Rise of the Beast by Kenneth Zeigler Read Free Book Online Page A

seemed a mile away.
    “You OK, Lieutenant?” asked Strom.
    “Yeah, OK,” confirmed Stoddard. “Let’s get this place cleaned up. It will be light in another hour. I don’t want these bodies here when the joggers hit the trails. Still, cordon the area off. Maybe we’ll be able to pick up some more clues in daylight that we’re not seeing now.”
    “Sure, Lieutenant,” confirmed Detective Strom, who made his way over to the place where a set of bodybags lay prepared to accept their cargo.
    Strom and the forensics guys were still there as the first joggers hit the trail. In three hours, the investigation had turned up very little evidence and no leads. Strom really hadn’t counted on that. He would pursue other avenues, start building a picture as to who was here late last night.

     

C HAPTER 3
     
    It was just after nine in the morning as Leland James walked into the offices of Manhattan Gold on Sixth Avenue dressed in a dark and very conservative business suit. To say the least, its proprietor, Dale Silversmith, was surprised to see him, and just a bit nervous.
    “Leland,” he said, offering a warm handshake. “What brings you over here to my establishment? I mean, there isn’t anything wrong, is there?”
    Leland chuckled slightly. “I’m here on business.” Dale’s expression told him that he really needed to reword that opening statement. “Oh for heaven’s sake, Dale, not that kind of business—precious metals business. I need your advice on an important matter. Can we talk somewhere privately?”
    “My office,” said Dale, pointing the way. Leland followed.
    No doubt about it, for a while, Leland’s new life was going to be a bit awkward. He knew Dale through his other business; Dale was a regular customer. He had a particular fondness for Denise, one of his girls. Thing was, Dale was married, had been for 20 years. He’d been a player for at least ten. Keeping things on the QT was of vital importance to him. He’d developed this business using his wife’s inheritance money, and it had paid great dividends. The gold market had been very good to him. The uncertain economic and political times had brought him lots of business, and with that business had come the need to relieve some of the stress that went along with it. Still, if his wife found out, he could easily lose it all.
    “Leland, you understand the danger in you coming here during the business day, right?” queried Dale, closing the door behind them. “I mean, I can’t have people talking.”
    “Oh come on, Dale,” said Leland, a smile on his face. “You’re completely safe. No one here knows anything about me. I’m just another customer. For heaven’s sake, man, you’re my friend. As a matter of fact, I’m out of the love business for good. Don’t worry, I’ll see to it that you can still make your contacts with Denise, discretely, of course, if you still want to.”
    “If I still want to?” asked Dale, sitting in his chair.
    “That’s right,” said Leland. “Only now, the two of you will have to make the arrangements on your own.”
    “So awkward,” mumbled Dale.
    “Would you just listen to me, man?” asked Leland, sitting in the chair across the desk, and pulling something from his briefcase. It made a rather loud thud as it landed on the oak table.
    Dale’s eyes grew as round as saucers as he picked up the large and somewhat irregular block of gold. After dealing with it for so many years, he knew that this was the genuine article. “You’ve gotta be kidding. This thing must weigh ten pounds. My electronic balance won’t weigh anything this massive. Where in the hell did you come by this monster?”
    “It’s sort of a long story,” replied Leland, “a story for another time. A good and reliable friend has asked me if I could get this converted to cash money. Now, before you start asking—no, it’s not from drug dealers or any other illegal activity. It’s all on the up and up, I swear. You were