Black Alley

Black AlleyThe phone rang. It was a thing that had been sitting there, black and quiet like a holstered gun, unlisted, unknown to anybody, used only for local outgoing calls, and when it was triggered it had the soft, muted sound of a silenced automatic. I picked up the receiver off the cradle and in as growling a voice as I could put on, said, "Yes?"When I heard his first word I felt a chill work its way across my shoulders. He said, "Hi, Mike." His tone was as pleasant as c...