Read Online Cross Hairs by Jack Patterson - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Jack Patterson
Tags: Fiction, thriller, Suspense, adventure, Crime, Mystery, Nora Roberts, Action, Hard-Boiled, Reporter, trilogy, Deception, james patterson, conspiracy, Lee Child, New York Times bestseller, new release, mystery and suspense, award winning, award, fbi, &NEW, Stephen King, bestselling, cj lyons, Joshua Graham, George R.R. Martin, like John Grisham, John Grisham, popular, Steig Larson, Kindle eBook, like James Patterson, like Christine Kling, deal, newspaper, John Locke, David Baldacci, similar to Dean Koontz, similar to Nora Roberts, winning, like Aaron Patterson, Aaron Patterson, William Landay, punishment, five star review, Millennium, top rated, kindle ebooks, like Lee Child, Andrew E. Kaufman, New York Times best seller, Cal Murphy, like David Baldacci, 5 star review, Amazon eBook, national award-winning, like Joshua Graham, The Girl who Kicked the Hornets Nest, Dean Koontz, Christine Kling, similar to James Patterson, like Dean Koontz, Stieg Larsson, 5 stars, Steig Larsson, similar to Joshua Graham, similar to John Grisham, Kirk Russell, Dani Amore, Mary Higgins Clark, five stars, similar to John Locke, like William Landay, like Dani Amore, like John Locke, like Nora Roberts
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as he waved his free hand around. In the 10 seconds she watched him as she walked to her car, he never once looked up.
Nevertheless, Kelly quickened her pace. She fumbled for her keys as she walked, hoping to avert a prolonged mining expedition in her purse. The less vulnerable she was before gaining entrance to her car, the better.
Success.
She unlocked the door with the click of a button on her fob and slid behind the wheel. She locked the doors and turned the ignition. Before turning on her headlights, Kelly scanned one final time around the parking lot and concluded she was safe. She pulled onto the road and headed for Cal’s house, using the same route he would have taken to get there.
Kelly eased down the road, searching the roadside for any sign of Cal or his Civic.
Why didn’t he call me?
One jalopy and a flat tire sidelined two vehicles along the route Kelly took. No sign of Cal.
She drove another five minutes before entering a winding stretch of road near Cal’s apartment.
That’s where she saw the flashing lights. Red and blue squad car lights flickered in the cool August air. A squad car was on the shoulder of the road ahead. It flanked an A-1 Towing Service truck, which made its presence known with a pair of flashing yellow lights.
Kelly didn’t want to presume she knew Cal was the reason for the roadside gathering, but she couldn’t stop her mind from racing through all the doomsday scenarios. Maybe Cal crashed. Maybe someone killed him. Maybe there’s nothing to see.
She sped up and pulled behind the sheriff’s deputy car. It belonged to Dawkins. She closed her eyes and moaned. Not Dawkins! Not now!
Dawkins was talking with the tow truck driver when her headlights signaled her arrival. He turned toward her and shielded his eyes from her car lights. The deputy approched Kelly’s car as she moved to meet him half way.
“What’s going on here?” she asked nervously.
“Well, I thought maybe you could tell us something.”
“What do you mean?”
“Mercer was off duty tonight but he called me about a car that he noticed had spun off the road. He said it was all smashed up against a tree, so I came down here to check it out. It’s Cal’s.”
Kelly tried to ignore her emotions and get into her reporter mindset. There were questions. Lots of them. And she needed answers now.
“Have you been down there?” Kelly asked, motioning toward the ravine below.
“Yeah.”
“And?”
“And what?”
“Is Cal hurt? Injured? Where is he?”
“When I went down there, I didn’t see anyone.”
“What do you mean, you didn’t see anyone?”
“I mean, it’s obviously a one-car accident. It looks like the impact with a tree crumpled the hood up pretty good. But nobody saw it happen. At least, there were no citizen reports of a driver veering off the road and into the woods.”
“So, he’s just gone?”
“Yep, as far as I can tell.”
“Do you think he’s still alive?”
Dawkins paused as if he was unsure of what to say, unsure of telling her the truth.
