Book Feature

(Page 6 of 6)

     Hence the ‘play your cards right’ expression. Now as for this whole bit about you actually being the one who killed Bob, I’ll be honest with you, Frost. I can’t prove that.

     However… ” Commissioner Tiresias picked up the .45 caliber pistol from the table. He dislodged the magazine from the body of the gun and slid a bullet into the magazine. “I can prove you had motive,” he said, jamming the magazine back into the handle of the gun.

     “Motive!?” Frost sputtered. “What motive would I possibly have to kill my client!?”

     “Ah, yes, the old ‘Why kill the golden calf conundrum?’” It seemed Jack Frost wasn’t the only one with an affinity for alliteration. “The concert,” Commissioner Tiresias said. “Tommie the Make… Julius the Squeeze? That thing we were just talking about. Is it true you were thinking about adding a few extra names to the bill? I like that idea. I’m assuming it’s yours. That’s one thing you and Zeitzman always had in common—both of you always had a head full of ideas. A ‘Tribute Show’—has a nice ring to it. I can only imagine how fast those tickets are going to sell when word gets out Zeitzman won’t be there to bask in the adulation.”

     “You can’t prove any of this. The concert… that I brought him back… that I was talking with Tommie and Julius—you can’t prove any of it.”

     “Actually, I can,” Commissioner Tiresias said as he reached inside Zeitzman’s leather jacket and retrieved a piece of white paper. “Well, what have we here?” he said, slowly unfolding the paper. “If it isn’t a contract retaining the services of one Tommie the Make and one Julius the Squeeze, Esqs. I’m assuming they added the ‘esquire’ thing at the end to disguise the fact they’re nothing more than moneygrubbing concert promoters. And wait a minute,” Commissioner Tiresias said, feigning surprise. “Yes, it would seem that this other piece of paper is a set list.” Commissioner Tiresias laid the list on the table. “And would you look at this… ” he said, turning his attention to a small hole in the middle of a long list of songs. “A bullet hole. Like I said… blood all over the tracks.”

     “What is this?!” Frost exclaimed, yanking the paper off the table.

     “That, my friend,” Commissioner Tiresias replied calmly, “… is motive.”

     Frost stared intently at the bloodstained set list. But he wasn’t staring at it to determine its authenticity. He knew it was real. Frost had picked the songs himself three days ago. Instead, Jack Frost was staring at the two letters scribbled across the bottom of the page in a thin cursive script, “O.K.” The handwriting was unmistakable: it was Bob’s.

     Jesus, Jack Frost thought to himself, that’s probably the last thing he ever wrote.

     It only took a moment for the realization to set in, but once it did Jack Frost let out a long, exasperated sigh. But Commissioner Tiresias didn’t hear the sound of a sigh: what Commissioner Tiresias heard was the sweet sound of defeat.

     Jack Frost had been away from Elysian Row for a while. But he hadn’t been away long enough to forget just how good Commissioner Tiresias really was. This was the Commissioner’s town. Jack Frost was only visiting.

     “So what do we do now?” Jack Frost inquired as he lifted his eyes from the crumpled set list. It seems the unfinished business the Commissioner had alluded to at the top of the conversation was about to be resolved.

     “We do what any other partners do—we make a deal… ”

Click here for Chapter 2

Tom Grasty is a novelist and screenwriter who works in the film industry. He is also the author of The Disgruntled Dylanologist, the popular weekly blog highlighting politics and current affairs from a distinctively Dylanesque point of view. Tom lives in Los Angeles.

If you enjoyed this exclusive excerpt of Blood on the Tracks, then we encourage you to go deeper. The book has been bundled with Special Features, including an interview with the author, insights into characters’ motivations, recently discovered handwritten Bob Dorian lyrics and much more. To access these free bonus features, click here to go “Behind the Book.”

Blood on the Tracks can be purchased online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.com.

Comments (2)