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NYPD Red 3 Page 24


  “I thought we said high cut. But let’s not split hairs.”

  It also makes an impression on Trevino. “Golf shot, Travis,” he says, and I swear I’m not making that up.

  “Thanks, Lee,” I respond, and I would have been more than happy to carry on back and forth like this for another ten minutes, but seeing as he and Peters have their second and third shots to contend with and I’ve got some work left on the green myself, I reluctantly cut our conversation short and follow Johnny A to the green.

  WHEN WE GET THERE, I discover I’m even closer than I thought, which is always nice. It’s more like thirteen feet from the hole, and considerably closer than Peters’s twenty-one feet and Trevino’s eighteen. And they’re lying three.

  If you watch televised golf, and if you’re reading this, then more than likely, you’ve heard that pros never root against their competitors. You believe that, I have a warehouse conveniently located on Route 38 you might be interested in. When Peters attempts his birdie, I’m pulling so hard for it to miss, I may have given myself a hernia. If so, it’s worth a little outpatient surgery, because his putt stops three feet short. Trevino misses too, although I swear, I wasn’t bad-vibing my pal Lee…at least not as much.

  Once they tap in, I’ve got those thirteen feet, a McKinley dozen, to force a play-off with Peters. Thirteen feet is no gimme. It’s about three gimmes. But it’s manageable, the kind of putt even I can stand over with a certain level of optimism, if not confidence, and Johnny and I are taking our sweet time/stalling, if only to get my heart rate down. Although our extended deliberations must be boring the crap out of Trevino and Herman, I know Peters is watching.

  About the Author

  James Patterson has created more enduring fictional characters than any other novelist writing today. He is the author of the Alex Cross novels, the most popular detective series of the past twenty-five years. His other best-selling series include the Women’s Murder Club, Michael Bennett, Private, and NYPD Red. Since his first novel won the Edgar Award in 1977, James Patterson’s books have sold more than 300 million copies.

  James Patterson has also written numerous number-one best sellers for young readers, including the Maximum Ride, Witch & Wizard, Middle School, and Treasure Hunters series. In total, these books have spent more than 330 weeks on national best-seller lists. In 2010, James Patterson was named Author of the Year at the Children’s Choice Book Awards.

  His lifelong passion for books and reading led James Patterson to create the innovative website ReadKiddoRead.com, giving adults an invaluable tool to find the books that get kids reading for life. He writes full-time and lives in Florida with his family.

  Marshall Karp has written for stage, screen, and TV, and is the author of The Rabbit Factory and three other mysteries featuring LAPD detectives Mike Lomax and Terry Biggs. NYPD Red 3 is his fourth collaboration with James Patterson.

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  Books by James Patterson

  NYPD Red Novels

  NYPD Red 3 (with Marshall Karp)

  NYPD Red 2 (with Marshall Karp)

  NYPD Red (with Marshall Karp)

  Featuring Alex Cross

  Hope to Die

  Cross My Heart

  Alex Cross, Run

  Merry Christmas, Alex Cross

  Kill Alex Cross

  Cross Fire

  I, Alex Cross

  Alex Cross’s Trial (with Richard DiLallo)

  Cross Country

  Double Cross

  Cross (also published as Alex Cross)

  Mary, Mary

  London Bridges

  The Big Bad Wolf

  Four Blind Mice

  Violets Are Blue

  Roses Are Red

  Pop Goes the Weasel

  Cat & Mouse

  Jack & Jill

  Kiss the Girls

  Along Came a Spider

  The Women’s Murder Club

  Unlucky 13 (with Maxine Paetro)

  12th of Never (with Maxine Paetro)

  11th Hour (with Maxine Paetro)

  10th Anniversary (with Maxine Paetro)

  The 9th Judgment (with Maxine Paetro)

  The 8th Confession (with Maxine Paetro)

  7th Heaven (with Maxine Paetro)

  The 6th Target (with Maxine Paetro)

  The 5th Horseman (with Maxine Paetro)

  4th of July (with Maxine Paetro)

  3rd Degree (with Andrew Gross)

  2nd Chance (with Andrew Gross)

  1st to Die

  Featuring Michael Bennett

  Burn (with Michael Ledwidge)

  Gone (with Michael Ledwidge)

  I, Michael Bennett (with Michael Ledwidge)

  Tick Tock (with Michael Ledwidge)

  Worst Case (with Michael Ledwidge)

  Run for Your Life (with Michael Ledwidge)

  The Private Novels

  Private India: City on Fire. (with Ashwin Sanghi)

  Private Down Under (with Michael White)

  Private L.A. (with Mark Sullivan)

  Private Berlin (with Mark Sullivan)

  Private London (with Mark Pearson)

  Private Games (with Mark Sullivan)

  Private: #1 Suspect (with Maxine Paetro)

  Private (with Maxine Paetro)

  Summer Novels

  Second Honeymoon (with Howard Roughan)

  Now You See Her (with Michael Ledwidge)

  Swimsuit (with Maxine Paetro)

  Sail (with Howard Roughan)

  Beach Road (with Peter de Jonge)

  Lifeguard (with Andrew Gross)

  Honeymoon (with Howard Roughan)

  The Beach House (with Peter de Jonge)

  Stand-alone Novels

  First Love (with Emily Raymond)

