Among Thieves Read Online Free PDF Page B

pissed off one of the
     goombahs in the North End, or maybe one of the Salvadoran gangbangers over in Eastie. Who knows, could have even been one
     of his own boys looking to move up in the world.”
    “Doc give any thoughts on the extent of the injuries?” Sanchez asked.
    “Just that the gunshots to the head were pretty clearly the cause of death. And the external injuries are mainly superficial.
     There may be some broken bones, and he won’t know about any internal injuries until he splits him open to look inside. The
     only other thing that sticks out is the hands.”
    “The hands?” Stone said.
    “See for yourself,” McAfee said.
    Sanchez looked at the body. It was turned to the side, and both hands were underneath the torso. “Help me turn him,” she said
     to Stone.
    The two of them reached down. She placed her palms flat underneath the shoulder, and he lifted from underneath the hip. Rigor
     had set in, so the body rolled easily, like a mannequin, and the arms shot upward once released from under the body.
    Sanchez frowned. The skin on the hands had a ghostly white, fleshless tone to it below the wrists. Dark holes marred the palms,
     and looking closely, Sanchez could see that the injuries went all the way through the hands.
    “Doc picked up some ligature marks on the wrists,” McAfee said. “Looks like they tied his hands together and shot him clean
     through the palms.”
    “Why?” Stone asked.
    “Who knows,” McAfee said. “Maybe just for kicks.”
    “
Padre Pio
,” Sanchez said quietly.
    “
Padre Pio
?” Stone replied.
    “
Padre Pio
,” she repeated.
    Stone looked at McAfee. “You know what
Padre Pio
means?” he asked.
    McAfee shook his head. “Sorry, I’m not Mexican.”
    Stone looked back at Sanchez. “What does
Padre Pio
mean?” he asked.
    “It means you need to pay attention.” She moved to the other side of the body. “The message?”
    McAfee pointed to the left of the head. “It’s up there. No one has any idea about it. It’s not gang-related as far as we know,
     and no one has seen anything like it before.”
    She bent down. It was there, though it had faded as the blood had dried. “The Storm.” She looked at Stone. “You’re the local,
     you know what that means?”
    Stone shook his head. “Doesn’t ring any bells.”
    “Anyone go by that nickname?”
    “Not that I’ve ever heard.”
    “Great.”
    “Maybe it’s just some sort of psycho with a flair for drama.”
    She stood up. “Maybe. It’s definitely a psycho. I don’t think it’s got anything to do with drama, though.”
    “What, then?”
    She took off her gloves and they snapped as she rolled them into a ball. She tossed them to McAfee. “That’s what I expect
     you to find out.”

Chapter Three
    Back behind the wheel, Stone pulled out of the driveway to the Body Shop. “Where to, boss?” he asked Sanchez.
    “Back to the station house,” she replied.
    “What for?”
    “I need to check something on a computer.” She looked out the passenger window as the Convention Center in South Boston drifted
     by, its huge front canopy hanging over the entranceway like some great homage to the 1960s television show
The Flying Nun
.
    “Right. Check something out. Good idea. Me, too, I need to check something out, too. Maybe it’s the same thing.”
    She turned to look at him. “I doubt it,” she said after a moment.
    “Maybe not. Of course, there’s only one way to know, right?” He drove on, his frustration building through the silence. “So,
     are you gonna talk to me about that shit back there? We are partners, after all, right?”
    She said nothing.
    “Look, I know I’m the new guy, but how are you gonna know if I can contribute if you won’t even talk to me?”
    “Fine,” she said, her tone challenging. “Why don’t you tell me about the scene back there?”
    “Is this some sort of a test?”
    “Yeah, it’s a test.”
    “That’s fucked up. I don’t have to prove shit to