Second Story Man

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by Charles Salzberg


  And, of course, a special thanks to Eric Campbell, the founder of Down & Out Books, a writer’s dream. Eric has given a home to so many crime writers, and created a community I’m proud to be part of. Thanks to Lance Wright, a self-proclaimed obsessive-compulsive when it comes to finding errors in logic and lets me know when something just plain doesn’t make sense, and Chris Rhatigan, who did a great hands-on edit.

  And finally, I want to thank Mystery Writers of America, who not only provide a safe haven to crime writers, but also emotional support.

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  Charles Salzberg is the author of the Shamus Award-nominated Swann’s Last Song as well as the sequels Swann Dives In, Swann’s Lake of Despair and Swann’s Way Out. He is also author of Devil in the Hole, which was chosen as one of the Best Crime Novels of 2013 by Suspense Magazine. He lives in New York City and teaches writing at the Writer’s Voice and the New York Writers Work-shop, where he is proud to be a Founding Member.

  CharlesSalzberg.com

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  BOOKS BY CHARLES SALZBERG

  Henry Swann Mystery Series

  Swann’s Last Song

  Swann Dives In

  Swann’s Lake of Despair

  Swann’s Way Out

  Stand Alone

  Devil in the Hole

  Second Story Man

  Novella

  Triple Shot (Twist of Fate)

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  OTHER TITLES FROM THE

  DOWN & OUT BOOKS PUBLISHING FAMILY

  See DownAndOutBooks.com for a complete list

  By J.L. Abramo

  Catching Water in a Net

  Clutching at Straws

  Counting to Infinity

  Gravesend

  Chasing Charlie Chan

  Circling the Runway

  Brooklyn Justice

  Coney Island Avenue

  By Anonymous-9

  Hard Bite

  Bite Harder

  By Jonathan Ashley

  South of Cincinnati

  The Cost of Doing Business

  By E.A. Aymar and Sarah M. Chen, editors

  The Night of the Flood

  By Patrick Shaun Bagley

  Bitter Water Blues

  By Trey R. Barker

  2,000 Miles to Open Road

  Road Gig: A Novella

  Exit Blood

  Death is Not Forever

  No Harder Prison

  When the Lonesome Dog Barks

  By Richard Barre

  The Innocents

  Bearing Secrets

  Christmas Stories

  The Ghosts of Morning

  Blackheart Highway

  Burning Moon

  Echo Bay

  Lost

  By Jon Bassoff

  Corrosion

  Factory Town

  The Disassembled Man

  The Incurables

  The Blade This Time

  By Eric Beetner

  Rumrunners

  Leadfoot

  The Devil Doesn’t Want Me

  The Devil Comes To Call

  The Devil at Your Door

  By Eric Beetner (editor)

  Unloaded

  Unloaded 2 (*)

  By Martin Bodenham

  Shakedown

  The Geneva Connection

  Once a Killer (*)

  By Gordon Brown

  Falling

  Falling Too

  By Rob Brunet

  Stinking Rich

  By Milton T. Burton

  Texas Noir

  By Dana Cameron, editor

  Murder at the Beach: Bouchercon Anthology 2014

  By Eric Campbell, editor

  Down, Out and Dead

  By Stacey Cochran

  Eddie & Sunny (TP only)

  By Mark Coggins

  No Hard Feelings

  By Angel Luis Colón

  No Happy Endings

  Meat City on Fire (and Other Assorted Debacles)

  By Jen Conley

  Cannibals and Other Stories

  By Shawn Corridan and Gary Waid

  Gitmo

  By Matt Coyle, Mary Marks and Patricia Smiley, editors

  LAst Resort

  By Tom Crowley

  Viper’s Tail

  Murder in the Slaughterhouse

  By Frank De Blase

  Pine Box for a Pin-Up

  Busted Valentines and Other Dark Delights

  A Cougar’s Kiss

  By Les Edgerton

  The Genuine, Imitation, Plastic Kidnapping

  Lagniappe

  Just Like That

  Monday’s Meal (*)

  By Nora Gaskin Esthimer, editor

  Carolina Crimes: 21 Tales of Need, Greed and Dirty Deeds

  By A.C. Frieden

  Tranquility Denied

  The Serpent’s Game

  The Pyongyang Option (*)

