It was supposed to be simple. All struggling actor Carlo Baresi had to do was pick a man up, drive him to the location he specified, then report where he’d taken him. The only problem is, the man isn’t who he says he is ... and they both know it. Bookstore owner Joe Donnelly has a reputation for helping those in need, but this plan has been a bad one from the second he stepped in. Discovering someone has switched out the driver is one more complication he doesn’t want, especially since Carlo is the kind of distraction that can get a man in serious trouble if he’s not careful. But they have something in common. They’re both loose ends, struggling to find out what is really going on. And murder is always complicated, even when you’re on the same side.

The Low Between

He stumbled when Stout tried to push him farther into the office. “Why do I need to be here?” he said. “I gave you what you wanted.”


“What I want is that fifty thousand dollars Mr. Ascher tried to steal from me. What is it about young people today that they can’t do what they’re told? If you did, you wouldn’t have nearly the problems you do.”


There was no good way to answer that, though he didn’t think Stout was looking for a response anyway. “Just tell me what you want. I’ll do whatever it takes.”


“You’re going to help me find the money.” He gestured with the gun toward the filing cabinets. “Start looking.”


Chapter 36