Bluff Walk. Charles R. Crawford
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Название: Bluff Walk

Автор: Charles R. Crawford

Издательство: Ingram

Жанр: Крутой детектив

Серия:

isbn: 9781611390674

isbn:

СКАЧАТЬ

      

      Bluff

      Walk

      Bluff

      Walf

       A John McAlister Mystery

      _________ Charles R. Crawford _________

      The events, people, and incidents in this story are the sole product of the author’s imagination. The story is fictional and any resemblance to individuals living or dead is purely coincidental.

      © 2004 by Charles R. Crawford. All rights reserved.

      No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.

      Sunstone books may be purchased for educational, business, or sales promotional use.

      For information please write: Special Markets Department, Sunstone Press,

      P.O. Box 2321, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87504-2321.

      Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

      Crawford, Charles R., 1958-

      Bluff walk : a John McAlister mystery / Charles R. Crawford,

      p. cm.

      ISBN 0-86534-439-6 (Hardcover)

      1. Private investigators—Tennessee—Memphis—Fiction. 2. Memphis (Tenn.)—Fiction. I. Title.

      PS3603.R3955B58 2005

      813'.6—dc22

      2004017075

       WWW.SUNSTONEPRESS.COM

      SUNSTONE PRESS / POST OFFICE BOX 2321 / SANTA FE, NM 87504-2321 / USA

      (505) 988-4418 / ORDERS ONLY (800) 243-5644 / FAX (505) 988-1025

      This book is dedicated to Alice,

      my wife and best friend.

      Contents

       Chapter 1

       Chapter 2

       Chapter 3

       Chapter 4

       Chapter 5

       Chapter 6

       Chapter 7

       Chapter 8

       Chapter 9

       Chapter 10

       Chapter 11

       Chapter 12

       Chapter 13

       Chapter 14

       Chapter 15

       Chapter 16

       Chapter 17

       Chapter 18

       Chapter 19

       Acknowledgments

      “What have you got for me, John?” Amanda Baker asked.

      “At least five million bucks,” I replied with a smile.

      “And how much do you want for it?”

      “As usual, I’ll let you decide.”

      Amanda Baker is one of the best divorce lawyers in Memphis. Thin, blonde and fortyish, her big blue eyes hide the mind of a combat general and the predatory instincts of a hunting lioness. Her clients give her a $20,000 non-refundable retainer up front, and that’s just the beginning. The clients don’t mind, since Amanda usually gets her fee out of the ex-husband in the end. Always the husband, because she doesn’t represent men. She says it would be an issues conflict.

      Her other clients are women who can’t afford any lawyer, much less Amanda. Amanda takes their cases for free, and pays for their court and deposition costs out of her own pocket. It’s not unusual for her to be in court on the same day with the wife of a chief executive officer of a prominent business and the wife of an unemployed roofer. With Amanda, it’s full freight or nothing at all.

      My name is John McAlister. I’m a private detective. I get paid when I can. On a good day, or a lucky day, I like to think I’m the best PI in the world, never mind Memphis. On a bad day, or an unlucky day, I sometimes feel like I couldn’t detect the Mississippi River, even though it rolls past only a hundred yards from my office window.

      Oh, yeah. I used to be a lawyer, too. I made more money then, but I didn’t have nearly as much fun.

      Amanda hires me on three or four cases a year. Our fee arrangement was reached some time ago. I get paid reasonable expenses plus what she thinks the result is worth. She passes my fee along to her rich clients, and pays me herself for her pro bono clients. I’m not asked to support her favorite charity.

      My latest engagement for Amanda is СКАЧАТЬ