  By Danny Gardner

  A Negro and an Ofay

  By Jack Getze

  Big Numbers

  Big Money

  Big Mojo

  Big Shoes

  The Black Kachina

  By Greg F. Gifune

  Dangerous Boys

  By Keith Gilman

  Bad Habits

  By Richard Godwin

  Wrong Crowd

  Buffalo and Sour Mash

  Crystal on Electric Acetate

  By William Hastings, editor

  Stray Dogs: Writing from the Other America

  By J.J. Hensley

  Bolt Action Remedy

  By Greg Herren, editor

  Blood on the Bayou: Bouchercon Anthology 2016

  By Jeffery Hess

  Beachhead

  Cold War Canoe Club

  By Matt Hilton

  No Going Back

  Rules of Honor

  The Lawless Kind

  The Devil’s Anvil

  No Safe Place

  By Naomi Hirahara, Kate Thornton and Jeri Westerson, editors

  LAdies’ Night

  By Terry Holland

  An Ice Cold Paradise

  Chicago Shiver

  By Darrel James, Linda O. Johnston and Tammy Kaehler, editors

  Last Exit to Murder

  By David Housewright and Renée Valois

  The Devil and the Diva

  By David Housewright

  Finders Keepers

  Full House

  By Beau Johnson

  A Better Kind of Hate

  By Jon Jordan

  Interrogations

  By Jon and Ruth Jordan, editors

  Murder and Mayhem in Muskego

  Cooking with Crimespree

  By Lawrence Kelter

  Back to Brooklyn

  The Black Car Business Volume 1

  By Lawrence Kelter and Frank Zafiro

  The Last Collar

  By Jerry Kennealy

  Screen Test

  Polo’s Long Shot

  By Dana King

  Worst Enemies

  Grind Joint

  Resurrection Mall

  Bad Samaritan

  By Ed Kurtz

  Nothing You Can Do

  By Ross Klavan, Tim O’Mara and Charles Salzberg

  Triple Shot

  By JB Kohl and Eric Beetner

  Over Their Heads

  By S.W. Lauden

  Crosswise

  Crossed Bones

  By Dan and Kate Malmon, editors

  Killing Malmon

  By Andrew McAleer and Paul D. Marks, editors

  Coast to Coast

  Coast to Coast 2

  By Terrence McCauley

  The Devil Dogs of Belleau Wood

  The Bank Heist, editor (*)

  By John McFetridge, editor

  Passport to Murder: Bouchercon Anthology 2017

  By Daniel M. Mendoza, editor

  Stray Dogs: Interviews with Working-Class Writers

  By Marietta Miles

  May

&n
bsp; By Bill Moody

  Czechmate: The Spy Who Played Jazz

  The Man in Red Square

  Solo Hand

  The Death of a Tenor Man

  The Sound of the Trumpet

  Bird Lives!

  Mood Swings (TP only)

  By Warren Moore

  Broken Glass Waltzes

  By Andrew Nette

  Gunshine State

  By Gerald M. O’Connor

  The Origins of Benjamin Hackett

  By Marcus Pelegrimas

  Blind Eye

  By Gary Phillips

  The Perpetrators

  Scoundrels: Tales of Greed, Murder and Financial Crimes (editor)

  Treacherous: Grifters, Ruffians and Killers

  3 the Hard Way

  By Gary Phillips, Tony Chavira, Manoel Magalhães and Bryan Lee

  Beat L.A. (Graphic Novel)

  By Tom Pitts

  Hustle

  American Static

  By Thomas Pluck

  Bad Boy Boogie

  Life During Wartime

  By Michael Pool

  Texas Two-Step (*)

  By Robert J. Randisi

  Upon My Soul

  Souls of the Dead

  Envy the Dead

  By Rob Riley

  Thin Blue Line

  By Charles Salzberg

  Devil in the Hole

  Swann’s Last Song

  Swann Dives In

  Swann’s Lake of Despair

  Swann’s Way Out

  Second Story Man

  By Scott Loring Sanders

  Shooting Creek and Other Stories

  By Linda Sands

  3 Women Walk Into a Bar (TP only)

  Grand Theft Cargo

  Precious Cargo (*)

  By Ryan Sayles

  The Subtle Art of Brutality

  Warpath

  Let Me Put My Stories In You

  Albatross (*)

  By John Shepphird

  The Shill

  Kill the Shill

  Beware the Shill

  By Nathan Singer

  Blackchurch Furnace

  By Anthony Neil Smith

  Yellow Medicine

  Hogdoggin’

  The Baddest Ass

  Holy Death

  All the Young Warriors

  Once a Warrior

  Worm

  Psychosomatic

  The Drummer

  Choke on Your Lies

  XXX Shamus

  By Liam Sweeny

  Welcome Back, Jack

  By Art Taylor, editor

  Murder Under the Oaks: Bouchercon Anthology 2015

  By Ian Truman

  Grand Trunk and Shearer

  By James Ray Tuck, editor

  Mama Tried 1

  Mama Tried 2 (*)

  By Nathan Walpow

  The Logan Triad

  One Last Hit

  The Manipulated (*)

  By Lono Waiwaiole

  Wiley’s Lament

  Wiley’s Shuffle

  Wiley’s Refrain

  Dark Paradise

  Leon’s Legacy

  By George Williams

  Inferno and Other Stories

  Zoë

  By TG Wolff

  Exacting Justice

  By Frank Zafiro and Eric Beetner

  The Backlist

  The Short List

  By Frank Zafiro and Jim Wilsky

  Blood on Blood (*)

  Down & Out: The Magazine

  Volume 1 Issue 1: Reed Farrel Coleman (featured author)

  Volume 1 Issue 2: Bill Crider (featured author)

  Published by ABC Group Documentation, an imprint of Down & Out Books

  By Alec Cizak

  Down on the Street

  By Grant Jerkins

  Abnormal Man

  A Scholar of Pain

  By Robert Leland Taylor

  Through the Ant Farm

  Published by All Due Respect, an imprint of Down & Out Books

  By Greg Barth

  Selena: Book One

  Diesel Therapy: Selena Book Two

  Suicide Lounge: Selena Book Three

  Road Carnage: Selena Book Four

  Everglade: Selena Book Five

  Selena: The Complete Series

  By Eric Beetner

  Nine Toes in the Grave

  By Phil Beloin Jr.

