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old man, practically had him believing that his father had shot the mark in cold blood.
    He had not told her the whole story of his return to the house on Shell Island. He didn’t want to upset her, especially now that it was almost time for the baby. He only told her that he had gone back to see Robinette, to set things right.
    “So there might be some money in it,” he said now on the porch. “It could really help us with you taking the extra time off and all.”
    “What money? For what?”
    “He said all of this with his daughter and the safe and stuff made him think about writing again. He said he has an idea for a story, and since he’ll want to know about safes and being a box man, he’ll pay me for it. Like to be an expert for his story.”
    Laura sat up straight in her chair. She was excited by the proposition.
    “How much will he pay?”
    “We didn’t get to that yet. I’m supposed to go back over there tomorrow. I’ll find out then.”
    “Those writers make a lot of money.”
    She didn’t say anything else. She was leaving it to him but making it clear she expected him to get a good chunk out of Robinette.
    “We’ll see what he says,” Brian said, not wanting to promise anything or push anything.
    They were quiet for a moment and then she let go of his hand and leaned forward.
    “You know what I want to do?” she asked. “With the money, I mean.”
    “I don’t know. Keep paying the bills?”
    “No, we should get more than just that. I want air-conditioning, Brian. We deserve that. And then we should put in a pool. I want to go swimming at night to cool off.”
    Brian stared straight ahead and off the porch into the distance. He realized that the backyard was just big enough for a pool. Without a word he stood up and went back inside.

About the Author

    Michael Connelly is the author of the recent #1 New York Times bestsellers The Drop, The Fifth Witness, The Reversal, The Scarecrow, The Brass Verdict, and The Lincoln Lawyer, as well as the bestselling Harry Bosch series of novels. He is a former newspaper reporter who has won numerous awards for his journalism and his novels. He spends his time in California and Florida.

    www.michaelconnelly.com

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And for more Michael Connelly...

    Make sure to check out The Black Box .
    On-sale date: November 26, 2012

Books by Michael Connelly
    Featuring Harry Bosch
    The Black Echo
    The Black Ice
    The Concrete Blonde
    The Last Coyote
    Trunk Music
    Angels Flight
    A Darkness More Than Night
    City of Bones
    Lost Light
    The Narrows
    The Closers
    Echo Park
    The Overlook
    Nine Dragons
    The Drop
    The Black Box
    Featuring Mickey Haller
    The Lincoln Lawyer
    The Fifth Witness
    Featuring Harry Bosch and Mickey Haller
    The Brass Verdict
    The Reversal
    Featuring Jack McEvoy
    The Poet
    The Scarecrow
    Other Novels
    Blood Work
    Void Moon
    Chasing the Dime
    Anthologies
    Mystery Writers of America Presents The Blue Religion: New Stories about Cops, Criminals, and the Chase (editor)
    Nonfiction
    Crime Beat: A Decade of Covering Cops and Killers
    Short Stories
    Suicide Run: Three Harry Bosch Stories (e-book only)
    Angle of Investigation: Three Harry Bosch Stories (e-book only)
    Mulholland Dive: Three Stories (e-book only)
    The Safe Man: A Ghost Story (e-book only)

The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
    Copyright © 2005 by Hieronymus, Inc.
Author photograph by Terrill Lee Lankford
Cover design by Allison Warner
Cover copyright © 2012 by Hachette Book Group, Inc.
“The Safe Man,” was originally published anonymously in The Secret Society of Demolition Writers , edited by Marc Parent.
    All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher constitute