Karen Rose - Suspense 08 - Silent Scream, ciekawe, Karen Rose

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Silent Scream – Suspense 08
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Silent Scream
Suspense – Book 8
By Karen Rose
Prologue
Minneapolis, Minnesota, Monday, September 20, 12:00 a.m.
Silent Scream – Suspense 08
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They’dshownupHehadtoadmithewassurprisedHedidn’tthinkthey’dhadthecojones
especiallythegirlOfallofthemhehadn’tthoughtshe’dfollowthrough
Four college kids, all dressed in black. Four college kids with way too much time. Two of them
withwaytoomuchoftheirdaddy’smoneyIfallwentaccordingtoplanagreatdeal of their
daddy’smoneywouldsoonbelongtohim
It was rule number one of his world—ifpeopledidn’twanttobeblackmailedtheyshouldn’tdo
bad things. Rule number two—if they did bad things, they should be smart enough not to get
caught. The four collegekidsweren’tverysmart
From the cover of the trees the condo developer had taken such pains to preserve, he watched
the four approach, while he filmed every step they took. Their faces were plainly visible in the
moonlightandalthoughhe’dbet theirdaddy’smoneytheybelievedtheywerebeingstealthy
they moved with enough noise to wake the dead.
“Wait”OneofthefourstoppedHisnamewasJoelandofthethreeyoungmenhehadbeen
themostenthusiasticproponentoftheirplan“Let’sthinkthisthrough”
Interesting. Conflict always added a little excitement. Unseen, he kept filming.
“Nowaiting”thegirlsaidHernamewasMaryandshewasabitch“WeagreedllofusJoel
ThiscondohasgottogoWehavetosendamessage”
“She’sright”ThisfromErictheso-calledbrainsofthegroupsif“Thisisouronechanceto
make a difference to these wetlands. If we do nothing, this whole lake will be nothing but
condos”Heturnedtothelargebrutestandingbehindhim“Theguard will be doing his outside
sweepintwominutesHe’llexitthebuildingfromtheservicedoorinthebackYouknowwhat
todoComeonpeopleLet’sroll”
The brute was Albert, pronounced without the t. French Canadian, he was at the university on a
hockey scholarship. Right wing. Hell of a checker. Albert set off around the building, obediently.
His research had revealed that Albert had been quite the juvenile delinquent, back in the day.
He was quite certain Albert would know exactly what to do.
The show was about to begin. Hurry, he told himself, taking his second camera from his pack.
This was his stationary camera and was attached to a small tripod which he stuck into the soft
ground, positioning the lens just in time to capture Mary, Eric, and Joel entering a stairwell door
on the east side of the condo.
Thedoorhadbeenproppedopenwitharockprobablybyaconstructionworkerwho’dwanted
to save a little time and effort. The best security system in the world could be neutralized by
lazy workers. Apparently the College Four had done their homework and knew exactly which
door would be open. Kudos to them.
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Leaving his stationary camera running, he moved the way Albert had gone, arriving just as the
guard exited, right on schedule. Five seconds later the guard lay unconscious on the ground. A
satisfied Albert slid a small club back into his pocket.
All caught on my tape. lbert’sfamilywasdirtpoorsotherewasnomoneynowbuttherewas
a good chance that Albert would someday have an NHL salary ending in lots of zeroes. I can
wait. EricandJoelbothhaddaddiesrichenoughtofillhisbankaccountsfornowsforMary’s
daddysomepaybacksdidn’trequireadollarsign
Some paybacks are personal.
Within another minute, Mary emerged from the side entrance and joined Albert. Both stared
up at the windows, waiting.
He waited with them, from a safe distance away. He saw the first wisps of smoke rise in the
upper floors. Mary threw her fist in the air with a whispered, “Yes”
Minutes later there was lots of smoke, on every floor. But the side door had not opened again.
Mary took a step forward, the triumph on her face turned to concern, but Albert stopped her,
his beefy hand closing around her arm.
“They’restillinside”shesaidyankingatherarm“Letmego”
lbertshookhishead“Givethemanotherminute”
And then the door burst open, both Eric and Joel gasping for breath. Mary and Albert ran to the
wheezing boys, pulling them away from the building.
“Goddamnidiot”Ericsnarledjerkinginhugebreaths“Younearlygotuskilled”
Joel fell to his knees, spasms of coughing shaking his body. He looked up, his eyes terrified,
desperate“She’lldie”
Maryandlbertsharedshockedlooks“Whowilldie?”lbertaskedcarefully
Joelscrambledtohisfeet“girlShe’strappedWehavetogetherout”Hestartedtorun
“Dammit”hecriedwhenEricandlbertdraggedhimback“Letmego”
MarygrabbedJoel’sface“There’ssomebodyinthere?”Sheflashed a panicked glare at Eric.
“YousaidnobodywouldbeinthereYousaiditwassafe”
“Nobody’ssupposedtobeinthere”Ericgrittedthroughclenchedteeth“Joeldidn’tsee
anythingLet’sgobeforesomebodyseesthesmokeandcalls911”
“She’sinthere”Joelinsistedhystericalnow“IsawherLook!”
