The Tower Quotes

“Allander smiled. “Well, if he doesn’t tell me nothing then he would, in fact, be telling me something. A double negative makes a positive. Your advice isn’t concordant with your desires.”
― Gregg Hurwitz, The Tower

“A brunette with big, dark eyes stood in front of a quiet, single-story house. She wore a yellow jacket, and the wind was blowing her long hair across her face.”
― Gregg Hurwitz, The Tower

“Then he removed a pick from his back pocket and, using a thick hairpin for a torsion bar, jiggled the dead bolt open. He whistled “Heigh Ho, Heigh Ho” as he worked.”
― Gregg Hurwitz, The Tower

“The clicking of gun hammers greeted Jade as he stumbled off the porch. Still gripping the back of his head, he shouted, “Relax! It’s me, Marlow. He’s pinned down on the property, so hold your positions.” He walked behind the phalanx of cars. “I need to sit down a minute and then I’m going back in.”
― Gregg Hurwitz, The Tower

“You betrayed me. You betrayed me as father to the son who is father to the man. It was your responsibility as my father and keeper to protect me from trespasses, from things that go bump in the night, from the urges and yearnings of other grown men. You didn’t fulfill your duty and I was sold at the ripe age of seven to a carnal circus.”
― Gregg Hurwitz, The Tower

“Thank you, honey. I don’t mean to be ungrateful, it just seems like there are no real people here. You know what I mean?” Her shoulders dropped. “Not many real people anywhere for us anymore.”
― Gregg Hurwitz, The Tower

“Darby laughed boisterously, raising one hand to cover her mouth. An elegant pearl bracelet hung from her wrist, swaying with the force of her laughter. She sat at a table full of grinning men who looked at her with expressions of delight and amazement.”
― Gregg Hurwitz, The Tower

“Jade sat inconspicuously at a table largely blocked from view by the brewing vat. He, however, had excellent visibility of the entire seating area, and he could also lean slightly and look straight down the length of the bar.”
― Gregg Hurwitz, The Tower

“Though it was not easy for him, Jade raised his hand and placed it on Darby’s shoulder. She swayed a bit toward him, but didn’t turn her head. “I will protect you,” he said. The words came with such conviction that his uneasiness departed. “On my life, I will protect you.” His hand rose with her shoulder as she breathed deeply. Darby squeezed his hand briefly before lifting it off. “Well, I’ve had my wounded moment,” she said. “Let the planning commence.” She walked back to the house without waiting to see if Jade was following. She was not wearing shoes, and Jade found something distressing and wonderful about watching her bare feet on the grass.”
― Gregg Hurwitz, The Tower

“I’m sorry,” she said, still not turning to look at him. Then she laughed her sad laugh, and Jade realized how accustomed to it he had grown. He wondered how often she had laughed like that before she’d met him. “It feels like I’m doing that all the time now,” she said. “Apologizing. More than I ever have.” She finally turned to look at Jade. “Believe it or not, I usually have a difficult time with it.”
― Gregg Hurwitz, The Tower

“Travers didn’t say anything, but she nodded in agreement. Jade silently thanked her for being quiet. He needed quiet right now.”
― Gregg Hurwitz, The Tower

“It’s a parapraxis, a classic Freudian slip. ‘Little Hans!’ Freud’s most famous case study about the boy—”
― Gregg Hurwitz, The Tower

“Tony glanced over at Jade’s expression and laid a hand on his shoulder. “All right. This nun gets into a cab, and the cabdriver asks her what’s up with the celibacy vow thing, right? So the nun says, ‘Well, maybe I’d consider having an affair, but the man would have to be Catholic, unmarried, and not have any children.’ So the cabbie says, ‘Well that describes me perfectly. Why don’t you come on up here?’ And the nun goes in the front seat and gives him a blow job.” “That was quick.” “Indeed. So she finishes up and the guy starts laughing, and she asks him, ‘What’s so funny?’ And he says, ‘Well, I’m Protestant, and I’m married with two kids.’ And the nun looks at him for a moment, then shrugs and says, ‘Well, that’s okay, my name’s Fred and I’m on my way to a costume party.’ ”
― Gregg Hurwitz, The Tower

