Read Online A Faint Cold Fear by Karin Slaughter - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Karin Slaughter
Tags: Fiction, General, Suspense, Thrillers, Mystery & Detective, Mystery Fiction, Police, Police Procedural, Georgia, Women physicians, Tolliver, Police - Georgia, Linton, Jeffrey (Fictitious Character), Police chiefs, Sara (Fictitious Character)
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pressing her thumb into the scar on her palm, rubbing into it as if she could rub it away.
'I'm okay,' she said. 'I'm okay.'
'Lena…,' Rosen began, but she did not finish the thought.
Lena concentrated on her breathing, calming herself.
Her hands were red and sticky from sweat, the scars standing out in angry relief. She forced herself to stop, tucking her hands under her arms. She was acting like a head case. This was the kind of thing mentally ill people did. Rosen was probably ready to commit her.
Rosen tried again. 'Lena?'
Lena tried to laugh it off. 'I just got nervous,' she said, pushing her hair behind her ear. Sweat made it stick to her scalp.
Inexplicably, Lena wanted to say something mean, something that would cut Rosen in two and put them both back on a level playing field.
Maybe Rosen sensed what was coming, because she asked, 'Who should I talk to at the police station?'
Lena stared, because for a split second she could not remember why she was here.
'Lena?' Rosen asked. She had retreated back into herself, her hands clasped in her lap, her posture ramrod straight.
'I-' Lena stopped. 'Chief Tolliver will be at the library in about half an hour.'
Rosen stared, as if she could not decide what to do.
For a mother, thirty minutes of waiting to hear the details of what had happened to her son was probably a lifetime.
Lena said, 'Jeffrey doesn't know about…' She indicated the space between them.
'Therapy?' Rosen provided, as if Lena were stupid for not being able to say the word.
'I'm sorry,' Lena said, and this time she genuinely felt the emotion. She was supposed to be here comforting Jill Rosen, not yelling at her. Jeffrey had told Chuck that Lena would be an asset, and she had fucked everything up in the space of five minutes.
Lena tried again. 'I'm really sorry.'
Rosen raised her chin, acknowledging the apology but not accepting it.
Lena uprighted the chair. The desire to bolt from the room was so strong that her legs ached.
Rosen said, 'Tell me what happened. I need to know what happened.'
Lena folded her hands over the back of the chair, holding on to it tightly. 'It looks like he jumped from the bridge by the woods,' she said. 'A student found him and called 911. The coroner got there a little while later and pronounced him.'
Rosen inhaled, holding the air in her chest for a few beats. 'He walks to school that way.'
'The bridge?' Lena asked, realizing that Rosen must have a house near Main Street, where a lot of professors lived.
'His bike kept getting stolen,' she said, and Lena nodded. Bicycles were constantly being stolen on campus, and the security team had no idea who was doing it.
Rosen sighed again, as if she were letting out her grief in little spurts. She asked, 'Was it fast?'
'I don't know,' Lena said. 'I think so. That kind of thing… it would have to happen fast.'
'Andy's manic-depressive,' Rosen told her. 'He's always been sensitive, but his father and I are…' She let her voice trail off, as if she did not want to trust Lena with too much information. Considering her recent outburst, Lena could not blame her.
Rosen asked, 'Did he leave a note?'
Lena took the note out of her back pocket and put it down on the table. Rosen hesitated before picking it up.
'That's not from Andy,' Lena said, indicating the bloody fingerprints Frank and Jeffrey had left on the paper. Even considering everything that had happened with Tessa, Lena was surprised Frank had let her take the note to Andy's mother.
'It's blood?'
Lena nodded but did not explain. She would leave it to Jeffrey to decide how much information to give the mother.
Rosen put on her glasses, which were hanging by a chain around her neck. Though Lena had not asked her to, she read aloud, '"I can't take it anymore. I love you, Mama. Andy."'
The older woman took another deep breath, as if she could hold it in along with her emotions. Care- fully she took off her glasses, putting the suicide note on the table. She
'I'm okay,' she said. 'I'm okay.'
'Lena…,' Rosen began, but she did not finish the thought.
Lena concentrated on her breathing, calming herself.
Her hands were red and sticky from sweat, the scars standing out in angry relief. She forced herself to stop, tucking her hands under her arms. She was acting like a head case. This was the kind of thing mentally ill people did. Rosen was probably ready to commit her.
Rosen tried again. 'Lena?'
Lena tried to laugh it off. 'I just got nervous,' she said, pushing her hair behind her ear. Sweat made it stick to her scalp.
Inexplicably, Lena wanted to say something mean, something that would cut Rosen in two and put them both back on a level playing field.
Maybe Rosen sensed what was coming, because she asked, 'Who should I talk to at the police station?'
Lena stared, because for a split second she could not remember why she was here.
'Lena?' Rosen asked. She had retreated back into herself, her hands clasped in her lap, her posture ramrod straight.
'I-' Lena stopped. 'Chief Tolliver will be at the library in about half an hour.'
Rosen stared, as if she could not decide what to do.
For a mother, thirty minutes of waiting to hear the details of what had happened to her son was probably a lifetime.
Lena said, 'Jeffrey doesn't know about…' She indicated the space between them.
'Therapy?' Rosen provided, as if Lena were stupid for not being able to say the word.
'I'm sorry,' Lena said, and this time she genuinely felt the emotion. She was supposed to be here comforting Jill Rosen, not yelling at her. Jeffrey had told Chuck that Lena would be an asset, and she had fucked everything up in the space of five minutes.
Lena tried again. 'I'm really sorry.'
Rosen raised her chin, acknowledging the apology but not accepting it.
Lena uprighted the chair. The desire to bolt from the room was so strong that her legs ached.
Rosen said, 'Tell me what happened. I need to know what happened.'
Lena folded her hands over the back of the chair, holding on to it tightly. 'It looks like he jumped from the bridge by the woods,' she said. 'A student found him and called 911. The coroner got there a little while later and pronounced him.'
Rosen inhaled, holding the air in her chest for a few beats. 'He walks to school that way.'
'The bridge?' Lena asked, realizing that Rosen must have a house near Main Street, where a lot of professors lived.
'His bike kept getting stolen,' she said, and Lena nodded. Bicycles were constantly being stolen on campus, and the security team had no idea who was doing it.
Rosen sighed again, as if she were letting out her grief in little spurts. She asked, 'Was it fast?'
'I don't know,' Lena said. 'I think so. That kind of thing… it would have to happen fast.'
'Andy's manic-depressive,' Rosen told her. 'He's always been sensitive, but his father and I are…' She let her voice trail off, as if she did not want to trust Lena with too much information. Considering her recent outburst, Lena could not blame her.
Rosen asked, 'Did he leave a note?'
Lena took the note out of her back pocket and put it down on the table. Rosen hesitated before picking it up.
'That's not from Andy,' Lena said, indicating the bloody fingerprints Frank and Jeffrey had left on the paper. Even considering everything that had happened with Tessa, Lena was surprised Frank had let her take the note to Andy's mother.
'It's blood?'
Lena nodded but did not explain. She would leave it to Jeffrey to decide how much information to give the mother.
Rosen put on her glasses, which were hanging by a chain around her neck. Though Lena had not asked her to, she read aloud, '"I can't take it anymore. I love you, Mama. Andy."'
The older woman took another deep breath, as if she could hold it in along with her emotions. Care- fully she took off her glasses, putting the suicide note on the table. She
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