GRAVE WALKER_A gripping noir thriller
Page 16
Amidst the stinging smoke and rubble, I saw the doorway I needed, and the fire in my veins grew hot.
There were no delusions of morality anymore. As I drew my gun and stepped forward, there was no hesitation or crisis of conscience. It was simple. Primal.
The man I came down here to confront. The man I had chased for almost a year. The man who had taken it all from me. He was going to pay.
For everything.
I stumbled down the corridor with the holding cells, acrid smoke burning my lungs. The blast must have hit just outside here. The scattered bodies were hard to identify.
1A, 1B, 2A, 2B.
Holding cells passed on each side as I moved toward my target. Toward his cell.
I shielded my eyes as an electrical conduit sparked next to me and more dust fell from above.
There… Cell 6B.
I paused outside, knowing it had all come to this, all of my fighting, all of my searching. I gripped my gun hard and heaved on the cell door with my free hand. With the power failing, it came open easily.
Take a breath.
My heart raced as I inhaled sharply and stepped inside. I waved my way through the smoke and dust, but as the debris cleared I knew something was wrong. Very wrong.
I took in the sight before me, knees buckling as my world fell apart.
No!
The entire south wall of the station had crumbled. A gaping hole lay where the back of the cells had been.
And Roland Teach was gone.
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A NOTE ON LOCATIONS
From the author,
Once again, thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed the latest adventure for Thomas Blume. In closing, I wanted to offer a little insight into some of the locations featured in this book and how, and where, I applied a little artistic license to spice things up.
Of course we start with the main setting, New York City which is the first time we see Blume outside of London and returning to his old stomping grounds. I myself was born in the UK but I’ve been lucky enough to travel quite extensively, including two brief stints living in the USA and so the transatlantic lifestyle is something I have some familiarity with.
New York City in particular is quite the sight to behold and if you have yet to experience it I fully encourage any literary fans to drop by for a few days. (Any longer than a few days and it can be overwhelming if you come from a quiet part of the world.)
I’ve visited the city a number of times myself and each time I go I find myself discovering something new. In fact it’s such a bustling and multi-cultural town that it’s hard to capture all of this in one book but a few locations in particular stand out from GRAVE WALKER.
The graveyard where Blume finds himself thrown into a gunfight is real. The Calvary Cemetery is an iconic but often overlooked location in Maspeth and Woodside, Queens. It is one of America’s oldest, first established in 1848, and now final resting place of a number of famed athletes, politicians, writers and celebrities from in and around New York.
What makes Calvary truly remarkable though, is the scale. It is a vast place with over three million burials, making it the largest in the USA and one of the largest in the world. The grave markers here truly seem to stretch on forever, rolling across the green fields under the watchful eye of the Manhattan skyline. It’s a somber, yet oddly picturesque sight when caught at the right time of day.
The second major location from this story is the hotel where Mickey had been hiding out. This is again a real location. The Chelsea Hotel is situated at 222 W 23rd St, in unsurprisingly Chelsea, Manhattan. This is a building that has seen so many influential guests over the years that if a building could write its memoirs these would become a bestseller. As briefly mentioned, everyone from Stanley Kubrick and Mark Twain to Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix have spent at least some time here. Many taking up semi-permanent residence.
The list of influential movers and shakers that spent significant time at the Chelsea is vast and could probably fill a book by itself but arguably the most famous incident is the arrest of Sex Pistols bass player Sid Vicious in 1978. His turbulent relationship with Nancy Spungen was well publicized but took a turn for the worse after her body was discovered in their room at The Chelsea Hotel following a stabbing. Sadly their tumultuous life of sex, drugs, rock and roll ultimately caught up with both of them but the hotel even today is a hot spot for punk fans looking to pay tribute.
The Chelsea is also an iconic filming location. The winding black staircase and Victorian interior styling has featured in a number of movies, with one of my favorites; Leon (Aka The Professional) being high among them. If you’ve never seen the movie, or if you are curious what the building looks like I implore you to give it a watch. Leon is a brilliantly troubled character, battling with his past and corrupt cops equally – much like Thomas Blume.
One more location featured is the restaurant Blume and Rey visit; Vito’s. Unfortunately this place is entirely fabricated for purposes of the story but its design and menu is based on a number of locations I visited during my time in the Big Apple. A couple of which really did feature some of the best Chicken Parmesan I have ever tasted.
In general New York City is a place that can only be fully experienced in person. The feelings, tastes and smells of the place are unlike anywhere else and given the chance I recommend you give it a visit, even if it’s just for weekend. I know I will be dropping by again, as soon as my travels take me to the east coast once more
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COPYRIGHT
This publication (and any by this author) may not be copied or reproduced in any format, by any means - electronic or otherwise - without prior consent from the copyright owner or publisher.
All content Copyright © P.T. Reade 2016.
All characters appearing in this work are fictitious. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Table of Contents
GRAVE WALKER
PROLOGUE
ONE
TWO
THREE
FOUR
FIVE
SIX
SEVEN
EIGHT
NINE
TEN
ELEVEN
TWELVE
THIRTEEN
FOURTEEN
FIFTEEN
SIXTEEN
SEVENTEEN
EIGHTEEN
NINETEEN
TWENTY
TWENTY-ONE
TWENTY- TWO
TWENTY-THREE
TWENTY-FOUR
TWENTY-FIVE
TWENTY-SIX
TWENTY-SEVEN
TWENTY-EIGHT
TWENTY-NINE
THIRTY
THIRTY-ONE
THIRTY-TWO
THIRTY-THREE
THIRTY-FOUR
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IF YOU ENJOYED THIS BOOK…
A NOTE ON LOCATIONS
ALSO BY P.T. READE