No Sleep till Wonderland Read Online Free PDF

morning, woke me up, and said he called again, threatening to show up at her bar tomorrow. She works at the Pour House, which is downtown, near the Prudential. Eddie’s not taking my calls yet. I checked the schedule and he has a couple of days off but I’m on tomorrow night. I tried calling the other bartenders already but none of them would take my shift. So I won’t see Eddie at the Abbey and I won’t be able to go to the Pour House either. It’s a scary little mess. Do you think you could just go hang out at Ekat’s bar tomorrow night? Maybe follow her home, make sure she’s safe. She lives here in Southie, over on I Street, between Fifth and Sixth. Ekat would kill me if she knew I was doing this, but I’m worried, you know?”
    That was quite the speech. Quick and well delivered, but I don’t like its implications. “First, let’s pretend this is all legit.” I pause, and Gus does a classic double take. He really is an expressive son of a bitch. “I don’t back down from anyone, but I wouldn’t describe my particular skill set as including intimidation, muscle, or protection.”
    Gus’s brow furrows; he’s in thoughtful mode, choosing his words carefully. He says, “I’m hopeful that if Eddie does go to her bar, he’ll see you. Knowing that she’s serious enough to hire professional help should throw some cold water on Eddie, at least for one night.”
    “Maybe. Maybe not. Second, you heard the story about how my last surveillance gig went. It didn’t exactly fare thee well.”
    “People make mistakes. Who knows? It might not have been your fault.”
    “Yet to be determined, if I’m being kind to me.”
    “Having spent the past couple of days with you, I know that you’re hard on yourself, a little too hard on yourself.”
    “Are you taking over the group therapy session from Dr. Who next week? I suggest you arm wrestle him for it.”
    “We’ll leg wrestle.” Gus pulls out a couple of cigarettes and lights them. Why didn’t I think of that? He says, “Now, what’s with the crazy talk about pretending this is legit? What are you trying to say?”
    I inhale, let the smoke do its yellow voodoo on my teeth for a bit before spitting it out. I could use some real magic. I guess I’ll have to stick with blunt honesty for a change.
    I say, “I feel set up. You only took me out for a drink so you could show me off to Eddie and then use me later, which is fine. I’m all grown up now, tuck myself into bed each night, tell my own bedtime stories even if they don’t work. But you coming in here and acting like you’re doing me a favor by offering some new gig when you wanted me for this all along doesn’t sit right. Why you want me, I don’t know. Maybe I’m the only PI you can afford. Maybe you think you can buy my help with cheap booze and little green pills. Can’t say I like that you obviously think I’m not smart enough to connect those dots. I don’t—”
    “Whoa, whoa, Mark, stop, listen to yourself. I know it’s your job and probably a part of your DNA to not trust the scenarios laid out in front of you, but Jesus fuck, this goes beyond a little healthy paranoia.”
    “Does it?”
    “You can trust me. I promise. I swear it all came up this morning when Ekat called.” He shrugs, looks around, and then his hands scurry into his pockets again like bugs fleeing when the lights come on. “Look, I can show you my cell call history if that’ll help.” He holds out his phone, but I don’t take it. I clutch my cigarette instead. It feels safer.
    Gus says, “We thought the Eddie thing was over. I had no idea he called her again until this morning, and then I just thought we could help each other out. That’s all, Mark.” Gus scratches his arms and rubs his face. He’s clearly uncomfortable. So am I.
    “How well do you know Eddie?”
    “Not well. We work together, and that’s it. We don’t hang out. I never talk to him or see him outside the Abbey.”
    “What else does he