The Angel Maker - 2 by Ridley Pearson Read Free Book Online

walk-in, he made only two trips a week.
    Tegg unlocked the heavy door to the walk-in and stepped back, allowing the man to do his job but keeping an eye on him because of the abundance of controlled substances. "Wanna gimme a hand with this?" Maybeck asked Tegg. He had horrible teeth, chipped and gray with decay.
    This question, posed as it was, signaled Tegg. He stepped inside the cooler and pulled the door behind him until it thumped shut, closing them in. "Make it quick," he said. You could see your breath in here. Tegg crossed his arms to fend off the cold.
    The man in the black-leather jacket spoke softly. "Some guy called me about a meeting. Said it can't wait."
    "What can't wait? What guy?" "Sounded like a Chink. Said a doc up in Vancouver recommended you. Asked me to set up a meet with you. Wanted it ASAP. Like tonight."
    "Vancouver?" Tegg knew this could only mean one thing. He felt hot all of a sudden. "The guy says either you agree to meet him or no. There's no bullshit with this guy.,, Tegg felt his knees go weak. The man next to him continued, "Said he was prepared to pay some major bucks."
    "And what did you say?" Tegg asked anxiously. "I didn't tell him squat. Okay? I'd like to know how the fuck he got my name.
    I'm checking with you, Doc. That's all. No need to sprout a fuckin' hemmi! I got this covered."
    Tegg attempted some measure of self-control. He slowed his thoughts down, separated them, and dealt with them one by one.
    His thoughts tended to leap ahead of him, making the present something he saw only upon reflection, so that much of his life felt more like instant replay than the real thing. He lived life as much from recalling that which had just occurred as he did from experiencing it, making him feel like two different people-one moving through life and the other attempting to come to grips with his actions.
    Could he allow an opportunity like this to pass him by? On the other hand, could he protect himself well enough from the possible dangers? "Listen," the other man said, "you're my needle man for Felix tonight. Don't forget you agreed to do that for me. So, what if I got this guy to meet us out there?"
    Tegg had forgotten about this commitment. It rattled him-it wasn't like him to forget anything, even something so distasteful.
    Maybeck added, "Listen, I could run point for you. Get this Chink out there ahead of you. Check him out. Keep you close by.
    If it's cool, I give you a shout on the car phone. if you don't hear from me by, say, nine o'clock, I get rid- of him and you hang until it's clear to come in and help me out with Felix.
    One thing about these fights, we got bitchin' security. If this guy's trouble, he's gonna wish he stayed home. Know what I mean?"
    Tegg suddenly realized that in surgery his thoughts did not get ahead of him-his hands kept up effortlessly. He wondered if this explained his love of surgery.
    He said to this other man, "What if he doesn't like the setup?
    I sure as hell wouldn't meet somebody at a dog fight! I've never even been to a dog fight."
    "Hey, it's not our problem. Okay?
    This is pay or play," he said misquoting things he knew nothing about. This man's vocal drivel always set Tegg on edge. "If he doesn't want to show, tough titties for him."
    Tegg contemplated all of this while the other man gathered the plastic bags of contaminated waste. "Set it up," Tegg ordered.
    He turned and punched the large throw-bar that released the walkin's outside latch. He walked slowly down the hall, pensive and concentrating. He sensed that everything had changed. The closer he drew to the examination room, the more put off he was by the thought of cats and dogs. Boring, meaningless work.
    Earlier in the day, he had simply wanted to do his job well-get through another day. Have some fun. Earn some good money, listen to some Wagner, all the while working a blade.
    Now all he wanted was to meet this unidentified man. He glanced at his watch impatiently: hours to go.
    He looked