BLOOD
WILLIAM LASHNER
who is with me every day
Why might not that be the skull of a lawyer? Where be his quiddits now, his quillets, his cases, his tenures, and his tricks?
—Hamlet, in the graveyard, act 5, scene 1
Contents
Epigraph iii
Chapter 1
KYLE, ALL OF TWELVE years old, hated the suit. 1
Chapter 2
THE NAME WAS ROBERT, not Bobby or little Bobby or… 15
Chapter 3
KYLE BYRNE SPIED his father watching him play in the… 25
Chapter 4
OH, MY GOD, it was the funniest damn thing I… 32
Chapter 5
AS HE WALKED east down Lombard, he saw her sitting… 40
Chapter 6
BUBBA’S BAR AND GRILL, just a few blocks away from… 44
Chapter 7
NICE DAY FOR A FUNERAL,” said Detective Ramirez. 50
Chapter 8
IF KYLE BYRNE collected comic books, Laszlo Toth’s
funeral would… 58
Chapter 9
ROBERT SPANGLER WAS LISTENING to a priest drone on at… 65
Chapter 10
THE OLDE PIG SNOUT TAVERN in South Philly was as… 71
Chapter 11
LIAM BYRNE HAD BEEN many things: faithless lover,
indifferent father,… 79
Chapter 12
ROBERT SPANGLER SAT low in his car in the alleyway… 85 SKITCH WAS DRUNK. You could tell by the way he… 88
Chapter 14
DETECTIVES HENDERSON AND RAMIREZ stood side by side in front… 96
Chapter 15
RAMIREZ SAT DOWN across from Kyle Byrne. His eyes were… 101
Chapter 16
ACROSS THE STREET from the Snow White Diner, on the… 110
Chapter 17
LASZLO TOTH MIGHT HAVE BEEN the ogre in Kyle Byrne’s… 115
Chapter 18
KYLE’S CAR WAS an old red Datsun 280ZX, with a… 118
Chapter 19
WHO THE HELL are you?” rasped the small man with… 125
Chapter 20
HENDERSON AND RAMIREZ were at a crime scene when they… 134
Chapter 21
DETECTIVE RAMIREZ FELT a slight but undeniable thrill as she… 138
Chapter 22
ROBERT BOUGHT the prepaid cell phone at a Wawa convenience… 147
Chapter 23
ROBERT HAD PICKED the spot long before the call came… 152
Chapter 24
KYLE BYRNE WAS PISSED. He was a little drunk, too,… 159
Chapter 25
THE DISCUSSION DID NOT go very well. 166
Chapter 26
IN THE COVER of darkness, Kyle parked the 280ZX at… 169 IT DIDN’T TAKE much time for Kyle to clear out… 174
Chapter 28
THERE HADN’T BEEN enough time to make elaborate
provisions, but… 181
Chapter 29
KYLE’S HEART JUMPED like a nervous rabbit flushed from hiding… 186
Chapter 30
OR SOMETHING THAT sounded much like a bomb, an explosion… 191
Chapter 31
DAWN WAS JUST BREAKING as Henderson and
Ramirez toured the… 198
Chapter 32
A MOTEL ROOM IS where romance goes to die. 207
Chapter 33
IT BEGAN WITH A MEETING in his office. An older… 211
Chapter 34
FOR THE FIRST TIME in his life, Bobby Spangler’s world… 218
Chapter 35
BEFORE WE DO ANYTHING,” said Liam Byrne as they drove… 223
Chapter 36
WATCH OUT FOR THE SUIT,” said Kyle as Vern and… 232
Chapter 37
DETECTIVE RAMIREZ FIGURED it wouldn’t be much of a trick… 237
Chapter 38
WELCOME TO SENATOR TRUSCOTT’S Philadelphia office,” said the pretty receptionist… 245
Chapter 39
HIS NAME WAS Lamar, and Lamar was scared. 252 AT PONZIO’S, an overblown New Jersey diner with a false… 259
Chapter 41
SKITCH SAT WITH KYLE in Liam’s rental car as both… 266
Chapter 42
DID YOU SEE his face, boyo?” said Liam Byrne, peering… 271
Chapter 43
BOBBY HATED BLOOD. 281
Chapter 44
KNOCK, KNOCK. 285
Chapter 45
A SENATOR WALKS INTO A BAR. 294
Chapter 46
ONE OF MY GREAT-GRANDFATHERS was a crony of
Morgan’s,” said… 300
Chapter 47
AS KYLE WATCHED Truscott drag himself out of
Bubba’s, looking… 309
Chapter 48
EVEN WITH HIS BLACK BAG on the passenger seat beside… 313
Chapter 49
AFTER DETECTIVE RAMIREZ yanked Kyle Byrne back into Bubba’s, she… 318
Chapter 50
UNCLE MAX WAS SITTING at the bar of the Olde… 327
Chapter 51
KYLE BYRNE WAS drunk with whine. 335