“Still, he felt increasingly drawn to Jade, in a way that was more visceral than tactical.”
― Gregg Hurwitz, The Tower

“two graves with no grass grown over them yet,”
― Gregg Hurwitz, The Tower

“You know, Jade—it is all right that I call you Jade, isn’t it?—I detect a similarity in the eyes. Between you and the retard, that is. It’s amazing what one can find out with a little research.”
― Gregg Hurwitz, The Tower

“Eenie meenie minie moe. Catch a retard by the toe. Make him holler blow by blow. Eenie meenie minie moe.”
― Gregg Hurwitz, The Tower

“She had spoken, her words coming in fragments as her voice faded in and out of hoarseness. “You know,” she’d said softly to the throng of listeners, “we’re more than this.” She’d swung an open hand around to indicate the throng of listeners, the bright lights, the police cars. “We’re more than just this.”
― Gregg Hurwitz, The Tower

“Thomas was in his usual spot near the fireplace. With his wrinkled clothes and weary demeanor, he looked like a recently fired executive in the middle of a drinking binge.”
― Gregg Hurwitz, The Tower

“He was most comfortable with sheer physical collision. When it all came down to it, that, even more than his tactical expertise, was what had made Jade famous; it was what he did best.”
― Gregg Hurwitz, The Tower

“Ms. Anvers, I’m tired of hearing you regurgitate your junior year Ethics in Journalism textbook. We need to do this if we’re going to stop him.”
― Gregg Hurwitz, The Tower

“Jade nodded. “My father didn’t like the name, but my mother can be quite stubborn.”
― Gregg Hurwitz, The Tower

“It’s fine, Mr. Marlow. I’m used to it. About twenty years of people looking at me with . . . with those eyes. ‘From forth the kennel of thy womb hath crept a hell-hound that doth hunt us all to death,’ ” she said in a purposefully deepened and dramatic voice. She was speaking loudly, louder than Jade had heard her speak before.”
― Gregg Hurwitz, The Tower

“I guess that’s the challenge, huh?” Travers said, continuing to flip through the notebook.”
― Gregg Hurwitz, The Tower

“The doorbell rang and he went to answer it, still holding the knife in his hand. Travers stood on the porch looking out at the street, a newspaper in her hand. She wore a pair of jeans and a white shirt, loosely tucked in. He recognized the shirt from the last time she’d come over. Not a woman much interested in clothes, he decided. Her hair was still pulled back in a ponytail, but several strands had escaped and curved down the side of one cheek. She turned to face him, and the morning sun shone across her blond hair, catching its golden highlights. She smiled, lips parting back from perfect white teeth.”
― Gregg Hurwitz, The Tower

“Wotan sat for a while with his hand covering the slug on the desk. “Do you think he’s effective?” he finally asked. Travers threw up her hands, frustrated. “Yes,” she confessed. “I do.” “Do you think he’s getting close?” “Yes.” “Then with whom exactly are you arguing, Agent Travers?” Travers opened her mouth, then thought better of it and closed it again. She looked at Wotan, but the room seemed to fade into darkness around the massive desk. She rose to leave.”
― Gregg Hurwitz, The Tower

“Travers was still stunned. She had never heard Wotan raise his voice, let alone yell. She didn’t move a muscle.”
― Gregg Hurwitz, The Tower

“Why are you so committed to him?” “BECAUSE HE SUCCEEDS,” Wotan boomed, causing Travers to jump back in her chair.”
― Gregg Hurwitz, The Tower

“He works on instinct, Agent Travers.” “Does instinct include touching evidence without gloves? And looking like Charlie Manson on crack?” “Sometimes. Perhaps. I don’t think one really knows.”
― Gregg Hurwitz, The Tower

“A hand appeared in the thin light and lifted one photograph from the desk. It was a picture of Jade stooping over Linda Johnson’s battered body, his eyes gazing at nothing in particular, yet seeming completely focused. It was an impossibly intense gaze, like that of a prophet descended from a mountain summit. The last three fingers of Jade’s left hand were steeped in the bloody pool of Linda Johnson’s mouth. The photograph also captured the horrified expression of an FBI agent in the background.”
― Gregg Hurwitz, The Tower