Quotes from Long Lost

“You said you learned something.” I nodded. “The men following me. They spoke Hebrew and knew Krav Maga.” Krav Maga is an Israeli martial art. “And,” Win added, “they were good.” “You see where I’m going with this?” “A good tail, good fighter, got away without killing you, spoke Hebrew.” Win nodded. “Mossad.” “Explains all the interest.” Below”
― Harlan Coben, quote from Long Lost

“They asked for my name. I was tempted to go with either I. P. Daily or Wink Martindale, but I stuck with Mark Kadison because he was a friend of mine and if they called, he’d just laugh.”
― Harlan Coben, quote from Long Lost

“And maybe you shouldn’t coach.” Assistant Coach Pat stepped forward then. He looked at me, and that knowing smile I was all too familiar with spread across his face. “Well, well, well.” Coach Bobby said, “What?” “Do you know who this guy is?” “Who?” “Myron Bolitar.”
― Harlan Coben, quote from Long Lost

“And if my son was so gravely wounded,” Ali said between clenched teeth, “who do you think you are to not tell me? I even asked why you two were talking at halftime, remember?” “I do.”
― Harlan Coben, quote from Long Lost

“What had I actually promised to do here? I thought about Ali’s exact words: “Don’t go to the bar tonight. Promise me.”
― Harlan Coben, quote from Long Lost

“The alley was dark and dingy and I kept thinking Bill Sikes and Fagin were lurking against the dark brick. We reached a grotty pub called the Careless Whisper. I immediately flashed to the old George Michael/Wham! song and those now-famed lyrics where the heartbroken lothario will never be able to dance again because “guilty feet have got no rhythm.” Eighties deep. I figured the name had nothing to do with the song and probably everything to do with indiscretion.”
― Harlan Coben, quote from Long Lost

“We pushed open the door, and it was like walking into a past dimension. Madness’s classic hit “Our House” poured out onto the streets along with two couples, both with their arms around each other, more to keep themselves upright than out of affection. The smell of sizzling sausage wafted through the air. The floor was sticky. The place was loud and jammed and clearly whatever no-smoking law had taken effect in this country had not stretched down into this alley. I bet few laws had.”
― Harlan Coben, quote from Long Lost

“Your visit with Interpol went well?” “They asked their questions, I told them my story.” “One thing I don’t get,” I said. “Why haven’t they brought me in yet?” Win smiled. “You know why.” “They’re tailing me.” “Correct answer.” “You see them?” “Black car on right corner.” “Mossad is probably following me too.” “You’re a very popular man.” “It’s because I’m a good listener. People like a good listener.” “Indeed.” “I’m also fun at parties.” “And a snazzy dancer. What do you want to do about the tails?” “I’d like to lose them for the day.” “No problem.”
― Harlan Coben, quote from Long Lost

“A father from Kasselton was whooping it up. He laughed, cupped his hands into a flesh megaphone, and shouted, “Pass it to the big kid on the other team! He’s our best weapon!” Win tapped the man on the shoulder. “You will shut up right now.” The father turned to Win, saw the effete wear and the blond hair and the porcelain features. He was about to smirk and snap a comeback, but something—probably something survival basic and reptilian brained—made him think better of it. His eyes met Win’s ice blues and then he lowered them and said, “Yeah, sorry, that was out of line.” I”
― Harlan Coben, quote from Long Lost

“The waitresses maneuvered through the boisterous crowd clad in black dresses, bright lipstick, slicked-back hair, and nearly Kabuki whiteface. Guitars hung from around their necks. They were supposed to look like the models in that Robert Palmer “Addicted to Love” video except, well, they were rather, uh, more mature and less attractive. Like the video had been remade with the cast of The Golden Girls.”
― Harlan Coben, quote from Long Lost

“LOSING a tail is fairly easy. In this case, Win got us a car with tinted windows. We drove into an underground garage with several exits. The car left. Two others came along. I hopped in one, Win the other. Terese was at Karen’s now. I was on my way to see Mario Contuzzi. Twenty”
― Harlan Coben, quote from Long Lost

