The Cross: An Eddie Flynn Novella Read Online Free Page A

snugly beneath his left arm.
    I took off as fast as I could, waving to the deckhands to hold on. A single drumbeat of feet behind me, pounding the boardwalk. Their rhythm was quicker than mine and getting louder every second. He was gaining on me. My tie flipped around my neck as I hit full speed, my heels scattering over the boards just before I came to a halt in front of the deckhand.
    He waved me on, then closed the gate behind him. The interior cabin boasted huge windows for the perfect passenger view of the skyline. I leaned over a seat, panting like a dog, drenched in sweat, and watched the ticket agent hold up a hand against the man in the sports coat. He was slightly younger than me, maybe late twenties. He ignored the ticket agent, choosing to scan the cabin instead. Our eyes met. Instantly, he looked away, finding the water first, then the sky. Engines roared to life, and the ferry took off at cruising speed.
    If I had to guess, I’d say the man was a cop.
    The rest of the passengers were watching me. I turned and sat in my seat. Now I was properly covered in sweat. I felt a tap on my shoulder. Turning, I saw a deckhand wearing a blue East River Ferry T-shirt. He gestured for me to approach him. Wiping sweat into my hair, I got up from the seat and nodded. He beckoned me out of the cabin. Beside the cabin doors was a set of steps leading to the open-top deck. A red and white painted chain blocked off the steps. The deckhand unhooked it and then relocked the chain as I made my way up the steps. The ferry lurched as it hit full speed, and if I hadn’t been hanging on to the railing, I would’ve fallen. I could smell the river, that mixed odor of freshness, salt, and sweet decay.
    The top deck was small, with only a handful of benches. A man in a grayraincoat stood at the end of the deck, the wind licking his hair. No one else up top. He turned as I approached. A slender man in his fifties with sharp cheekbones and wild blue eyes. His hair had been blond, but up close I could see it was now a fawny-gray color. Black suit under the raincoat. The motion of the ferry made my stomach feel uneasy. He took the nearest seat, and I sat down beside him.
    When he spoke, I noticed his accent had a Southern edge to it. Not Deep South, but not far off it.
    “My name is Albert Frost. Good to meet you, Counselor,” he said, holding out a hand.
    I took it. The skin was hard but loose with age. This guy had worked for a living a long time ago. A pale strip on the middle finger of his left hand said he’d been married until very recently. The divot of white skin from the gold band that the wearer had rarely removed had not yet settled into its former smooth line. Maybe at his age it never would.
    “Sorry we had to meet here. I was expecting to sit down with you and enjoy a cone. But you came with a tail. We had to shake him before we spoke. In many ways, it’s a good thing somebody followed you here.”
    “Why is that?”
    “It means you and I are both pissing up the right tree.”
    “I’m not sure I understand.”
    He smiled, looked out over the water. The last of the day’s sun was licking the glass towers on Wall Street.
    “Sure you understand, smart fellah like you. And I’m here to fill in some blanks. See, I want to be friends. I want to help you out, and in return you’ll be real neighborly and do us a favor.”
    “What kind of favor do you want?”
    “Oh, we’ll get to that. Right now you’re the one who needs help.”
    “I’m just fine, thanks. I don’t need any help.”
    “Come on, don’t play me. If you didn’t need help, you wouldn’t have come running like you did. You want to know what really happened to Chilli. There’s a lot you don’t know.”
    “Like what?”
    “Like if you haven’t guessed it already, you’re in a whole shitload of trouble, son.”

 
    Chapter Five
    I’d been in tight spots before. The kind that can get you killed. I thought all of that was behind me. When I gave up