  Revenge is a Redhead

  By Math Bird

  Histories of the Dead and Other Stories

  By Paul D Brazill

  The Last Laugh: Crime Stories

  By Sarah M. Chen

  Cleaning Up Finn

  By Alec Cizak

  Crooked Roads: Crime Stories

  Manifesto Destination

  By Pablo D’Stair and Chris Rhatigan

  You Don’t Exist

  By C.S. DeWildt

  Kill ’Em with Kindness

  Love You to a Pulp

  By Paul Heatley

  FatBoy

  By Jake Hinkson

  The Deepening Shade

  By Preston Lang

  The Sin Tax

  By Marietta Miles

  Route 12

  By Mike Miner

  Prodigal Sons

  By Mike Monson

  A Killer’s Love

  Criminal Love and Other Stories

  Tussinland

  What Happens in Reno

  By Matt Phillips

  Three Kinds of Fool

  Accidental Outlaws

  By Rob Pierce

  The Things I Love Will Kill Me Yet: Stories

  Uncle Dust

  Vern in the Heat

  With the Right Enemies

  By Michael Pool

  Debt Crusher

  By Chris Rhatigan

  Race to the Bottom

  Squeeze

  The Kind of Friends Who Murder Each Other

  By Ryan Sayles

  I’m Not Happy ’til You’re Not Happy: Crime Stories

  By Ryan Sayles and Chris Rhatigan

  Two Bullets Solve Everything

  By Daniel Vlasaty

  A New and Different Kind of Pain

  Only Bones

  By William E. Wallace

  Dead Heat with the Reaper

  Hangman’s Dozen

  Published by Shotgun Honey, an imprint of Down & Out Books

  By Hector Acosta

  Hardway

  By Rusty Barnes

  Knuckledragger

  Ridgerunner

  By Angel Luis Colón

  The Fury of Blacky Jaguar

  Blacky Jaguar Against the Cool Clux Cult

  By Marie S. Crosswell

  Texas, Hold Your Queens

  By DeLeon DeMicoli

  Les Cannibales

  By Christopher Irvin

  Federales

  By Nick Kolakowski

  A Brutal Bunch of Heartbroken Saps

  Slaughterhouse Blues

  By R. Daniel Lester

  Dead Clown Blues

  By Mike Miner

  Hurt Hawks

  By Tom Pitts

  Knuckleball

  By Ryan Sayles

  Goldfinches

  By Max Sheridan

  Dillo

  By Albert Tucher

  The Place of Refuge

  (*) Coming soon

  Back to TOC

  Here is a preview of Accidental Outlaws by Matt Phillips, published by All Due Respect, an imprint of Down & Out Books…

  “Mesa Boys”

  Part One

  “Saylor is my uncle,” Ronnie said. He pulled the tab on a tallboy. Beer suds floated to the surface. “You know, like, part of my family. He’s my mom’s brother.”

  “What’s he ever done for you?” Marl said.

  Ronnie shifted in a rusted lawn chair. He took a nervous sip from his tallboy. Next to him, Marl reclined on a black pleather couch and chewed a hand-rolled cigarette. They were out front of Marl’s prefab h
ome talking get-rich-quick schemes. “He ain’t done shit for me.”

  “My point,” Marl said. “There it is.” They both stared westward. The sun, deep in its pendulum arc, tinted the desert purple and pink. “My favorite time of day, fucking sundown.”

  Ronnie scraped the dirt with his Vans. He was cash-strapped. They both were, but Ronnie didn’t care for this scheme. Steal from family? Shit. Still, he wondered. “What do you think we could get for that Bronco?”

  “Part it out, shit. We’d get top dollar over the internet—no questions asked either,” Marl said. “It’ll take some time, though. We part it out piece by piece. The sooner we steal the fucker, the sooner we start making money.”

  “But how much?”

  Marl shrugged. He scratched his month-long beard with dirty fingernails and yawned. “Ten Gs, probably. Over six months to a year.”

  Ronnie took another sip from his tallboy. He didn’t like the family part, but the money part sounded pretty good. Ten Gs in six months. Split that two ways and it’s still half as much as he made last year at Cheap Subs—fucking sandwich art. “Five Gs each, that’s pretty fucking good.”

 

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