“You could see Coach Bobby working the name, as if his forehead had a window and the squirrel running on the little track was picking up speed. When the synapses stopped firing, Coach Bobby’s grin practically ripped the boy-band goatee at the corners.”
― Harlan Coben, quote from Long Lost

“Coach Bobby put his finger in my face. I debated biting it off—that always gets a man’s attention. “You’re a dead man, Bolitar. You hear me? A dead man.” “A deaf man?” I said. “A dead man.” “Oh, good, because if I were a deaf man, I wouldn’t be able to hear you. Come to think of it, if I were a dead man, I wouldn’t be able to either.” The”
― Harlan Coben, quote from Long Lost

“Coach Bobby put his finger in my face. I debated biting it off—that always gets a man’s attention. “You’re a dead man, Bolitar. You hear me? A dead man.” “A deaf man?” I said. “A dead man.” “Oh, good, because if I were a deaf man, I wouldn’t be able to hear you. Come to think of it, if I were a dead man, I wouldn’t be able to either.” The horn sounded. Assistant Coach Pat said, “Come on, Bobby.” “Dead man,” he said one more time. I cupped my hand to my ear, hard-of-hearing style, and shouted, “What?” but he had already spun away. I watched him. He had that confident, slow swagger, shoulders back, arms swaying a tad too much. I was going to yell out something stupid when I felt a hand on my arm. I turned. It was Ali, Jack’s mother.”
― Harlan Coben, quote from Long Lost

“Ali’s daughter, Erin, was matriculating at Arizona State. Ali, Erin, and Jack were flying out for the week to get the freshman settled.”
― Harlan Coben, quote from Long Lost

“From inside the Contuzzi apartment I heard the phone ring. Once, twice, three times. “Bolitar?” It stopped after six rings. “We know you’re still in London. Where are you?” I hung up and looked at Mario’s door. The ringing phone—ringing like a phone used to, not like some ringtone on a cell—had sounded very much like a landline. Hmm. I put my hand on the door. Thick and sturdy. I pressed my ear against the cool surface, hit Mario’s cell phone number, watched the LCD display on my mobile. It took a moment or two before the connection went through. When I heard the faint chime of Mario’s cell phone through the door—the landline had been loud; this was not—dread flooded my chest. True, it may be nothing, but most people nowadays do not travel even the shortest of distances, including bathroom visits, without the ubiquitous cell phone clipped or carried upon their person. You can bemoan this fact, but the chances that a guy working in television news would leave his cell phone behind while heading to his office seemed remote. “Mario?” I shouted. I started pounding on the door. “Mario?” I didn’t expect him to answer, of course. I pressed my ear against the door again, listening for I’m not sure what—a groan maybe. A grunt. Calling out. Something. No sound. I wondered about my options. Not many. I reared back, lifted my heel, and kicked the door. It didn’t budge. “Steel-enforced, mate. You’ll never kick it down.” I turned toward the voice. The man wore a black leather vest without any sort of shirt underneath, and sadly, he didn’t have the build to pull it off. His physique, on too clear a display, managed to be both scrawny and soft. He had a cattle-ring piercing in his nose. He was balding but the little hair he had left was done up in what might be called a comb-over Mohawk. I placed his age at early fifties. It looked like he had gone out to a gay bar in 1979 and had just gotten home. “Do you know the Contuzzis?” I asked. The man smiled. I expected another dental nightmare, but while the rest of him might be in various stages of decay, his teeth were gleaming. “Ah,” he said. “You’re an American.” “Yes.” “Friends with Mario, are we?” No reason to go into a long answer here: “Yes.” “Well, what can I tell you, mate? Normally they’re a quiet couple, but you know what they say—when the wife’s away, the mouse will play.”
― Harlan Coben, quote from Long Lost

