Nickel City Crossfire by Gary Ross (children's books read aloud TXT) 📕

“Mr. Rimes, sir, I just wanted to wish you the merriest of holiday seasons.” The voice was cold as ever and unfailingly polite. Spider Tolliver, amiable psychopath.

“Merry Christmas to you too, Lester,” I said.

“It’s a fine day for celebrating the things and people that matter. I just wanted to make sure you got the link I sent. I thought it might be of interest to you.”

“I got it. Thank you.”

“It reflects a circumstance completely free of obligation or expectation, so please, put your mind at ease. Merry Christmas to Ms. Trinidad. Goodbye.”

“Spider?” Phoenix said.

“He killed Cuthbert, no strings attached. He said to tell you Merry Christmas.”

“You just bring out the best in people, don’t you,” she said. “A regular elf.”

As we neared the end of my sister’s street and her home, I saw the cars that told me Phoenix and I were the last to arrive: Bobby’s Camry, the Dorans’ wheelchair van, Julie Yang’s VW Beetle, the red Sentra that Jimmy told me LJ had climbed out of after three all-night dates.

“So how many of us will there be?” Phoenix said, parking a few doors away. “The house is so small.”

“A dozen. Bobby and Kayla, Jimmy and Peggy Ann, LJ and his new girlfriend.”

“The one Peggy Ann says is rocking his world something fierce?”

I couldn’t help smiling at the picture of LJ and Yvonne. If he survived, he would thank me for the introduction.

“Yes,” I said. “Also Julie and her new boyfriend Brett, a grad student in physics. Mira and Shakti. Us. A tight fit in the dining room but we’ll make it work.”

We climbed out and went to the back of the RAV4 to retrieve the bags of gifts.

Phoenix looked at me as I reached inside. “You know, I worry about the day you might have to face this Spider character. You have scruples. He doesn’t.”

“It won’t be today,” I said, handing her a large bag and taking the other two myself in one hand. I lowered the liftgate with my free hand. “Oscar was right. Today I feel blessed.”

Phoenix pressed the LOCK button on her fob. “You?”

“Yes,” I said. “How often do I have all the people I love in the world under one roof?”

About the Author

Photo Credit: Tamara Alsace

Retired University at Buffalo professor Gary Earl Ross is a multiple award-winning playwright and novelist. His plays include The Scavenger’s Daughter, The Mark of Cain, The Guns of Christmas, The Trial of Trayvon Martin, and the Edgar Award-winning Matter of Intent. Both The Scavenger’s Daughter and Matter of Intent have been made into culturally transliterated films by CITOC Productions of Mumbai, India. His books include The Wheel of Desire, Shimmerville, Beneath the Ice, Blackbird Rising, and Nickel City Blues, the first Gideon Rimes novel. For more information, visit him at www.garyearlross.net

Acknowledgments

Novels are not written in a vacuum. Knowingly or unknowingly, others help in too many ways to count. I am indebted to the following: My much better half Tammy, my sister Renee, my cousin Bobby, my friends Dennis Hollins, Duane Crockett, Scott Williams, Mitch Maxick, Gunilla Theander Kester, Susan Lynn Solomon (author of the Emlyn Goode mysteries); my brothers Steve and Rob and my son David for professional perspectives on the criminal justice system and law enforcement; artist and high school classmate Gary L. Wolfe and Karen Carman for perspectives on homelessness; Kelsey Jackson-Ross, no relation, whose performance in my creative writing class tells me she will find her way into print and whose picture of me is part of this book; Nancy Alsace, for insights on nursing practices; Satya Popuri, for insights on a life in science; Amherst Alarm, for tolerating a long-time customer’s questions about alarm systems; the Buffalo and Erie County Public Library; and the following eateries you must try on your next trip to the Nickel City: Betty’s, the Towne, EM Tea Coffee Cup (Cat and Will), Spot Coffee, Tim Horton’s, Panorama on Seven, LaNova, Bocce, Avenue, Just Pizza, and the gone but fondly remembered Vino’s (Kathleen Cangianello) and Gigi’s (Darryl Harvin).

Gideon Rimes Series

Nickel City Blues

Nickel City Crossfire

Nickel City Storm Warning

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