David Putnam - The Replacements

Здесь есть возможность читать онлайн «David Putnam - The Replacements» весь текст электронной книги совершенно бесплатно (целиком полную версию без сокращений). В некоторых случаях можно слушать аудио, скачать через торрент в формате fb2 и присутствует краткое содержание. Жанр: Детектив, на английском языке. Описание произведения, (предисловие) а так же отзывы посетителей доступны на портале библиотеки ЛибКат.

The Replacements: краткое содержание, описание и аннотация

Предлагаем к чтению аннотацию, описание, краткое содержание или предисловие (зависит от того, что написал сам автор книги «The Replacements»). Если вы не нашли необходимую информацию о книге — напишите в комментариях, мы постараемся отыскать её.

Bruno Johnson, ex-detective with Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and an ex-convict, is hiding out from the FBI in Costa Rica, tending bar to support eight children he illegally rescued from abusive homes. Partway through a normal day, Barbara Wicks, a former colleague and the chief of police for Montclair, California, walks into his bar. Bruno is shocked to the core. Is she there to arrest him and take him back to California? Turns out she's there to request Bruno's help. Two children have been kidnapped.
The kidnapper, Jonas Mabry, was himself a victim whom Bruno rescued as a small child. Now Mabry demands a fool's retribution, a million dollar ransom, and Bruno to put his life on the line to get the money. In this twisted turn of fate, Bruno returns as a wanted criminal to California. Despite the risk of arrest and even his life, he cannot turn his back on these kids.

The Replacements — читать онлайн бесплатно полную книгу (весь текст) целиком

Ниже представлен текст книги, разбитый по страницам. Система сохранения места последней прочитанной страницы, позволяет с удобством читать онлайн бесплатно книгу «The Replacements», без необходимости каждый раз заново искать на чём Вы остановились. Поставьте закладку, и сможете в любой момент перейти на страницу, на которой закончили чтение.

Тёмная тема
Сбросить

Интервал:

Закладка:

Сделать

“No, shit. Hey, when I get out, I’m goin’ back for it. You wanna come along? I like the way you work.”

“I’d like to, but I can’t.”

“I owe you some of that money, and I always pay what I owe.”

“Thanks, but no. You keep it. I’m glad you’re feeling better. It was nice meeting you.”

“Hey, you’re gonna still come around, right? When I get out of this hospital, right?”

“Good-bye, Drago.”

I had one more phone call to make, one I dreaded and had not told Marie about. I called the FBI office in Los Angeles and told the agent who picked up that I was Barbara Walters’ personal secretary and asked for ASAC Dan Chulack. He came on the line. “Special Agent Chulack.”

“It’s me.”

“I figured you would call.” He went silent.

“I have a big problem,” I said.

“Yes, you do.”

“I gave you my word I would come back and face the murder charge. I wrapped everything up here and I’m ready to come in.”

“You’re no longer wanted for the kidnapping of Jonas Mabry,” he said. “He can no longer be a viable victim.”

“Our deal was for the murder charge.”

“Yes, our deal was for the murder in Los Angeles. I adopted that case from LAPD, took it federal. I put five agents on it. Seems you’re no longer a person of interest. That warrant’s been recalled.”

I put my head against the bathroom wall, closed my eyes, and whispered, “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet. You’re still a person of interest in the abduction of a number of children and-”

“Been nice talking with you, Dan.”

“Bruno? Don’t come back.”

“I won’t. Thanks again.” I hung up.

***

While I waited for the counterfeit passports, Marie flew down to Costa Rica to help Dad with the other children and his medical treatments. Chulack knew I had Eddie, Elena and Sandy. I was now a person of interest for kidnapping and interstate flight. But based on the phone call with Chulack, they weren’t going to look too hard. It was easy to assume that if we stayed low and under the radar, the Feds would not chase us. Chulack knew the kids were in a better place.

Wally Kim was with his father and Mr. Kim would never press charges, he understood the motivation for taking Wally from his toxic environment. Without a witness or victim, the Feds didn’t have a chance at a successful prosecution. And as for the other seven-my grandson Alonzo, the Bixlers, Toby and Ricky, Melvin Kelso, Tommy Bascombe, Randy Lugo, and Sonny Taylor-the Feds didn’t know about them, that we had them safely in Costa Rica. At least, I didn’t think they did. Officially those children were still listed as missing under suspicious circumstances, foul play suspected, meaning kidnapped. And they were going to stay that way.

In two weeks, as soon as the counterfeit passports came through, I planned to meet Marie along with Eddie, Elena, and Sandy in Costa Rica. Three plus seven equals ten.

AUTHOR’S NOTE

THE FIRST TWO YEARS

I had not been long out of high school, not long living away from home, and nothing more than a kid myself, when I responded to a real case that inspired The Replacements , which I first entitled The House That Bled . I experienced incidents-much worse-in those first few years. To this day, I don’t know if my emotional reactions and responses back then were normal . I had nothing for comparison. I do know that back in those early days, I pushed those terrible images into the far recesses of my mind, shoved them into a room, and locked them away. I never intended to take them out, turn them over, examine them. I never shared these particular stories with friends.

I cannot tell you exactly when the shift occurred because time compresses and changes memories, but as I’ve grown older, I’ve found I can no longer hide these images behind that locked door. They roll back on me, unbidden.

In those first years, I learned death did not play favorites. Brutal lessons came hard and were difficult to accept. I have five brothers and sisters; two were very young when I started my career. I saw in comparison how tender and vulnerable, and how fragile life could be when dealing with children.

In those first few years, while alone wearing a uniform-me, nothing more than a kid given a gun as a tool and tasked with protecting the innocent-I chased an evil man on foot. This man grabbed up a five-year-old child, put a gun to his head. He said that if I did not stop chasing him, he would shoot the uninvolved child. I wasn’t given a choice that night. I was forced to shoot that man.

Bruno Johnson is a fictional character who champions the rights of the innocent. While he is drawn from real-life experiences, in the Bruno Johnson novels, I have tried to instill the emotions, the sights and smells, the images that continue to haunt me.

David Putnam

David Putnam

During his law enforcement career Deputy Dave Putnam worked primarily in - фото 2

During his law enforcement career, Deputy Dave Putnam worked primarily in California on teams for Patrol, Investigations, SWAT, Narcotics (street level and majors), Violent Crimes, Criminal Intelligence, Internal Affairs and the Detective Bureau.

He rounded out his law enforcement career with a few years in the Hawaiian Islands as a Special Agentpart of a real-life Hawaii-50 team.

Hes now retired from law enforcement and spends his time growing organic California avocados and writing, with his wife Mary and their two dogs.

***
The Replacements - фото 3
Тёмная тема
Сбросить

Интервал:

Закладка:

Сделать

Похожие книги на «The Replacements»

Представляем Вашему вниманию похожие книги на «The Replacements» списком для выбора. Мы отобрали схожую по названию и смыслу литературу в надежде предоставить читателям больше вариантов отыскать новые, интересные, ещё непрочитанные произведения.


Отзывы о книге «The Replacements»

Обсуждение, отзывы о книге «The Replacements» и просто собственные мнения читателей. Оставьте ваши комментарии, напишите, что Вы думаете о произведении, его смысле или главных героях. Укажите что конкретно понравилось, а что нет, и почему Вы так считаете.

x