“The teams disappeared into corners for the postgame spiel.”
― Harlan Coben, quote from Long Lost

“He is a police officer in Kasselton. A captain, in fact, though I won’t ask to wear his varsity jacket to the prom.” “Oh,” I said. “Apparently they are thinking of making arrests.” “They started it,” I said.”
― Harlan Coben, quote from Long Lost

“For a moment no one spoke. They just gave me the hard eyes. “Is this the part where I pee in my pants?” I asked. Coach Bobby started with the finger again. “Do you know the Landmark Bar in Livingston?” “Sure,” I said. “Tonight at ten. Back parking lot.” “That’s past my curfew,” I said. “And I’m not that kind of date. Dinner first. Maybe bring flowers.” “If you don’t show”—he moved in closer with the finger—“I will find some other way to get satisfaction. You get me?” I didn’t but before I could ask for clarification he stomped off. His buddies followed suit. They looked back at me. I gave them all a five-finger toodle-loo wave. When one of them let his stare linger past the comfort zone, I blew him a kiss. He turned away as if he’d been slapped. Blowing a kiss—my favorite rile-up-the-homophobe move. I”
― Harlan Coben, quote from Long Lost

“For a wonderful guy who is usually so damn perceptive, you can be pretty obtuse sometimes.”
― Harlan Coben, quote from Long Lost

“I need to search you.” He was pretty thorough. I was going to make a joke about him enjoying it or maybe say a boat ride on the Bateau Mouche would be nice before he felt me up, but I wondered about the French sense of humor. Wasn’t Jerry Lewis an icon here? Maybe a sight gag would be more appropriate.”
― Harlan Coben, quote from Long Lost

“Ali gestured with her eyes for me to look right. I followed the gesture to Coach Bobby. “Don’t you dare fight him,” she said. “He challenged me,” I said. “The bigger man steps away.” “In the movies maybe. In places filled with pixie dust and Easter Bunnies and pretty fairies. But in real life, the man who steps away is considered a big-time wuss.”
― Harlan Coben, quote from Long Lost

“I lowered my face, took two more steps—and that was when I spotted Coach Bobby and his buddies in a Ford Expedition. Sigh. All four of them were there: Assistant Coach Pat drove, Coach Bobby was in the passenger seat, the other two slabs of beef sat in the back. I took out my mobile phone and hit the speed-dial button one. Win answered on the first ring. “Articulate,” Win said. That’s how he always answers the phone, even when he can clearly see on the caller ID that it’s me, and yes, it is annoying. “You better circle back,” I said. “Oh,” Win said, his voice kid-on-Christmas-morning happy, “goodie, goodie.”
― Harlan Coben, quote from Long Lost

“There was a tremor that had never been there before. I thought . . . I thought maybe he’d been crying. He was beyond terrified—this from a man I never saw remotely scared before. He said he wanted me to be prepared.” “Prepared for what?” Her eyes were wet now. Terese clasped her hands prayerlike, resting her fingertips on the bridge of her nose. “He said what he was going to tell me would change my entire life.” I sat back, frowned. “He used that exact phrase—change your entire life?” “Yes.” Terese was not one for hyperbole either. I wasn’t sure what to make of it.”
― Harlan Coben, quote from Long Lost

“Terese looked away. Red double-decker buses flowed along the Seine, loaded up with sightseers. All the buses had this department-store ad of an attractive woman wearing an Eiffel Tower on her head. It looked ridiculous and uncomfortable. The Eiffel Tower hat appeared heavy, tottering on the woman’s skull, held in place by a skimpy ribbon. The model’s swan neck was bending as though in mid-snap. Who thought this was a good way to advertise fashion? Foot traffic was picking up. The girl who’d hurled the crushed can was now making out with her target. Ah, the French. A traffic officer started gesturing for a white van to stop blocking traffic. I turned and waited for Terese to answer. She put down her coffee.”
― Harlan Coben, quote from Long Lost

