I Am Syd Stone ★ Trusted Source

"I’m not late, Miller," I said, my voice sounding like gravel under a boot. "I’m exactly where I planned to be. You’re just early because you’re nervous."

I stepped out into the rain. The water hit the pavement with a hiss, cleaning the streets but leaving the city just as dirty as before. I didn't tell Miller that I never look. I didn't tell him because it would be a lie.

What is the ? (Modern noir, futuristic colony, or maybe a small 1950s town?) Is Syd a hero, a villain, or somewhere in between ? I am Syd Stone

I am . In this city, that name is either a promise or a warning, depending on which side of the ledger you’re on. I don’t carry a badge, and I don’t carry a grudge. I carry a heavy coat, a sharp mind, and the ability to find things that people have spent a lot of money trying to keep lost.

Syd Stone always looks. That’s why I’m the only one left who knows where the bodies are buried—and why I’m the only one who can’t sleep at night. I can keep going with this, but I'd love to know: "I’m not late, Miller," I said, my voice

"The Board always wants things back," I replied, sliding the photo into my pocket. "But they never want to talk about why they lost it in the first place."

Miller pushed a grainy photograph across the Formica tabletop. It showed a silver briefcase chained to a wrist that didn't have a body attached to it anymore. The water hit the pavement with a hiss,

"You’re late, Syd," the man across from me whispered. He didn’t look up from his napkin, which he was shredding into tiny, precise confetti.