***
It was getting too late. Joe decided to sleep in the office instead of going all the way back to his apartment in Hyde Park. The couch had served as his bed many times before; besides, he wanted to be in the office in case Hamilton sent a response.
He had been asleep for maybe an hour, on the edge of dream, when someone kicked the door to his office open, and there in the dark of early morning stood a black figure with a gun.
Joe woke with a start. He was up on his feet instantly. Adrenalin surged through his body. Instinctively he went toward his desk to put a barricade between him and what he now saw was a gun.
"Get away from that desk," he shouted. "Stand over there."
Joe didn't recognize the gunman. "Hey, what's this all about?" Joe asked groggily, knowing that he had to get over to the file cabinet where he kept another gun.
"You got someone tailin' me, snooper?"
"What are you talking about? I don't even know you." Joe said. So you're Frankie Ferrel.
Ferrel waved his gun. "Don't know me? Well, here's my calling card." He came closer to Joe. "You put a tail on me, and I ain't no monkey. See?"
"I've never seen you before," said Joe, "and get that gun out of my face. You're giving me a complex."
"I'll give you more than that if I don't get a straight answer," said Ferrel. "I tailed a guy that was at our hotel right here to this office, just a few hours ago," Ferrel said. "What do you say to that?"
"That someone is one of my clients, and I cannot give you his name," Joe said defiantly.
"What's he want with me?" Ferrel demanded.
"Nothing that I know of. I'm doing a tail job on his wife. I told him she's meeting someone at The Drake Hotel. Maybe he took a look for himself. Maybe he didn't believe me. I don't know. So much distrust these days... don't you think?"
"Drop it. I want to know what he's doin' sniffin' around my hotel."
"Are you saying you want to hire me to double cross my client and investigate him for you?"
No sooner had Joe said that, Ferrel's gun hit him on the side of the head so hard he lost his balance and fell back into the file cabinet. "No, peeper, I want you to give him that message. Understand?" Ferrel closed in and hit him again. Joe slumped to the floor.
*******
A Note from the Author
I hope you have enjoyed this excerpt from Return of the Falcon. Here are a some reviews that appear on Amazon and Goodreads.
Reviews
Amazon
Amber Fox (***** 5 star)
"This is a book set in the 1940s, but has a more of a modern feel to it. The characters are descriptive and distinct, from a likeable Joe Ganzer to the villain Kemidov. Carefully woven throughout the story is a case that Ganzer undertakes for an ex-con, working hard on going straight, but is being set up by a mob in Chicago. There is some romantic tension between Ganzer and his new blonde client, who is not what she appears to be. The book has a different feel than Dashiell Hammett's "The Maltese Falcon" and portrays the private investigator as more human and with less cliches. It was fast paced, full of action and adventure. All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it."
Goodreads
Sabena Stone (**** 4-star)
"I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book set in the 1940s. Joe Ganzer is a private investigator, military trained. The author did a great job of describing the characters, making each one unique. It was full of action and adventure and takes place in Europe and North America."
Return of the Falcon
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https://goo.gl/k1zsKB
About the Author
www.donsatalic.com
Don Satalic's Blog
The Masque of William Shakespeare - An Essay
William Shakespeare was caught up in a real-life drama of espionage, false identities, and finally murder. The victim was Christopher Marlowe, Shakespeare's one and only rival. Follow the author as he presents the bizarre facts surrounding the world's greatest writer.
https://tinyurl.com/MasqueSmash
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