"The Third Rail" - читать интересную книгу автора (Harvey Michael)

THE ELEVATED
CHAPTER 1

Robles had been on the platform for less than twenty seconds. He leaned against the railing and peered through layered curtains of snow, at the stone faces of apartment buildings crowding close to Chicago’s elevated tracks. The row of windows across from him was dark. The street below, quiet. Robles turned back toward the crowd waiting for the train. To his left stood a secretary type, keeping Chicago’s winter at bay with a heavy brown coat that ran to her knees. Beside her was a guy barely out of law school, toting a briefcase that was barely out of the box. A clock wound down inside Robles’ head. Fifteen more seconds and he needed to move. He gripped the gun in his pocket and walked back toward the entrance to the L platform. A dark-eyed woman was putting on lipstick and standing by the stairs. Her bad luck. He moved closer and snuck a look down the stairwel. No one coming up. More bad luck for her. Robles pul ed the gun from his pocket and held it straight in front of him. He focused on the blue pulse beating tiny wings inside the woman’s left temple. Then he pul ed the trigger, and the woman dropped straight down. Like a puppet with the strings cut, she was al here and there, arms, legs, and a smear of lipstick across her lips and down her chin. She gurgled once or twice and might have even gotten a look at him before the darkness dropped across her eyes. Ten seconds later, Robles was back on the street. He didn’t run until he got to the corner and, even then, not too fast. He didn’t want to attract attention. More important, he didn’t want to get too far ahead of the man he hoped would pursue.