Read Online November Lake: Teenage Detective (The November Lake Mysteries) Book 1 by Jamie Drew - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Jamie Drew
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in
the room. The flames lapped at the heels of my boots. I looked
around and could see fire crawling over the door, flames like
greedy, glowing fingers. Placing one hand over my mouth, I reached
down and pulled at Kale’s coat. He groaned like a drunk. He was
near unconsciousness. Taking the hanky, I had earlier used to clear
the mist off the windscreen in the car, I wrapped it around the
lower half of my face. Looking like some kind of bandit, I reached
down and dragged Kale up into my arms.
“ Kale, get to your feet!” I roared in his ears.
He
coughed and spluttered against me, a thick, white drool running
from the corner of his mouth. With him collapsing in my arms again,
I dragged Kale across the smoke-flamed filled room toward the door.
The floorboards broke in places beneath my feet. I looked up to see
fire crawling all over Clive’s corpse. I looked away and heaved
Kale the last few feet to the door and out onto the landing. Clouds
of thick, hot smoke chased after me. Choking, I dragged Kale down
the stairs and into the hallway.
“ C’mon,” I willed myself. I looked back over my shoulder. The
front door was within touching distance, but so were the flames
that now rushed down the stairs and spread along the walls of the
hallway. With one arm tucked under Kale’s, and screaming out loud,
I carried on toward the door. With him propped against me, I
fumbled for the lock in the blinding hot smoke. My fingertips
brushed over it. I yanked the door open and was hit like a slap in
the face by the cold night air that rushed in at me. I pulled off
the hanky from over my mouth and nose and gasped in lungfuls of the
fresh night air. Nothing had ever felt so good. The fog had lifted
and the sun was rising over the moors in the distance like a
bloodshot eye. Dropping to my knees on the path, I dragged Kale
along it and into the field. Both of us lay on our backs in the
mud. I clawed myself up, and back onto my knees. Kale’s face was
black with soot and smoke.
“ Breathe!” I roared at him.
Nothing.
Leaning
over him, I opened his mouth and tilted back his head. Then
pressing my lips over his, I blew three deep breaths down into his
lungs. At once he started to cough and splutter. He rolled onto his
side, more of that white drool coming from his mouth as he vomited
up smoke and what was left of the sleeping pills he had taken. He
panted like a tired dog as he drew deep breaths into his
lungs.
With
some colour coming back into his lips and cheeks, his eyes
flickered open. He stared up as I knelt beside him. “How come you
didn’t pass out like me?” he whispered over the roar of the burning
farmhouse. “You took those sleeping tablets, too. I saw you swallow
them.”
I
reached into my coat pocket and curled my fingers around the
sleeping pills. Taking them out, I opened my hand and showed Kale
the pills that now sat in my palm.
He
blinked. “But I saw you take them.” His voice seemed to rattle in
the back of his throat as he still gasped in breath.
“ You saw me eat a handful of those mints you gave me earlier.”
I smiled down at him. “I swapped them for the pills when I reached
inside my coat pocket for my police badge.”
Kale
dropped his head back down into the mud and began to chuckle, then
gasped for more breath. “You’re one in a million, November
Lake.”
“ I just had to hope that if I laid still for long enough,
Morris and Sarah would think I’d fallen unconscious,” I said. “That
they didn’t hang around long enough to watch the room completely
burn down. But I guessed that they wouldn’t want to hang around.
Fire draws attention, even in a remote place like this. And now
that the fog has cleared and the sun is almost up, it won’t be long
before the smoke is seen by someone. But by then, I fear that
Morris and Sarah will be miles away.”
“ How do you work that out?” Kale asked, his eyes still closed
as he lay on his back, chest hitching up and down.
“ I know he crashed
the room. The flames lapped at the heels of my boots. I looked
around and could see fire crawling over the door, flames like
greedy, glowing fingers. Placing one hand over my mouth, I reached
down and pulled at Kale’s coat. He groaned like a drunk. He was
near unconsciousness. Taking the hanky, I had earlier used to clear
the mist off the windscreen in the car, I wrapped it around the
lower half of my face. Looking like some kind of bandit, I reached
down and dragged Kale up into my arms.
“ Kale, get to your feet!” I roared in his ears.
He
coughed and spluttered against me, a thick, white drool running
from the corner of his mouth. With him collapsing in my arms again,
I dragged Kale across the smoke-flamed filled room toward the door.
The floorboards broke in places beneath my feet. I looked up to see
fire crawling all over Clive’s corpse. I looked away and heaved
Kale the last few feet to the door and out onto the landing. Clouds
of thick, hot smoke chased after me. Choking, I dragged Kale down
the stairs and into the hallway.
“ C’mon,” I willed myself. I looked back over my shoulder. The
front door was within touching distance, but so were the flames
that now rushed down the stairs and spread along the walls of the
hallway. With one arm tucked under Kale’s, and screaming out loud,
I carried on toward the door. With him propped against me, I
fumbled for the lock in the blinding hot smoke. My fingertips
brushed over it. I yanked the door open and was hit like a slap in
the face by the cold night air that rushed in at me. I pulled off
the hanky from over my mouth and nose and gasped in lungfuls of the
fresh night air. Nothing had ever felt so good. The fog had lifted
and the sun was rising over the moors in the distance like a
bloodshot eye. Dropping to my knees on the path, I dragged Kale
along it and into the field. Both of us lay on our backs in the
mud. I clawed myself up, and back onto my knees. Kale’s face was
black with soot and smoke.
“ Breathe!” I roared at him.
Nothing.
Leaning
over him, I opened his mouth and tilted back his head. Then
pressing my lips over his, I blew three deep breaths down into his
lungs. At once he started to cough and splutter. He rolled onto his
side, more of that white drool coming from his mouth as he vomited
up smoke and what was left of the sleeping pills he had taken. He
panted like a tired dog as he drew deep breaths into his
lungs.
With
some colour coming back into his lips and cheeks, his eyes
flickered open. He stared up as I knelt beside him. “How come you
didn’t pass out like me?” he whispered over the roar of the burning
farmhouse. “You took those sleeping tablets, too. I saw you swallow
them.”
I
reached into my coat pocket and curled my fingers around the
sleeping pills. Taking them out, I opened my hand and showed Kale
the pills that now sat in my palm.
He
blinked. “But I saw you take them.” His voice seemed to rattle in
the back of his throat as he still gasped in breath.
“ You saw me eat a handful of those mints you gave me earlier.”
I smiled down at him. “I swapped them for the pills when I reached
inside my coat pocket for my police badge.”
Kale
dropped his head back down into the mud and began to chuckle, then
gasped for more breath. “You’re one in a million, November
Lake.”
“ I just had to hope that if I laid still for long enough,
Morris and Sarah would think I’d fallen unconscious,” I said. “That
they didn’t hang around long enough to watch the room completely
burn down. But I guessed that they wouldn’t want to hang around.
Fire draws attention, even in a remote place like this. And now
that the fog has cleared and the sun is almost up, it won’t be long
before the smoke is seen by someone. But by then, I fear that
Morris and Sarah will be miles away.”
“ How do you work that out?” Kale asked, his eyes still closed
as he lay on his back, chest hitching up and down.
“ I know he crashed
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