Darwin's Nightmare Read Online Free PDF

trouble after that. The neighbourhood housed pubs and restaurants, a dentist, a tattoo parlour, and other businesses. The road on this portion of Hess Street was brick instead of pavement, and each of the buildings was set back from the street; they all had ample front gardens or patios. The building I wanted was a two-storey walk-up that had no use for its patio, so the space had been converted into a small garden with a black iron fence and several benches for smoking employees. The building looked as if it had begun life as a house, but it had been recently modernized for a different type of clientele. The large window that faced the street had been re-paned with reflective glass that deflected the sunlight onto the garden.
    I parked across the street and watched the building. For twenty-five minutes nothing stirred; no one went in or came out. The pedestrian traffic was light. Most of the crowds were probably going back to work after their lunch. The occasional person walked by my car but none of them were police or security. The length of time in which nothing happened made me think I would be able to meet with these boys without being disturbed. I pulled the Glock from the glove box and made sure it was loaded and ready. I shifted in my seat and tucked the gun under my shirt into the holster at the small of my back.Once I was armed, I got out and fed the meter two quarters, earning me half an hour. I wasn’t going to be long, but parking tickets lead to paper trails, and people can follow those trails. I opened the Volvo’s trunk and pulled out a baseball cap, which I pulled low over my eyes while I waited for a break in the traffic. The second to last car before the light turned was a police car. I smiled at the cop in the passenger seat as he rolled by. He stared back uninterested. When the street was clear, I crossed and followed the path of the police car. The patrol car turned left at the next lights, and neither of the two men inside looked back at me. Seeing the police car didn’t bother me. I had been on Hess Street for half an hour and it was the first sign of the law I had come across. I figured I had at least a half of an hour before the police would be back; that was twenty minutes more than I needed.
    I doubled back up the street and walked through the garden with my hat still pulled low. When I opened the front door, I was greeted with the smell of recycled office air. Fifteen feet in front of me was a receptionist speaking into a headset. The woman seated behind the desk was plump, almost round. Her nose was pointed up in a slightly piggish way, and her round face was accentuated by a curly mass of short hair. She occupied her free hands with a bottle of red nail polish. I angled my head low so that the visor of the hat hid my features from any cameras above me. I couldn’t be sure who knew me in the building, and I didn’t want any new friends. I waited politely in front of the receptionist, looking at the counter, the floor, and the two hallways leading away from the reception desk. The hallway ahead had only one door I could see; its wood was polished and expensive. The hallway to my left contained several doors, each with plastic name plates beside them.
    The receptionist finally told someone to hold on and greeted me cheerfully: “How may I help you today, sir?” It was said without any hint of sarcasm or feeling. It was an automatic response to a visitor.
    I smiled pleasantly. “Hey, is Mike around?” I said, using the name the amateur let slip in my office.
    She spoke again with congenial efficiency. “Just a moment, sir, let me check to see if he is available.” She touched a button and spoke into the headset. “Mr. Naismith,” she chirped, “you have a visitor who would like to see you.” There was a pause and then the woman said, “No.” She looked at me again, and I smiled before turning my head to look at the art hanging on the