GUNNER (ALTON RHODE MYSTERIES Book 5) Read Online Free Page A

was with him, was polite and said all the right things. I did think he spent a little too much time smiling at Alice, but I decided not to hold that against him. She made a lot of men smile. Some even pawed the ground and whinnied. His wife joined our little group. Her name was Teresa and close up didn’t appear as young as I’d originally thought. Probably mid-40’s. She had a nice figure, a pleasant manner and an accent that said Boston.
    So, after another round of introductions, I said, “Boston?”
    “Close enough. Wellesley Hills. Just west of Boston.”
    I turned to her husband.
    “But you’re not.”
    “No,” Yorke said, “I’m a New Yorker, through and through. Upstate. Near Oswego.”
    “What brought you to Staten Island, Mr. Yorke?” Alice asked.
    “Please call me Nathaniel, Alice” he replied. “And to answer your question, it was a combination of things. I believe this borough has great potential, especially after the closure of the landfill. Staten Island’s proximity to Manhattan and its position at the nexus of the Northeast Corridor ensure its prosperity. It has beautiful neighborhoods and a vibrant populace. And, of course, there is one other thing.”
    “What’s that?”
    “Naked ambition.” Yorke laughed. At least I think it was a laugh. “Terry and I haven’t even unpacked our carpetbags.”
    It was a good line, meant to disarm, and it did.
    “Nathaniel, we’re running late.” It was the man behind Yorke. “We’ve got to move this along. There are a lot of people anxious to meet you.”
    It was true. The line of well-wishers was building up in the aisle. Yorke looked at him.
    “OK, Claude, hold your water. I’ll be right with you.”
    He turned back to us and smiled.
    “I don’t run my campaign. My staff does. Terry and I are going out for a bite to eat after this. Would you care to join us?” Yorke was looking at Mike Sullivan but quickly added, “All four of you, of course.”
    “Nathaniel, you have a busy day ahead of you tomorrow.” It was Yorke’s staffer. “I’m sure these nice people would understand.”
    “Claude, all the more reason we need a little break tonight. What do you say, Mike?” He looked at me. “Mr. Rhode?”
    We agreed to all meet at La Strada, a reliable Italian restaurant on New Dorp Lane in New Dorp, at 8 P.M.
    “I’ll make a reservation,” the staffer said. He didn’t look happy.
    “Make it for six people, Claude,” Teresa Yorke said. “Take the night off. You’ve earned it.”
    Now the man really looked unhappy. He looked at the candidate.
    “We could discuss some matters over dinner, Nathaniel,” he said.
    “I think you should really take the night off,” Teresa Yorke said, with an edge to her voice. “Isn’t that right, Nathaniel?”
    “Yes, that’s a good idea, Claude. The campaign can wait a day. Go on home. Come on, Terry, once more into the breach.”
    He and his wife left and started shaking hands. The staffer glared at us as they walked away and then followed. Alice and Linda Cronin began chatting. I looked at Sullivan.
    “Who was the flunky with Yorke, Mike? I don’t think I’ve seen him around.”
    “He’s no flunky. That was Claude Bowles. Campaign manager.”
    “He from upstate, too?”
    “Yeah. Been with Yorke since the beginning, when he was an alderman in the city of Oswego. Claude’s a pain in this ass but he knows his stuff. Yorke has never lost an election.”
    It had been all over the media. Nathaniel Yorke’s political career was as varied as it was successful: alderman, mayor of Oswego, county manager, two as an assemblyman and three terms as a state senator.
    “Why the hell is he running for Borough President of Staten Island?”
    Sullivan smiled.
    “The $64-million-dollar question. Or, more likely, the billion-dollar question. You heard him talk about the project, didn’t you? Staten Island is where the money is. And who knows, maybe he has bigger ambitions. Some people would rather be