The Good Seats
by
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Again, he surveyed the nearly empty stadium. A few small groups still moved slowly toward the tunnels, savoring their victory and the last of their smuggled bottles. On the field the ground crew finished spreading the tarp. Benches, folding chairs, portable heaters, oxygen, TV equipment and other paraphernalia of a big time football game were gone.
Tommy stood up and looked around. Beyond the stadium's powerful arc lights it was pitch black.
He began pacing, glancing at the huge field clock and around the deserted stadium. The clock showed nearly half an hour had passed since the game ended.
God, it was cold. Fifteen minutes more. That's it. He'd call tomorrow...
The overhead lights went out.
Tommy started to sit down when he felt kicked in the mid-section and his neck burned by the binocular straps. He went to his knees among the empty beer cups and mustard-stained hot dog wrappers gasping for breath. In front of him were the remains of the binoculars.
The hard plastic seat back just over his head cracked loudly like river ice during spring breakup. Then another one!
Had he heard a shot?
Tommy caught his breath and discarded the remainder of the glasses. Keeping low, he took out his pistol. Instinct made him move... move... move no matter how bad he was hit! He crawled along the front row with the curve of the stadium guessing the shooter would think he'd go the other way.
Tommy, keeping below the rows of raised seats, chanced a glance up. The thick ceiling of snow clouds made the huge stadium darker except for the fire lights at the exits. An entire Mummer's band could hide in the shadows. He ducked again and took time to reach under his jersey. No blood. Only the wind had been knocked out of him. Now he was okay.
Now he was ready.
Now he had a pistol against what he figured to be an M-14. Effective range 200-300 yards. More with a scope. A silencer too?
Now Tommy would have to get real close.
Tommy Palmer liked it close.
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Book Details
About the Book
The Good Seats is a primer on how an NFL official might be bribed. Tommy Palmer, an ex-cop and self-employed security man in Waikiki, flies to mid-winter Philadelphia to help his childhood pal, Jitterbug, accused of murder. The victim was a bag man for a Philly crime family and was holding 150K in cash. The bad guys want the money back from Jitterbug and the police want him in jail. Amid a rich portrait of working class Philadelphia and the excitement of big time football, Tommy Palmer puts his life on the line for his friend. That's the kind of guy Tommy is.
HEADER PROMOTIONAL LINE FOR BACK COVER
TOMMY PALMER IS A LIFETIME EAGLES' FAN. HE NEVER DREAMED GOING TO A GAME WOULD BE HAZARDOUS TO HIS HEALTH!
About the Author
The author grew up in the Atlantic City area and attended LaSalle College in Philadelphia. In 1967 he served as a combat correspondent with the 101st Airborne in Vietnam and earned a Bronze Star. He has lived and worked in Hawaii and has traveled extensively in Europe, Southeast Asia, and the South Pacific. While attending UCLA he was awarded The Samuel Goldwyn Literary Prize and holds a masters degree in Southeast Asian Studies. He currently lives in Southern California and remains a lifetime Eagles' fan.