Read Online Flashes: Part Three by Tim O'Rourke - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Tim O'Rourke
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whispered.
‘That woman couldn’t handle the truth!’ Harker said. ‘Jackson was right. Kerry Underwood left the pub drunk, decided against getting a cab and walked home. It started to rain and she took a short cut home across the tracks. Not easy for the Underwoods to deal with, but easier than knowing that their daughter’s last moments on this Earth were a nightmare. Do you understand what I’m saying, Constable?’
Tom looked away.
‘Do you understand?’
‘Yes, I understand,’ Tom whispered.
Then, turning to face me, Harker held out his hand and said, ‘Give me your phone.’
‘Why?’ I asked, taking it from my pocket.
‘I read the list of messages on the fax that came through to the office,’ Harker explained, taking the phone from me. He looked at it, and then dropped it onto the ground. He crushed it under his heel and kicked the smashed pieces of plastic into the under-growth.
‘I don’t believe I just saw you destroy a piece of evidence,’ Tom said.
‘Believe what you want, Henson,’ Harker said, turning away.
‘And what do you believe?’ I called after him. ‘Do you believe me?’
Harker turned slowly to face me, and said, ‘Yes, Charley, I do believe you. I do believe you see things in your flashes – things that no one else can see.’
‘So what now?’ I asked.
‘I’ll be in touch,’ he smiled. ‘I’m sure you will be of great help to me in the future.’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ Tom asked, taking my hand in his.
‘Let’s just say that with Charley’s gift, she may be able to point us in the right direction should we ever . . . well, you know . . . need an extra clue or two in the future,’ he smiled.
‘But I thought you said no one would believe her,’ Tom said.
‘I’m not planning on going public about getting Charley to help us,’ he said. ‘It will be a secret shared only by us three. I’ll keep your secret, Charley, about what really happened up here tonight. I’m sure you can keep one or two for me.’
‘But . . .’ Tom started.
Before he’d had a chance to get his words out, Harker looked at him. ‘That invitation for Christmas dinner is still open, you know. To the both of you.’
Tom wrapped his arm around my shoulder and said, ‘No thanks, sir. I think Charley and I will just spend Christmas Day together.’
‘You do realise McDonald’s will be closed on Christmas Day, don’t you?’ he smiled. Then he was gone, disappearing into the snow.
Tom stood and held my hand. ‘What happens now, Charley?’
‘Take me home, stay with me tonight,’ I whispered. ‘I don’t want to be alone.’
He wrapped his arm around my waist and together we left those railway lines, the dilapidated house and what happened there behind us.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to give special thanks my wife, Lynda, and three sons, Joseph, Thomas and Zachary, for putting up with me. I would also like to thank Barry Cunningham for being the first publisher to take a chance on me, and Imogen Cooper for all her advice and help. Both of you have brought out the very best in Flashes . Thank you. Thanks to my agent Peter Buckman for signing me on that cold snowy day in March and for telling me to go away and write a gripping mystery for young adults. I hope I’ve done that with Flashes .
Although Flashes was the first of my books to be signed by a publisher I had been self-publishing my stories on the internet since 2011. During that time I have sold 300,000 books and none of that would have been possible without the army of loyal fans who follow my stories and tell all their friends and family about them. So I am truly grateful to the following fans who have encouraged me:
Lisa Ammari, Jennifer Martin-Green, Carles Barrios, Shanna Benedict, Carolyn Johnson Pinard, Caroline Barker, Amanda Golder, Sarah Lane, Rose Lennart, Spandana Nallamilli, Louise Chapman, James Hodson, Marsha Meadows, Rose Freeman, Toni Francis, Lindy Roberts, Zoey
‘That woman couldn’t handle the truth!’ Harker said. ‘Jackson was right. Kerry Underwood left the pub drunk, decided against getting a cab and walked home. It started to rain and she took a short cut home across the tracks. Not easy for the Underwoods to deal with, but easier than knowing that their daughter’s last moments on this Earth were a nightmare. Do you understand what I’m saying, Constable?’
Tom looked away.
‘Do you understand?’
‘Yes, I understand,’ Tom whispered.
Then, turning to face me, Harker held out his hand and said, ‘Give me your phone.’
‘Why?’ I asked, taking it from my pocket.
‘I read the list of messages on the fax that came through to the office,’ Harker explained, taking the phone from me. He looked at it, and then dropped it onto the ground. He crushed it under his heel and kicked the smashed pieces of plastic into the under-growth.
‘I don’t believe I just saw you destroy a piece of evidence,’ Tom said.
‘Believe what you want, Henson,’ Harker said, turning away.
‘And what do you believe?’ I called after him. ‘Do you believe me?’
Harker turned slowly to face me, and said, ‘Yes, Charley, I do believe you. I do believe you see things in your flashes – things that no one else can see.’
‘So what now?’ I asked.
‘I’ll be in touch,’ he smiled. ‘I’m sure you will be of great help to me in the future.’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’ Tom asked, taking my hand in his.
‘Let’s just say that with Charley’s gift, she may be able to point us in the right direction should we ever . . . well, you know . . . need an extra clue or two in the future,’ he smiled.
‘But I thought you said no one would believe her,’ Tom said.
‘I’m not planning on going public about getting Charley to help us,’ he said. ‘It will be a secret shared only by us three. I’ll keep your secret, Charley, about what really happened up here tonight. I’m sure you can keep one or two for me.’
‘But . . .’ Tom started.
Before he’d had a chance to get his words out, Harker looked at him. ‘That invitation for Christmas dinner is still open, you know. To the both of you.’
Tom wrapped his arm around my shoulder and said, ‘No thanks, sir. I think Charley and I will just spend Christmas Day together.’
‘You do realise McDonald’s will be closed on Christmas Day, don’t you?’ he smiled. Then he was gone, disappearing into the snow.
Tom stood and held my hand. ‘What happens now, Charley?’
‘Take me home, stay with me tonight,’ I whispered. ‘I don’t want to be alone.’
He wrapped his arm around my waist and together we left those railway lines, the dilapidated house and what happened there behind us.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to give special thanks my wife, Lynda, and three sons, Joseph, Thomas and Zachary, for putting up with me. I would also like to thank Barry Cunningham for being the first publisher to take a chance on me, and Imogen Cooper for all her advice and help. Both of you have brought out the very best in Flashes . Thank you. Thanks to my agent Peter Buckman for signing me on that cold snowy day in March and for telling me to go away and write a gripping mystery for young adults. I hope I’ve done that with Flashes .
Although Flashes was the first of my books to be signed by a publisher I had been self-publishing my stories on the internet since 2011. During that time I have sold 300,000 books and none of that would have been possible without the army of loyal fans who follow my stories and tell all their friends and family about them. So I am truly grateful to the following fans who have encouraged me:
Lisa Ammari, Jennifer Martin-Green, Carles Barrios, Shanna Benedict, Carolyn Johnson Pinard, Caroline Barker, Amanda Golder, Sarah Lane, Rose Lennart, Spandana Nallamilli, Louise Chapman, James Hodson, Marsha Meadows, Rose Freeman, Toni Francis, Lindy Roberts, Zoey
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