“I lowered my face, took two more steps—and that was when I spotted Coach Bobby and his buddies in a Ford Expedition. Sigh. All four of them were there: Assistant Coach Pat drove, Coach Bobby was in the passenger seat, the other two slabs of beef sat in the back. I took out my mobile phone and hit the speed-dial button one. Win answered on the first ring. “Articulate,” Win said. That’s how he always answers the phone, even when he can clearly see on the caller ID that it’s me, and yes, it is annoying. “You better circle back,” I said. “Oh,” Win said, his voice kid-on-Christmas-morning happy, “goodie, goodie.” “How long will it take?” “I’m just down the street. I suspected something like this might occur.” “Don’t shoot anyone,” I said. “Yes, Mother.” My car was parked near the back of the lot. The Expedition followed slowly. The drizzle picked up a bit. I wondered what their plan was—something moronically macho, no doubt—and decided to just play it as it lays. Win’s Jag appeared and waited in the distance. I drive a Ford Taurus, aka The Chick Trawler. Win hates my car. He won’t sit in it. I took out my keys and hit the remote. The car made that little ding noise and unlocked. I slipped inside. The Expedition made its big move then. It raced forward and stopped directly behind the Taurus, blocking me in. Coach Bobby jumped out first, petting his goatee. His two buddies followed. I”
― Harlan Coben, quote from Long Lost

“Foot traffic was picking up. The girl who’d hurled the crushed can was now making out with her target. Ah, the French. A traffic officer started gesturing for a white van to stop blocking traffic. I turned and waited for Terese to answer. She put down her coffee. “I can’t imagine.” But there was a catch in her throat. A tell, if you were playing cards with her. She wasn’t lying. I was pretty sure of that. But she wasn’t telling me everything either.”
― Harlan Coben, quote from Long Lost

“A jej makijaż wyglądał na zrobiony w ciemnej szafie kulkami do paintballu.”
― Harlan Coben, quote from Long Lost

“It was Terese’s turn now. I sat back and let her get ready. I remembered what Win had told me about her secret, about it being very bad. I felt nervous. My eyes darted about and that was when I saw something that made me pause. The white van. You get used to living this way after a while. On guard, I guess. You look around and you start to see patterns and you wonder. This was the third time I had spotted the same van. Or at least I thought it was the same van. It had been outside the hotel when we left. And more to the point, the last time I saw it, the traffic cop was asking it to move. Yet it was in the exact same place. I turned back to Terese. She saw the look on my face and said, “What?” “The white van may be following us.” I didn’t add, “Don’t look,” or any of that. Terese would know better. “What should we do?” she asked. I thought about it. Pieces started to fall into place. I hoped that I was wrong. For a moment I imagined that this could all be over in a matter of seconds. Ex-hubby Rick was driving the van, spying on us. I go over, I open the door, I rip him out of the front seat. I stood up and looked directly at the van’s driver-side window. No point in playing games if I was right. There was a reflection but I could still make out the unshaven face and, more to the point, the toothpick. It”
― Harlan Coben, quote from Long Lost

“What should we do?” she asked. I thought about it. Pieces started to fall into place. I hoped that I was wrong. For a moment I imagined that this could all be over in a matter of seconds. Ex-hubby Rick was driving the van, spying on us. I go over, I open the door, I rip him out of the front seat. I stood up and looked directly at the van’s driver-side window. No point in playing games if I was right. There was a reflection but I could still make out the unshaven face and, more to the point, the toothpick. It was Lefebvre from the airport. He didn’t try to hide himself. The door opened and he stepped out. From the passenger side, the older agent, Berleand, stumbled into view. He pushed up his glasses and smiled almost apologetically. I felt like an idiot. The plainclothes at the airport. That should have tipped me off. Immigration officers wouldn’t be in plainclothes. And the irrelevant questioning. A stall. I should have seen it. Both”
― Harlan Coben, quote from Long Lost

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