False Witness by Randy Singer Read Free Book Online Page B

a bounty hunter named “Bones” McGinley, one of the add-ons to Clark’s original list, a notoriously shady operator who made his reputation hunting down reprobate Vegas gamblers. Clark dialed the number and felt the adrenaline surge through his sleep-deprived body.
    â€œQuad-A Bail Bond Office,” said a deep female voice at the other end.
    â€œI need to speak to Bones McGinley.”
    â€œHe’s not in right now. Can I take a message?”
    â€œThis is Clark Shealy. He just sent me a text message. Can I get his cell phone number?”
    â€œMr. Shealy!” the woman exclaimed as if they were old friends. “He said to put you right through.”
    The bounty hunters quickly exchanged greetings. “You know where Chin is?” Clark asked.
    â€œThey say he’s got mob connections,” Bones replied. He had a gravelly smoker’s voice, but higher pitched than Clark expected. Clark had heard that Bones weighed in at over three hundred. “You know anything about that?”
    â€œEvery hit man has mob connections,” Clark said, trying to sound casual. Bones himself was rumored to have connections with a few Italian mob families in the casino business. He probably wanted to avoid a conflict of interest. “But I don’t think Chin’s are anything special. He was apparently working for the Russian mob when he first got busted.” Clark deliberately left out Chin’s suspected connections with the Manchurian Triad.
    â€œRussian, huh?” Bones paused, apparently mulling it over. “Here’s the deal. I’ll drop a dime on this guy on two conditions. First, you keep my name out of it. Period. Nobody ever knows where you got your tip.” Bones paused and coughed.
    â€œDone,” Clark said. He would agree to anything. This was his first and only lead.
    â€œSecond, you wire the five hundred K into my account. Angel will give you the wiring instructions. I’ll call back when it shows up.”
    Clark, of course, didn’t have the money and suspected Bones knew it. “He might be gone by then,” Clark said quickly. “Tell me where he is. I bust him. Then you get paid.”
    Bones laughed—a big, throaty, taunting laugh. “I was born at night, but not last night. Call me back after you make the wire transfer.”
    For the second time in half an hour, someone holding all the cards hung up on Clark.
    Clark called him back immediately.
    â€œQuad-A Bail Bond Office—”
    â€œGet me McGinley,” Clark interrupted.
    â€œWho is this?” Angel asked, sounding perturbed.
    â€œClark Shealy.”
    Without comment, she put Clark on hold. A long minute later, she was back on the line. “Mr. McGinley asked me to give you wiring instructions for our account,” she said. “Do you have a pen and paper?”
    Clark felt his temper flaring again but beat it back. He needed some allies right now. “I can only do a hundred fifty thousand right this minute,” he explained. “I’ll do the rest later today after Mr. McGinley gives me the information I need. Ask him if that’ll work.”
    â€œPlease hold.”
    When Angel came back, she was all business. “Mr. McGinley says we need all five hundred thousand before he’ll talk to you. Do you want those wiring instructions or not?”
    Clark bit his tongue and wrote down the wiring instructions. “I’ll need your tax ID number and business address for tax purposes,” he explained. After he hung up, he entered the address into the Escalade’s onboard GPS.
    â€œTurn left at the next light,” a sexy female voice instructed him.
    â€œMy pleasure,” Clark said.

9
    The AAAA Bail Bond Office was located about two blocks from the city jail, across the street from the Bad Boyz Bond Office. The neon sign for Bones’s operation was larger, though the modular trailer that served as an office