The Collected Short Stories - Jeffrey Archer [284]
“It’s about a hundred yards down, on the left,” she said.
I drew up and parked outside her front door.
“Don’t let’s bother with the theater this time,” said Anna. “Come at about eight, and I’ll cook you some supper.” She leant over and kissed me on the cheek before turning back to open the car door. I jumped out and walked quickly round to her side of the car as she stepped onto the pavement.
“So, I’ll see you around eight tomorrow evening,” she said.
“I’ll look forward to that.” I hesitated, and then took her in my arms. “Goodnight, Anna.”
“Goodnight, Michael,” she said as I released her. “And thank you for buying my ticket, not to mention dinner. I’m glad my other three would-be suitors only made it as far as the car pound.”
I smiled as she pushed the key into the lock of her front door.
She turned back. “By the way, Michael, was that the restaurant with the missing waiter, the four-and-a-half-fingered chef, or the crooked bartender?”
“The crooked bartender,” I replied with a smile.
She closed the door behind her as the clock on a nearby church struck one.
ALSO BY JEFFREY ARCHER
NOVELS
False Impression
Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less
Shall We Tell the President?
Sons of Fortune
Kane & Abel
The Prodigal Daughter
First Among Equals
A Matter of Honor
As the Crow Flies
Honor Among Thieves
The Fourth Estate
The Eleventh Commandment
SHORT STORIES
A Quiver Full of Arrows
A Twist in the Tale
Twelve Red Herrings
To Cut a Long Story Short
PLAYS
Beyond Reasonable Doubt
Exclusive
The Accused
PRISON DIARIES
Volume I: Hell
Volume II: Purgatory
Volume III: Heaven
PRAISE FOR JEFFREY ARCHER AND HIS BESTSELLING NOVELS
“Archer is a master entertainer.”
—Time magazine
“One of the top ten storytellers in the world.”
—Los Angeles Times
“There isn’t a better storyteller alive.”
—Larry King
“Archer is one of the most captivating storytellers writing today. His novels are dramatic, fast-moving, totally entertaining—and almost impossible to put down.”
—Pittsburgh Press
“Archer hits the bull’s eye with an exemplary collection of short stories.”
—Daily Mail (UK)
“Cunning plots, silken style … Archer plays a cat-and-mouse game with the reader.”
—The New York Times
“A storyteller in the class of Alexandre Dumas … Unsurpassed skill … making the reader wonder intensely what will happen next.”
—The Washington Post
FIRST AMONG EQUALS
“A dramatic plot … An absorbing read.”
—Detroit Free Press
“Not since Gore Vidal’s 1876 has there been such a cliff-hanger aspect to an election and to the selection of a head of government … At the conclusion, Archer brings the reader to a moment of truth … a surprising finish.”
—The San Diego Union
“This engrossing, well-spun tale of ambition and will-to-power is a pick-hit in the summer sweepstakes. Archer receives his usual high marks for readability and gives his novel a pleasing sense of substance.”
—Publishers Weekly
More …
THE PRODIGAL DAUGHTER
“Chalk up another smash hit for Jeffrey Archer … An exceptional storyteller.”
—John Barkham Reviews
“Fast-moving and compelling.”
—Library Journal
KANE & ABEL
“A smashing good read!”
—The Des Moines Register
“I defy anyone not to enjoy this book, which is one of the best novels I have ever read.”
—Otto Preminger
“A sprawling blockbuster!”
—Publishers Weekly
“Grips the reader from the first page to the last. A smash hit.”
—John Barkham Reviews
AS THE CROW FLIES
“A certified page-turner.”
—New York Daily News
“Archer … has an extraordinary talent for turning notoriety into gold, and telling fast-moving stories.”
—The Philadelphia Inquirer
“An endearing story.”
—The Wall Street Journal
“Archer plots with skill, and keeps you turning the pages.”
—The Boston Globe
“Top flight … Mr. Archer tells a story to keep you turning those pages.”
—The Washington Post
“Great fun!”
—Kirkus Reviews
THE FOURTH ESTATE
“Telling … Triumphant … Proceeds in bursts