by J. B. Turner
“I’ll think about it.”
Meyerstein sighed. “In the meantime, what if I wanted to include you in my team in the future?”
“You got my number?”
Meyerstein nodded.
“I’ll be there. Somewhere. Waiting.”
“Where you off to now?”
“Going back home to Rockland. Maybe have a beer or two. Then I want to sleep. For a long, long time.”
Epilogue
Three days later, Reznick was distracted as he sat at the bar of the Rock Harbor Pub with Bill Eastland, nursing a cold beer, trying to watch the congressional hearing on C-SPAN. He listened as FBI Director Bill O’Donoghue and Assistant Director Martha Meyerstein were grilled by the congressmen and women.
Meyerstein looked tired as she outlined the national security priorities she was working on, and the new plans for introducing cutting-edge technology to get the Feds ahead in their fight against organized crime and terrorism.
Eastland sipped his beer. “What you been up to?”
“This and that.”
“Figured.”
Reznick gulped some of his beer. “Are you setting up a residency at this place?”
Eastland looked around. “It’s growing on me.”
“What about the beards?”
“Not much of them on show today, so that’s a good thing.”
Reznick smiled as he watched the coverage.
Eastland looked up at the screen. “FBI, huh?”
“Yeah.”
“Don’t like the FBI.”
Reznick said nothing.
“I said I don’t like the FBI.”
“I heard you.”
Eastland stared at the screen. “What about you?”
“What about me?”
Eastland cocked his head. “You a fan of the FBI?”
Reznick leaned in close and lowered his voice. “I know these two people. And they are good people doing a fucking hard job, let me tell you. So I’d appreciate it if you kept your thoughts to yourself.” He picked up his beer and clinked it against Eastland’s bottle. “What d’you reckon?”
Eastland looked at the screen. “She’s a helluva nice-looking woman.”
“That she is. And tough.”
Eastland knocked back the rest of his beer. “Great combination.”
Reznick gulped down his drink.
“Some things we can’t know about.”
“Not ever.”
“Just the way it is. And for that we should be thankful.”
“Damn straight.”
Reznick saw Eastland to his house and headed back to his home by the ocean, over a mile away on the outskirts of Rockland. He got in and poured himself a large Scotch.
He picked up his whisky and headed through the French doors and out onto the decking. He sat down on the steps. The waves crashed onto the rocks below. He heard his breathing. The pain in his shoulder was subsiding.
He gulped down the glass of whisky. Then he closed his eyes.
Acknowledgments
I would like to thank my editor, Jane Snelgrove, and everyone at Thomas & Mercer for their enthusiasm, hard work and belief in the Jon Reznick series of books.
Last, but by no means least, my family and friends for their encouragement and support. None more so than my wife, Susan, who offered excellent advice as each draft developed.
About the Author
Photo © 2013 John Need
J. B. Turner is the author of the Jon Reznick series of conspiracy action thrillers (Hard Road, Hard Kill, Hard Wired, and Hard Way), as well as the Deborah Jones political thrillers (Miami Requiem and Dark Waters). He loves music, from Beethoven to the Beatles, and watching good films, from Manhattan to The Deer Hunter. He has a keen interest in geopolitics. He lives in Scotland with his wife and two children.
