Robert K. Tanenbaum - Absolute Rage
Here you can read online Robert K. Tanenbaum - Absolute Rage full text of the book (entire story) in english for free. Download pdf and epub, get meaning, cover and reviews about this ebook. year: 2003, publisher: Pocket Books, genre: Detective and thriller. Description of the work, (preface) as well as reviews are available. Best literature library LitArk.com created for fans of good reading and offers a wide selection of genres:
Romance novel
Science fiction
Adventure
Detective
Science
History
Home and family
Prose
Art
Politics
Computer
Non-fiction
Religion
Business
Children
Humor
Choose a favorite category and find really read worthwhile books. Enjoy immersion in the world of imagination, feel the emotions of the characters or learn something new for yourself, make an fascinating discovery.
- Book:Absolute Rage
- Author:
- Publisher:Pocket Books
- Genre:
- Year:2003
- Rating:3 / 5
- Favourites:Add to favourites
- Your mark:
- 60
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
Absolute Rage: summary, description and annotation
We offer to read an annotation, description, summary or preface (depends on what the author of the book "Absolute Rage" wrote himself). If you haven't found the necessary information about the book — write in the comments, we will try to find it.
Absolute Rage — read online for free the complete book (whole text) full work
Below is the text of the book, divided by pages. System saving the place of the last page read, allows you to conveniently read the book "Absolute Rage" online for free, without having to search again every time where you left off. Put a bookmark, and you can go to the page where you finished reading at any time.
Font size:
Interval:
Bookmark:
A white car goes by, brakes at the end of the street, and does a clumsy U-turn. Its driver parks behind the Mercedes and gets out and, as he has been instructed to do, enters the rear seat. Mr. Ballantine does not turn around. His dark eyes meet the watery blue ones of the other in the rearview mirror.
Ballantine?
Thats right. Did you bring the money?
I can get it. I wanted to discuss the details.
Ballantine allows himself a small sigh and glances at the dashboard clock. He had hoped that this would go smoothly, as he has an appointment downtown, but obviously he was wrong. He studies what he can see of the man in the mirror. A pale disk of face, late forties, running a little to fat. Stiff sandy hair, sideburns somewhat longer than the current fashion in New York, a dark suit jacket with a gold pin of some fraternal order in the lapel, a thick tie with a heavy, mixed pattern. An out-of-towner, a hick. A little cornpone in the voice, too. A Southerner? That would be unusual. Southerners usually did it themselves.
No, we dont discuss the details, Mr. Ballantine says. You give me twenty-five now and it gets done and you give me twenty-five again. Thats it, end of discussion.
I dont know. Thats a lot of money, you know. Just to hand over to someone you never seen before.
Not Southern; a hillbilly of some kind. Mr. Ballantine is tempted to cut it off right there, tell the hick to get lost, but he has already invested some time and money. He has paid the bartender who picked up the job, and the guy the bartender told, who told him and set up the meeting. He could write that off as overhead, but still...
Look, says Mr. Ballantine, you never did this before, am I right?
Yeah, but...
Ive done it a lot, which tells you something. That I know what Im doing. Because, you know, this is illegal.
A short bark of a laugh from the rear seat.
Right, and Im still here, on the outside. Also, think about it for a minute: Im dealing all the time with people who want to get rid of other people, theyre not going to sit down for getting ripped off. I wouldnt be in business if I did that. This is the way it has to be. No questions. I dont know you, you dont know me. You dont know who Im going to get to do the job. He doesnt know you. Me, Im just a voice on the phone and an envelope full of cash in his post office box as far as hes concerned. Everyone is sealed off from everyone else, you understand? Seal-off is the main thing. That and the professional job, experienced personnel, guaranteed operation, and so forth. Now, Im not saying theres not cheaper ways to go.
For example? said the man in the backseat, his tone avid. Mr. Ballantine checked his mirror. The mans eyes were wide with interest.
For example, you could find some guys in a bar around where you come from, a couple of tough guys, what dycall them, good old boys. And you could give them a couple of grand and theyd go do it for you. Assuming they do it at all and not get drunk and fuck it up, itd take maybe three, four days before they told someone, or the cops traced something they dropped at the scene back to them, and a couple of hours after that, theyd come and arrest you, because those boysll give you up quicker than shit. On the other hand, you saved all that money.
Im not that stupid, Mr. Ballantine, said the man coldly, after a brief silence.
We dont know that yet. If youre not stupid, either youre going to forget about the job, kiss and make up with this fella, or youre going to give me twenty-five large in assorted unconsecutive currency. Those are the two nonstupid options. Up to you, Jim. I could care less either way.
Ill have to think about it, said the man, easing across the seat. Other people are involved in this.
That would be another mistake, thought Mr. Ballantine, but said nothing as the man walked back to his rental. When the car had disappeared, Mr. Ballantine got out into the heat and snapped off the magnetized fake New York plates and tossed them in the trunk, revealing the authentic Jersey plates underneath. Sealing it off.
The voices of children woke her out of a sun-dazed nap and she sat up in the beach chair, checking first of all to see if Lizzie was there, and of course she was, building her sand castle where the sand got damp. There were two boys, about ten years old, both dark-haired and lean, one in a red Speedo suit and one in baggy cutoffs. They were splashing in the shallows of the Sound, playing with something big and black, a truck-tire inner tube? In the distance was an adult, obscure now in the glare and salt haze. A woman.Rose allowed herself a moment of annoyance. Crab Point was a private beach, although who it actually belonged to just now was a lawyers guess. But it had been in her family for generations. She had come here as a child, to the big white house on the beach, and she had brought the boys here when they were babies, and now, after a long hiatus, she had brought Lizzie, and who was this woman to come here as if it were a public park, with her two noisy kids and her
Dog. The thing was the size of a calf, black, dripping sea spray and slaver, and it was rushing directly at her and Lizzie. Her belly jumped with fear. She started to get to her feet to get between the monster and her little girl, who was kneeling next to her sand castle, her back to the onrushing dog, oblivious.
There came a piercing double whistle and the dog, now not more than three yards from Rose, spun instantly around like a mechanical toy, throwing a gout of sand as it skidded, and immediately began to race back toward the other woman.
Who waved and called, Sorreeee!
Rose experienced a rush of anger, at the woman and that animal, but also at herself, for her appalling cowardice. She had never been frightened of dogs before.
Can I go in, Mom? asked Lizzie. Its boiling. She had her little red tube around her waist.
Sure, honey, Ill come with you. Rose was afraid of the water, too, afraid of letting the girl go in by herself, although Lizzie had been a good swimmer since the age of five. When had she become a coward? As soon as she asked the question, she knew.
From the water, floating on her back, she watched the other woman spread her blanket and set up her backrest, and, with somewhat more interest, her undressing. She wore a small, blue-striped bikini, although she was rather mature for a bikinilate thirties, early forties, Rose judged. A terrific, lithe body though, obviously one of those disgusting women who could eat anything and went wiry rather than slack with age. Another reason to dislike her. Rose rolled over and began to swim back and forth on the gentle swell. Maybe she could work off a few pounds before Red got here.
Font size:
Interval:
Bookmark:
Similar books «Absolute Rage»
Look at similar books to Absolute Rage. We have selected literature similar in name and meaning in the hope of providing readers with more options to find new, interesting, not yet read works.
Discussion, reviews of the book Absolute Rage and just readers' own opinions. Leave your comments, write what you think about the work, its meaning or the main characters. Specify what exactly you liked and what you didn't like, and why you think so.