A Touch of Malice (A Nick Bracco Thriller) by Gary Ponzo

Author:Gary Ponzo [Ponzo, Gary]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2013-02-27T04:30:00+00:00

Chapter 20

Tommy parked the rental on a side street. The road itself was lined with some type of brick pavers, uneven and disheveled with entire sections missing. It was obviously an older section of Medellin with a taco stand on the corner and the smell of fresh Colombian coffee permeating the air. Although the buildings were a combination of brick and wood siding, they were clean and the landscaping had been kept closely manicured.

Tommy found the office building directly across the street from his small sedan. It was an enormous compound, yet it was unobtrusive, with vines crawling up the bottom half of the building. The only dubious component to the entire complex was the iron gates covering the windows on the first floor.

There was an opening in a block wall which fronted the office. Above the opening was a sign which read: Pavone Bros. Funeria. Tommy walked down the concrete sidewalk bordered with a planter full of an impressive assortment of colorful flowers. He was about to open the solid oak door when he noticed a surveillance camera monitoring the entrance.

The door opened. A man wearing a black suit and a thin black tie cocked his head.

“May I help you?” the man asked with no sense of humor.

“I’m here to see Carl.”

The man opened the door and Tommy stepped into the showroom. The room was packed with so many flowers and plants that it resembled a greenhouse. The wall paintings were all spiritual in nature, featuring Jesus on the cross and the last supper. In the center of the room were three empty caskets sitting on platforms. The one in the middle was a rich mahogany color which gleamed like the hood of a new Mercedes Benz.

“Did you have an appointment?” the man asked.

The middle casket was split into two halves. Tommy pulled up the top portion of the casket which must’ve been spring loaded because as heavy as the object was, he could’ve opened it with his thumb and index finger. The inside was lined with black velvet and had a silky white material draped over the lining with a frilly white pillow by the head of the structure.

“How much does something like this go for?” Tommy asked.

“That one is our Executive model. It sells for twelve thousand.”

Tommy let out a low whistle. “Man, what a way to go.”

“It comes with a protective rubber gasket for a full seal,” the man said, putting his sales training to work.

“You know what? I think I’d like to be buried in something like this. It looks more comfortable than my bed.”

“Well, if you—”

“It’s okay,” Tommy said, gently closing the lid. “I’ve got a couple days to go yet.”

“Certainly,” the man said.

A door opened from the back of the room and a gaunt man with three-day stubble and bushy eyebrows stood in the doorway examining the intruder. The man had a bulge under his brown jacket signaling a weapon. When he finished his examination, the side of his mouth curled into a slight grin.

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