The Slab Read Online Free PDF Page A

blocks.”
    “That’s right. The first one is money—those developers paid a premium for land right on the lake, with a nice view of the mountains behind. A beautiful spot, and worth premium prices. If the lake was healthier. But it’s not, not so far. The Slab, though, is back away from the lake. You can see it but you can’t smell it. And it’s closer to the mountains, so those views are better.”
    “And what’s the other stumbling block?”
    “That’s the one I can’t tell you about yet,” Carter said. “That’s my secret weapon.”
    Ken steepled his fingers, resting his upper lip and his salt-and-pepper mustache on their tips. “Fair enough,” he said. “So tell me about what you expect from this meeting tonight.”
    “I’m prepared to make these people a generous offer,” Carter said. “I own title to the Slab now, all legal and above-board, and I could just evict everyone. But I don’t want to play the game that way. Those people are living there under a certain set of expectations, and it’s time for those expectations to change. But that doesn’t mean they should be screwed.”
    “I won’t argue with that.”
    “So I hope to get everyone, or as close to everyone as will come out, to gather around so I can tell them all at once what the offer’s going to be. Of course, over the next few weeks we’ll be visiting each one separately, signing releases and turning over checks.”
    “They’ll like to hear that, I expect,” Ken suggested. “But you might want to keep in mind the kind of people you’re dealing with This is a very independent-minded bunch. They tend to make Libertarians look like Socialists. You might be offering them something they can use, which is money, but you’re asking them to give up the one thing money can’t buy, which is freedom.”
    “Do you think they’re likely to get vocal?” Carter asked, a note of concern in his voice.
    “I imagine you’ll hear some raised voices.”
    “Anything else?”
    “I’m assuming—and I know what happens when you assume, but I do it anyway—that you’re expecting some dissent, and that’s why you want us there.”
    Carter nodded. “I figure it can’t hurt.”
    “I don’t have any doubt that they’d let you down off the Slab alive, even if we weren’t there to keep an eye on things. But we’ll be there, just the same.”

    “That would be good,” Carter said, his tongue running across his unnaturally red lips. “That would be really good.”
    Ken was about to say something else when a screech of brakes outside the office interrupted him. He glanced out the window, and saw only a cloud of dust hanging on the still air, then the tall shape of Billy Cobb loomed into view, heading for the door.
    When he burst through it he held a stained plastic Vons bag in his right hand.
    “That it?” Ken asked him.
    “It’s human, Ken,” Billy said. “And look. It’s—” He stopped himself, noticing Carter Haynes for the first time. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt your meeting. It’s just—”
    Ken pushed himself up from the desk and crossed the office. He gestured to the bag. “Let me see.”
    Billy held the bag open so Ken could look inside. He did so, lips pressed together, silently analyzing the bag’s grim contents. He felt a sudden tug of urgency. Haynes was just a rich guy, a roadblock in the path of him doing his real job, and he wanted the guy out of his office.
    When Ken had seen enough he looked up at Billy. “Get it down to El Centro, to the Coroner’s office.”
    Billy paused, looking at Carter Haynes and back at Ken as if waiting for an introduction.
    “Today,” Ken added.
    Billy tossed off his standard salute and left.
    Returning to his desk, Ken said, “Sorry about that.”
    “Don’t worry about it,” Carter said graciously. “Everything okay?”
    “There might be a bit of a snag to your meeting tonight, after all,” Ken warned him. “Looks as if we may have an ongoing homicide