Read Online Darkly The Thunder by William W. Johnstone - Free Book Online

COME FROM? JUST: WHAT DO YOU WANT?
    â€œIt’s a fair question.”
    PERHAPS.
    â€œDid you kill Carol Ann and the Branson boy?”
    THE GIRL WAS DELICIOUS.
    â€œWhy them?”
    WHY NOT, OLD COPPER?
    Howie was listening intently.
    â€œAll right. I’ll ask. Who are you?”
    I THOUGHT YOU’D NEVER ASK.
    Silence.
    â€œAre you going to answer the question?”
    The voice sang a few lines from the song Too Old To Cut The Mustard Anymore , then dedicated it to Al Watts.
    All felt the following silence. Whatever it was, it was gone.
    â€œWhat in the hell is that thing?” Norris asked.
    A deputy pushed over the front door and shoved in a redfaced Hubbard. His face turned even redder when he spotted Angel, glaring at him. Gordie had to stifle a laugh when the pretty little girl popped him the bird.
    â€œYou’re a dirty old man!” Angel yelled at him.
    â€œTake Angel into my office,” Gordie told Lee. “And her brother. See if Howie needs medical attention.”
    The kids gone, Gordie faced the hardware man. “Angel says you exposed yourself to her.”
    â€œThat’s a vicious lie, Sheriff.”
    â€œThen why did your face turn red, when you spotted her in here?”
    â€œI want my lawyer!”
    â€œAll right, Hubbard,” Gordie said with a smile. He turned to Mack, who had recovered from swallowing his chewing tobacco. “Contact social services. Have them send a female over here. Alan, read Mr. Hubbard his rights and then lock him up.”
    â€œWait a minute!” Hubbard hollered. “I can explain what happened.”
    â€œPlease do,” Gordie said.
    â€œI’d just gone to the bathroom. I forgot to zip up my pants. That’s all there is to it.”
    Judy had entered the office. She looked at the man with open disgust in her eyes. “You always walk around the store in the middle of the day with your dick hanging out?”
    Hubbard began cursing and screaming insanely. He charged Judy, shouting that he was going to kill her. Judy sidestepped and tripped Hubbard, sending him tumbling to the floor. She pulled a leather slapper out of her back pocket and popped the man on the noggin. Hubbard went to sleep.
    â€œToss him in a cell,” Gordie ordered. “Charge him with disturbing the peace, assaulting a peace officer, threatening a peace officer, indecent behavior with a juvenile, and anything else you can think of.”
    Watts rubbed the side of his face with a finger. “I’ve known Hubbard for forty years. I’ve never seen him behave like this.”
    Before anyone could offer any opinions as to the hardware man’s bizarre behavior, Maj. Jackson said, “What in the name of God is producing that voice?”
    Gordie cut his eyes to the man. “We don’t know. Still want to stay in this town?”
    â€œWe’re under orders to put the finishing touches on a training base not far from here. The government has spent a lot of money in this area, as you well know. We’ll just go on up to the base. We have MREs to last us a week. More supplies will be brought in if we need them.”
    â€œI think not,” Gordie said coolly.
    â€œThen you’d better have one hell of a good reason for detaining us, Sheriff.”
    â€œYou think you’re immune from civilian law; is that it?”
    â€œYou know better than that, Sheriff. But we are acting under orders from the government, and we all have high security clearances. If you’re going to detain us, I want the charges all spelled out, nice and legal.”
    Gordie smiled. “You have a radio with you, Major? Shortwave, perhaps?”
    â€œWhether I do, or not, is certainly none of your business, Sheriff.”
    â€œI just made it my business, Major Jackson. You want it spelled out? Okay. I’ve got two murders on my hands. I have some thing in this town that is making people and electronic equipment act nuts. Whatever it