The Alternative Detective (Hob Draconian) Read Online Free Page A

island. It’s the only one people really work at. And kill over.
    Ibiza is a great hideaway for all sorts of illegal or semi-illegal people, ranging from ex-concentration camp commandants to topflight art forgers. People tend to congregate here with wealth acquired elsewhere. Other people tend to move in around them, and sometimes succeed in ripping them off. This is a separate layer of crime, distinct from the dope wars.
    There are a lot of separate worlds here: ex-Nazis; kept women; homosexuals; almond farmers; police; restaurateurs; dropouts.
    There are lots of pretty islands in the Med. What makes Ibiza so special? It’s the lifestyle. What is this lifestyle? A mixture of traditional Ibicenco manners and dropout hippie laid-backedness and peace. On Ibiza, not only are there things to enjoy, there’s the possibility of learning how to enjoy them. That’s important for all sorts of people, including gangsters who want to retire and better themselves.
    Ibiza is not one of those places where the natives are invisible. Ibicencos still own most of the property on Ibiza. Some of them are rich. They are a tight society, shrewd, good-humored, passionate, and, above all, tolerant. They are one of history’s great generous-minded people. They are peasants. But whoever heard of peasants being interested in outsiders, willing to talk to them, to make friends with them, to marry them, to do anything for them? Go to a village in the Auvergne or the Marche and see how quickly you’re accepted. Or go elsewhere in Spain, even to Majorca, the next island. Ibicencos aren’t like anyone else. They have handled the tourist invasion well. Ibiza remains Ibiza, not an outpost of England or Canada.
    A distinction must be made between Ibicencos and Spaniards. Ibicencos are Spaniards, of course, but they’re not like other Spaniards. In fact, it’s difficult to isolate a single Spanish type, since Spain is intensely regional and can be divided into at least five distinct regions, with many subdivisions possible. Spaniards are not a homogeneous race; they’re a bunch of tribes with a few shared characteristics, living side by side and never quite getting the hang of getting along with each other. Political instability is endemic to Spain, as is violence.
    The Ibicencos are part of the Catalan people. But their primary allegiance is not to Catalonia. They are Ibicencos before being Catalans. Ibiza is a distinct and separate civilization. One of the finest the world has produced.
    I knew it would be a good idea for me never to go there again.
     
     

 
    KATE
    6
     
     
    i called my ex-wife Kate to tell her the news. My daughter Sonya answered. Sonya is fourteen and does real well in school. She lives in Woodstock, New York, and I don’t see her or her younger brother, Todd, anywhere near as often as I should. That’s because it’s difficult for me to see Kate even though we’re long divorced and I’ve married Mylar.
    “Hi, kid,” I said, “how are you?”
    “I’m fine, Daddy,” Sonya said. “I got straight A’s again on my report card.”
    We chatted for a few minutes. Then I knew that I had to say it.
    “Listen, darling, I don’t think I’ll be able to come to your graduation week after next.”
    “Oh, Daddy! What’s come up this time?”
    “It’s a job, honey. Necessary to keep us all eating. I’ll be leaving in a day or two.”
    “And when will you be back?”
    “Probably three weeks, a month. I am sorry.”
    “I know, Daddy. Good luck. Just a moment. Mommy wants to speak to you.”
    And then Katie’s voice, a little anxious. “Hob? What’s this about a job?”
    “It’s a case for the agency. I can’t tell you much about it. It’ll take a few weeks.”
    “Will it pay anything?”
    “There’s a bonus arrangement. It could pay pretty well.”
    “It would be nice if you could help out with Sonya’s orthodontia. I know it’s not in the agreement, but I just don’t have the money, and she’s a pretty kid,