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As a group they looked up and he followed suit, pointing his lens upward as a collective gasp
rose from the group. In that moment, he saw her, too. A girl, her fists banging on the window
that had been designed to provide a view of the lake, not an escape. She was young, a teenager
maybe, her mouth opened on a terrified cry they could not hear. Her fists pounded weakly
now, her face pressed to the glass. Then her hands flattened against the window as she slid
from their sight.
Joelgaveafinaldesperateyank“She’sgoingtodieDon’tyoucare?Nobodywassupposedto
gethurtLetmegoI’vegottogetherout”
Marygrabbedhishair“StopitYougobackinthereandyou’llbothbedead”
Joelwassobbingnow“Thencall911PleaseDammitplease”
“Listentome”Marysaidhervoicelowandurgent“Ifwecall911weallgotoprisonPrison
JoelThat’snotgoingtohappenStopthisrightnow”
ButJoelwasn’tlisteningHethrashed, trying to escape their grip like a man possessed. Behind
his head, Eric gave Albert a grim nod. Albert pulled the club from his pocket and a second later
Joel collapsed, just as the guard had done.
“Let’sgo”Ericsaidterselyandheandlbertpicked Joel up and carried him through the woods
to where their car was parked.
Mary gave a final look back, up at the now-emptywindow“Shit”shehissedthenturnedand
ran, passing the struggling boys to pull at the chain-linkfencethey’dcutontheirwayin“Hurry
Shovehimthrough”
Well. He lowered his camera, watching as the taillights from their car disappeared. That had
beenalotmoreexcitingthanhe’dthoughtitwouldbesimplearsonwouldhavebeengood
for years of blackmailing fun. But murder trumped arson and just about anything else. He had
several clients who would agree to that.
He quickly packed his two cameras and the tripod. Smoke was billowing into the sky and he
heard the pop of glass as windows began to burst. The authorities would soon be here. And I
will be long gone. Hefting his backpack, he jogged around the building to the lake side where
he’dlefthisboattiedtothedock
“YouthereStop”ItwasathinraggedcrybuthehearditSpinningaroundhefoundhimself
face-to-face with the security guard, who staggered forward, dazed. Blood oozed from the open
woundonhisheadlberthadn’thithimhardenoughThemanheldhisradioinonebloody
handagunintheother“StoporI’llshootIwill”
Not today, Pops. CalmlyhedrewhisowngunandfiredTheguard’smouthfellopeninshock
He dropped to his knees, then collapsed for the second time that night.
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“ShouldastayeddownPops”hemutteredHerantohisboatanddroppedhispackinside
With a quiet roar, the motor engaged. Quickly he pulled off the ski mask he wore. If anyone saw
himnowhecouldclaimhe’dseenthesmokeandwascomingtohelpversustryingtofleeBut
nobody saw him. Nobody ever did.
Which made listening to their whispered secrets so much easier. He patted the cameras in his
pack. Which made taking their money so much easier still. I love my job.
Oh my God oh my God oh my GodFrombehindthetreewherehe’dhiddenustinDent
watched the small boat speed away, his hands pressed to his mouth. The guard was dead. That
man had shot him. Dead.
They’llsayIdiditRunIhavetorun He took a few unsteady steps backward, lifting his eyes to
the burning building once again.
TraceyShe’dbeenbehindhimasthey’drunfromthebuilding Butwhenhegotoutshewasn’t
behindhimanymorendwhenhe’dturnedbackllhecouldseewassmokesobof
anguish rose up in his chest. Tracey.
In the distance he could see the lights flashing. They were coming. The cops were coming.
They’lltakemeawayPutmeinacageNoNotagainIcan’tdothatagain He stumbled back a
few more steps, then turned and started to run.
Chapter One
Minneapolis, Minnesota, Monday, September 20, 12:40 a.m.
HigherZell”DavidHuntersaidintohisradiohisvoicemuffledbythemaskcovering his face.
He turned his shoulder into the wind that blew the acrid smoke into the night sky. Suspended
four stories up, the bucket in which he stood held firm. The belt anchored him to the apparatus,
but his legs still clenched as he held his position.
“Goingup”JeffZoellnerhispartneroperatedtheliftfromthebaseoftheladder
David adjusted the angle of the nozzle mounted on the bucket as he rose, aiming at the flames
thathadconsumedthelowertwofloorsofthestructurebeforethey’d arrived. None of them
hadgoneinToodangerousTheironlyhopewastocontrolthisfiresothatitdidn’tspreadto
the trees surrounding what had been a six-story luxury condo.
ThankGodthisplaceisn’tfinished. In a few weeks there would have been people inside. There
may be oneTheguardwasmissingIfhe’dbeenononeofthelowerfloorshewasdeadIf
he’dmadeitalittlehighertherewasstillachanceofsavinghim
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