Read Online Blood Dahlia - A Thriller (Sarah King Mysteries) by Victor Methos - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Victor Methos
Ads: Link
you doing?” she said. “Stop. Stop!”
He cut out just the first half of her tongue and threw it on the floor beside her. Blood pou red out of her mouth, and he watched it awhile as she cried and screamed. Then he returned to his table and meticulously cleaned the blades of the scissors.
In front of him was what appeared to be a mask but was not. The face was dried and stretched, as were the others up on the wall in front of him.
The man picked up his brush and began his work again. The woman was trying to scream, but he didn’t mind. There’d be plenty of that soon enough.
13
Sarah sat by herself in the corner, away from the windows and the other people in the bar. She didn’t feel like talking right now. All she wanted to do was drink, and forget. But the more she drank, the weaker her will became, and the images began to take over. It was as if it exposed a crack in her mind, and the weaker her will, the larger the crack.
She motioned to the waitress for another drink as two men walked into the bar. The place was dimly lit, not the type of establishment meant for hang ing out and socializing in. It was a place to get drunk and nothing else. These two didn’t look like they wanted to get drunk.
One was older with pure white hair. The other one was young and handsome with a chiseled face and high cheekbones. They spoke to the bartender for a moment, and the bartender looked over at Sarah before the two began walking over to her.
“Sarah King?” the older man said.
She looked past them, as though ignoring them would make them go away. “No.”
“You’re not the Sarah King from Lancaster County?”
“No.”
He hesitated. “I don’t believe you.”
She exhaled as the waitress brought another drink. Sarah thanked her and gulped down half the glass without tasting it. “Who are you?” she said.
“I’m Agent Arnold Rosen with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and this is Agent Giovanni Adami. We were hoping we could talk to you for a minute.”
“About what?” she said, not looking up from the table.
“About Nathan Archer.”
Sarah froze. Her eyes slowly drifted up , and she stared at the two men. “I don’t have anything to say about him.”
Rosen sat down at the table next to her , and Giovanni followed. She suddenly felt uncomfortably boxed in.
“Even if I told you that the same type of murders ha ve started again?”
“Same type?”
“Six months ago we found the first body. Torn apart like she’d gone through a meat grinder. And the face had been removed. Same as Archer.”
Sarah didn’t move or say anything. Every bit of concentration she had went toward fighting off the flood of images and sounds trying to worm their way into her mind. And she couldn’t tell if they were memories or something else.
“I can’t help you with that,” she said.
“See, we were told that you had a hand in catching Nathan Archer. But the sheriff wasn’t exactly too clear on how you did it.”
She looked the old man in the eyes. His eyes were steely, showing no trace of what was going on inside. But the younger one had soft eyes. Eyes that took in what he saw and sympathized with it.
“I didn’t do anything.”
“Are you sure? Sheriff Bullock seemed to think differently.”
She shook her head. “Nope. Sorry to disappoint.”
The younger one, Giovanni, said, “I told you. Let’s go.”
Giovanni rose , but Rosen stayed put. He stared at her, as if trying to read something about her from the way she wasn’t looking at him.
“Can you do what I think you can do?” he said, quietly enough that Sarah was certain the younger one couldn’t hear.
“Please leave,” she said.
Rosen nodded and th en rose. “I’m sorry.”
With that, the two agents left the bar. Sarah watched them until they were gone, and then she stood up and left some money on the table. She had to go cover Jeannie’s shift.
Pink’s was unusually packed. Sarah worked the bar
He cut out just the first half of her tongue and threw it on the floor beside her. Blood pou red out of her mouth, and he watched it awhile as she cried and screamed. Then he returned to his table and meticulously cleaned the blades of the scissors.
In front of him was what appeared to be a mask but was not. The face was dried and stretched, as were the others up on the wall in front of him.
The man picked up his brush and began his work again. The woman was trying to scream, but he didn’t mind. There’d be plenty of that soon enough.
13
Sarah sat by herself in the corner, away from the windows and the other people in the bar. She didn’t feel like talking right now. All she wanted to do was drink, and forget. But the more she drank, the weaker her will became, and the images began to take over. It was as if it exposed a crack in her mind, and the weaker her will, the larger the crack.
She motioned to the waitress for another drink as two men walked into the bar. The place was dimly lit, not the type of establishment meant for hang ing out and socializing in. It was a place to get drunk and nothing else. These two didn’t look like they wanted to get drunk.
One was older with pure white hair. The other one was young and handsome with a chiseled face and high cheekbones. They spoke to the bartender for a moment, and the bartender looked over at Sarah before the two began walking over to her.
“Sarah King?” the older man said.
She looked past them, as though ignoring them would make them go away. “No.”
“You’re not the Sarah King from Lancaster County?”
“No.”
He hesitated. “I don’t believe you.”
She exhaled as the waitress brought another drink. Sarah thanked her and gulped down half the glass without tasting it. “Who are you?” she said.
“I’m Agent Arnold Rosen with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and this is Agent Giovanni Adami. We were hoping we could talk to you for a minute.”
“About what?” she said, not looking up from the table.
“About Nathan Archer.”
Sarah froze. Her eyes slowly drifted up , and she stared at the two men. “I don’t have anything to say about him.”
Rosen sat down at the table next to her , and Giovanni followed. She suddenly felt uncomfortably boxed in.
“Even if I told you that the same type of murders ha ve started again?”
“Same type?”
“Six months ago we found the first body. Torn apart like she’d gone through a meat grinder. And the face had been removed. Same as Archer.”
Sarah didn’t move or say anything. Every bit of concentration she had went toward fighting off the flood of images and sounds trying to worm their way into her mind. And she couldn’t tell if they were memories or something else.
“I can’t help you with that,” she said.
“See, we were told that you had a hand in catching Nathan Archer. But the sheriff wasn’t exactly too clear on how you did it.”
She looked the old man in the eyes. His eyes were steely, showing no trace of what was going on inside. But the younger one had soft eyes. Eyes that took in what he saw and sympathized with it.
“I didn’t do anything.”
“Are you sure? Sheriff Bullock seemed to think differently.”
She shook her head. “Nope. Sorry to disappoint.”
The younger one, Giovanni, said, “I told you. Let’s go.”
Giovanni rose , but Rosen stayed put. He stared at her, as if trying to read something about her from the way she wasn’t looking at him.
“Can you do what I think you can do?” he said, quietly enough that Sarah was certain the younger one couldn’t hear.
“Please leave,” she said.
Rosen nodded and th en rose. “I’m sorry.”
With that, the two agents left the bar. Sarah watched them until they were gone, and then she stood up and left some money on the table. She had to go cover Jeannie’s shift.
Pink’s was unusually packed. Sarah worked the bar
Similar Books
