The Rock 'N Roll Detective's Greatest Hits - a Spike Berenger Anthology Read Online Free PDF

passion for him. He didn’t want to go back there but he couldn’t help it. Gina Tipton was a beautiful, intelligent woman. He still liked her. And he believed her.
    “Okay.”
    “Great,” Patterson said. “I’ll arrange a meeting with Detective McTiernan tomorrow morning and then we’ll try to get into Rikers by lunchtime. Is that okay with you?”
    “Sure.”
    “Tomorrow afternoon is the reading of the will and we’ll be attending that,” Patterson said.
    “Flame’s will? Really?”
    Gina nodded. “Carol didn’t want me there but I insisted. I have certain rights, too, you know.”
    “Can you get me in to that?” Berenger asked. “It would be very helpful.”
    Patterson replied, “I’ll see what I can do.”
    Everyone stood and shook hands. Gina held on to his a little longer.
    “You know, I had one of my premonitions that I’d see you today,” she said.
    “Well, if I remember correctly, you were usually right on those things,” Berenger said.
    “So I’ll see you soon?” she asked. Her eyes sparkled with promise.
    “Sure,” he said.

4
Roll With the Changes

( performed by REO Speedwagon )
    B erenger gave the team three hours to get up to speed on the case and then they gathered in the Rockin’ Security conference room. Suzanne happened to get to the sound system first, so Tori Amos was singing her way through the Little Earthquakes album on the overhead speakers, replacing Danny Lewis’ earlier pick, Licensed to Ill by the Beastie Boys. Berenger liked Tori Amos and thought that her first album was still the best one. At any rate her music was more conducive to a planning meeting.
    “Good afternoon,” Berenger said.
    “Hi,” replied Melanie Starkey, the office assistant. She never went by Melanie—she preferred Mel—but most of the time everyone called her “Ringo” because of her last name. Anyone interested in the Beatles knew that Ringo Starr was a stage name for Richard Starkey. Mel didn’t seem to mind the nickname. She happened to wear several rings, too.
    Berenger poured a cup of coffee from the freshly brewed pot on the hot plate. Besides being a damned good office assistant, Mel made a superb pot of coffee. And she looked great today, as usual. She was a twenty-eight year old feisty redheaded babe. Berenger didn’t know if she was Scottish or Irish by heritage—she was most likely a mutt. It didn’t matter, really, because she spoke with a thick New Jersey accent.
    Danny Lewis was a smart-aleck kid from Harlem that was perhaps the brainiest hacker he had ever known. He was nineteen, half-Caucasian, half African-American, and had no loyalties to either race. He called himself a “mix,” hence the nickname “Remix.” Lewis could probably write his own ticket into any major corporation as a systems manager but most employers would likely resist hiring someone so young for such an important position. The dreadlocks and nose piercing didn’t do much to inspire confidence in a white-collar human resources executive either. Berenger had recognized Lewis’ talents when the teenager came in one day to repair a Roland 64-voice synthesizer module. Danny had taken it apart, fixed it, and had it back together within twenty minutes. The “kid” was a genius.
    Tommy Briggs was Berenger’s contemporary. At age forty-nine, he had made the most cracks the other night about Berenger turning fifty. Briggs used to be a field agent for the FBI and had held the job for nearly twenty years until he decided to give it up one day and work for Rockin’ Security. Briggs maintained a good relationship with the Bureau and had pals on the inside. He could usually get any information he wanted from the organization. Outside of Berenger’s musician friends, like Charlie Potts, Briggs was the closest thing to a best friend that Berenger had.
    Last and certainly not least was Suzanne Prescott, Berenger’s second-in-command and personal sidekick. At least he liked to think of her that way.