  Invisible (with David Ellis)

  Mistress (with David Ellis)

  Zoo (with Michael Ledwidge)

  Guilty Wives (with David Ellis)

  The Christmas Wedding (with Richard DiLallo)

  Kill Me If You Can (with Marshall Karp)

  Toys (with Neil McMahon)

  Don’t Blink (with Howard Roughan)

  The Postcard Killers (with Liza Marklund)

  The Murder of King Tut (with Martin Dugard)

  Against Medical Advice (with Hal Friedman)

  Sundays at Tiffany’s (with Gabrielle Charbonnet)

  You’ve Been Warned (with Howard Roughan)

  The Quickie (with Michael Ledwidge)

  Judge & Jury (with Andrew Gross)

  Sam’s Letters to Jennifer

  The Lake House

  The Jester (with Andrew Gross)

  Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas

  Cradle and All

  When the Wind Blows

  Miracle on the 17th Green (with Peter de Jonge)

  Hide & Seek

  The Midnight Club

  Black Friday (originally published as Black Market)

  See How They Run

  Season of the Machete

  The Thomas Berryman Number

  For Readers of All Ages

  Maximum Ride

  Nevermore: The Final Maximum Ride Adventure

  ANGEL: A Maximum Ride Novel

  FANG: A Maximum Ride Novel

  MAX: A Maximum Ride Novel

  The Final Warning: A Maximum Ride Novel

  Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports: A Maximum Ride Novel

  School’s Out—Forever: A Maximum Ride Novel

  The Angel Experiment: A Maximum Ride Novel

  Daniel X

  Daniel X: Armageddon (with Chris Grabenstein)

  Daniel X: Game Over (with Ned Rust)

  Daniel X: Demons and Druids (with Adam Sadler)

  Daniel X: Watch the Skies (with Ned Rust)

  The Dangerous Days of Daniel X (with Michael Ledwidge)

  Witch and Wizard

  Witch & Wizard: The Lo
st (with Emily Raymond)

  Witch & Wizard: The Kiss (with Jill Dembowski)

  Witch & Wizard: The Fire (with Jill Dembowski)

  Witch & Wizard: The Gift (with Ned Rust)

  Witch & Wizard (with Gabrielle Charbonnet)

  Middle School

  Middle School: Save Rafe! (with Chris Tebbetts, illustrated by Laura Park)

  Middle School: Ultimate Showdown (with Julia Bergen, illustrated by Alec Longstretch)

  Middle School: How I Survived Bullies, Broccoli, and Snake Hill (with Chris Tebbetts, illustrated by Laura Park)

  Middle School: My Brother Is a Big, Fat Liar (with Lisa Papademetriou, illustrated by Neil Swaab)

  Middle School: Get Me Out of Here (with Chris Tebbetts, illustrated by Laura Park)

  Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life (with Chris Tebbetts, illustrated by Laura Park)

  Other Books for Readers of All Ages

  House of Robots (with Chris Grabenstein, illustrated by Juliana Neufeld)

  Homeroom Diaries (with Lisa Papademetriou, illustrated by Keino)

  Treasure Hunters: Danger Down the Nile (with Chris Grabenstein and Mark Shulman, illustrated by Juliana Neufeld)

  I Even Funnier: A Middle School Story (with Chris Grabenstein, illustrated by Laura Park)

  Confessions: The Paris Mysteries (with Maxine Paetro)

  Confessions: The Private School Murders (with Maxine Paetro)

  Treasure Hunters (with Chris Grabenstein and Mark Shulman, illustrated by Juliana Neufeld)

  I Funny: A Middle School Story (with Chris Grabenstein, illustrated by Laura Park)

  Confessions of a Murder Suspect (with Maxine Paetro)

  santaKid (illustrated by Michael Garland)

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  Contents

  Cover

  Title Page

  Welcome

  Dedication

  Prologue: “There’s Money to Be Made”ONE

  TWO

  Part One: The Sins of the FatherChapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Part Two: The Sins of the SonChapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Chapter 51

  Chapter 52

  Part Three: Project GutenbergChapter 53

  Chapter 54

  Chapter 55

  Chapter 56

  Chapter 57

  Chapter 58

  Chapter 59

  Chapter 60

  Chapter 61

  Chapter 62

  Chapter 63

  Chapter 64

  Chapter 65

  Chapter 66

  Chapter 67

  Chapter 68

  Chapter 69

  Chapter 70

  Chapter 71

  Chapter 72

  Chapter 73

  Chapter 74

  Chapter 75

  Chapter 76

  Chapter 77

  Chapter 78

  Chapter 79

  Chapter 80

  Epilogue: FunkChapter 81

  Chapter 82

  Acknowledgments

  A Preview of “Miracle at Augusta”

  About the Author

  Books by James Patterson

  Newsletters

  Copyright

  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 © 2015 by James Patterson

  Excerpt from Miracle at Augusta copyright © 2015 by James Patterson

  Cover design by Keith Hayes; photograph by Philip and Karen Smith/Getty Images

  Author photograph by David Burnett

  Cover copyright © 2015 by Hachette Book Group, Inc.

  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 unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at permissions@hbgusa.com. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

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  First ebook edition: March 2015

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  ISBN 978-0-316-28456-1

  E3