation…possesses gritty veracity, genuine characters that elicit sympathy, and superb plotting and pacing…A bona fide blockbuster.”
Boston Herald
Also by James Grippando
THE PARDON
THE INFORMANT
THE ABDUCTION
FOUND MONEY
A KING’S RANSOM
Copyright
“My Mommy Comes Back” by Hap Palmer and Martha Cheney, copyright HapPal Music, Box 323, Topanga, CA
“Fire,” Music and lyrics by Arthur Brown and Vincent Crane
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
UNDER COVER OF DARKNESS. Copyright © 2000 by James Grippando. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
EPub © Edition JANUARY 2009 ISBN: 9780061862625
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