“There’s no way to know for sure. It’s hard to imagine him just getting out of that car, wrecked the way that it is, and just walking around. But we’ll keep looking.”
“Well, please call me on my cell if you find him.”
Kelly handed him her business card and began walking back to her car. She thought she might be able to make Dawkins crack. A little flirtatious behavior never hurt with law enforcement types when it came to getting what she wanted. But she left feeling like she didn’t get what she needed out of him.
Then there was a more pressing matter: Cal could be dead.
CHAPTER 21
DAWKINS SMILED AS HE walked back to his car. The more lies he told, the easier it got—even if he didn’t like it. Now he had lied twice in one day to Kelly. He wouldn’t let her beauty distract him from following his new orders. A night worrying about Cal would make her putty in the boss’s hands. And that’s what they needed at
Nevertheless, Kelly quickened her pace. She fumbled for her keys as she walked, hoping to avert a prolonged mining expedition in her purse. The less vulnerable she was before gaining entrance to her car, the better.
Success.
She unlocked the door with the click of a button on her fob and slid behind the wheel. She locked the doors and turned the ignition. Before turning on her headlights, Kelly scanned one final time around the parking lot and concluded she was safe. She pulled onto the road and headed for Cal’s house, using the same route he would have taken to get there.
Kelly eased down the road, searching the roadside for any sign of Cal or his Civic.
Why didn’t he call me?
One jalopy and a flat tire sidelined two vehicles along the route Kelly took. No sign of Cal.
She drove another five minutes before entering a winding stretch of road near Cal’s apartment.
That’s where she saw the flashing lights. Red and blue squad car lights flickered in the cool August air. A squad car was on the shoulder of the road ahead. It flanked an A-1 Towing Service truck, which made its presence known with a pair of flashing yellow lights.
Kelly didn’t want to presume she knew Cal was the reason for the roadside gathering, but she couldn’t stop her mind from racing through all the doomsday scenarios. Maybe Cal crashed. Maybe someone killed him. Maybe there’s nothing to see.
She sped up and pulled behind the sheriff’s deputy car. It belonged to Dawkins. She closed her eyes and moaned. Not Dawkins! Not now!
Dawkins was talking with the tow truck driver when her headlights signaled her arrival. He turned toward her and shielded his eyes from her car lights. The deputy approched Kelly’s car as she moved to meet him half way.
“What’s going on here?” she asked nervously.
“Well, I thought maybe you could tell us something.”
“What do you mean?”
“Mercer was off duty tonight but he called me about a car that he noticed had spun off the road. He said it was all smashed up against a tree, so I came down here to check it out. It’s Cal’s.”
Kelly tried to ignore her emotions and get into her reporter mindset. There were questions. Lots of them. And she needed answers now.
“Have you been down there?” Kelly asked, motioning toward the ravine below.
“Yeah.”
“And?”
“And what?”
“Is Cal hurt? Injured? Where is he?”
“When I went down there, I didn’t see anyone.”
“What do you mean, you didn’t see anyone?”
“I mean, it’s obviously a one-car accident. It looks like the impact with a tree crumpled the hood up pretty good. But nobody saw it happen. At least, there were no citizen reports of a driver veering off the road and into the woods.”
“So, he’s just gone?”
“Yep, as far as I can tell.”
“Do you think he’s still alive?”
Dawkins paused as if he was unsure of what to say, unsure of telling her the truth.
“There’s no way to know for sure. It’s hard to imagine him just getting out of that car, wrecked the way that it is, and just walking around. But we’ll keep looking.”
“Well, please call me on my cell if you find him.”
Kelly handed him her business card and began walking back to her car. She thought she might be able to make Dawkins crack. A little flirtatious behavior never hurt with law enforcement types when it came to getting what she wanted. But she left feeling like she didn’t get what she needed out of him.
Then there was a more pressing matter: Cal could be dead.
CHAPTER 21
DAWKINS SMILED AS HE walked back to his car. The more lies he told, the easier it got—even if he didn’t like it. Now he had lied twice in one day to Kelly. He wouldn’t let her beauty distract him from following his new orders. A night worrying about Cal would make her putty in the boss’s hands. And that’s what they needed at
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