The Devil Will Come Read Online Free Page B

have been asking whether rain was predicted for tomorrow.
    “Not at all. The… individual I summoned has been taught to clean up after himself. You’ll find the room looks exactly as it did before Dr. Kendall’s abrupt departure.”
    The man looked at Hinman and smiled again. Then he interlaced his long, thin fingers and flexed them, the knuckles making a sound like bones breaking.
    “Now then,” he said briskly, “shall we get down to business, Congressman? Or should I say Mister President ?”
    * * * * *

Bargain
    Carmen Ruiz rested her hip against the Athena Diner’s front counter as she made a quick survey of her section of booths and tables. She had assumed this relaxed posture without really thinking about it; when you work waitress for a living, you learn to take the weight off your feet every chance you get.
    “Carmen, you had your break yet?” This was from Laura Bresson, whose section adjoined Carmen’s. Laura had been waitressing at the Athena practically forever.
    “I’m goin’ in a second,” Carmen said. “Just makin’ sure nobody needs anything.”
    “Aw, you go on. One of yours needs a drink refill or something, I’ll get it.”
    “Thanks, Mama,” Carmen said with a half-smile. Then she took a step closer to Laura and dropped her voice to a murmur. “Hey, did you catch those dudes in 14? The ones with the handcuffs?”
    “ Handcuffs ?” Laura peered toward the booth in the corner where three men were eating dinner. “They don’t really look like freakos, do they? Just goes to show ya.”
    “I’m not talkin’ about that . See the two sitting with their backs to the wall? Well, like twenty minutes ago I’m standing there, in the middle of taking their order, when I notice that those two guys are handcuffed together , side by side. I damn near dropped my order pad, lemme tell you.”
    “Side by side? And you don’t think that’s kinky ?” Laura was kindly, but that didn’t make her a genius.
    “One of them’s a cop , ditzy. Got to be. Which means the other one is like his prisoner, or something.”
    “My God, just like on TV!” Laura said. Then she asked, “Which one in the handcuffs is the cop, do you know?”
    “Nobody’s wearing a badge, but it’s gotta be the guy in the gray suit. I mean, look at him.”
    “Well, he’s cute, I give you that, and well-dressed, too. And the other one….”
    “Menace to Society,” Carmen declared. “Dingy sport coat, no tie, can’t even keep his greasy hair out of his eyes — he’s got ‘scumbag’ written all over him.”
    “Yeah, I think you’re right. Now, go on, take your break. Maybe one of those guys will need something before you get back, and I can get a closer look. Hell, this is better than America’s Most Wanted .”
    “Whatever floateth your boateth, honey,” Carmen said breezily. “Okay, I’ll be back in fifteen.” And she was off — to a small salad, a cigarette, and another chapter of Pride and Prejudice .
    * * *
    As Carmen Ruiz headed for the employees’ break room, FBI Special Agent Kenneth Frain put his fork down and used the same hand to push his brown hair out of his eyes for the fifth or sixth time since the meal had begun. His left hand was useless for that purpose, being handcuffed to Jimmy Platt, master counterfeiter. Jimmy was known in some circles as “the Plate” — a reference both to his skill at engraving the image of fifty dollar bills and his habit of dressing expensively and well, like a true fashion plate. His work was lucrative enough so that Jimmy could afford to indulge his taste in fine clothes — although the work had recently been brought to an abrupt halt, and the expensive wardrobe was likely to be exchanged for prison gray in the near future.
    Jimmy Platt took another bite of the Athena’s perfectly-cooked steak fries and looked across the table at Frain’s partner, Special Agent Mark Rodelle. The FBI man, who, at 47, had almost twenty years on his partner, was using a