Read Online Pushed Too Far: A Thriller by Ann Voss Peterson, Blake Crouch - Free Book Online Page B

on-the-warmer-too-long bite and settling into a plastic chair.
    A police break room turned out to look much like any other break room, except for the extra small size. A refrigerator. A microwave that needed cleaning. A soda machine jammed in the corner.
    The Wisconsin State Journal stared up at him from the bistro-sized table, Dixon Hess’s face above the fold. He dug out the sports page, laid it on top, and started skimming an article about the Packers’ playoff chances.
    “Sorry about the delay.”
    Dressed in her uniform and with her blond hair pulled back, Val Ryker looked businesslike, as usual. And yet she gave him a little smile that held, not the suspicion he remembered so well, but something resembling warmth.
    What the hell?
    Maybe that was what bothered him about her. He could never quite figure out where she was coming from. “You said you wanted my help.”
    “Yes, I do.”
    He tossed the paper on the table and stood. “What do you need?”
    “Would you like to take your coffee? It’s better if we talk in my office.”
    He followed her and settled into the chair just vacated by her earlier visitor. Although he’d been in the station several times, he’d never been invited into the chief’s office, and he had to admit, the space was something of a disappointment. Sure she had plaques and diplomas displayed on the walls, even a framed headline announcing Hess’s conviction. Her desk was fairly large and nice compared to the glorified countertop in the dispatch center, but all in all, the décor seemed a bit too bland to give him a sense of the woman at all.
    Instead of circling behind the desk, she settled in the chair beside him and angled her body toward him. “Thanks for coming in. I really appreciate it.” Another smile.
    He wanted to volley with a grin of his own, but he held back. “Sure.”
    “I have some questions about fire.”
    “I’m pretty good when it comes to fire.”
    “I have some pictures to show you. But before we start, I want to clear the air between us.”
    “Okay.”
    “If I’m honest with you, will you be honest with me?”
    “Depends.”
    “So it’s going to be like that?”
    He shrugged a shoulder. “You have your idea of how you want this to go. I’m waiting to see what it is.”
    “You served time in a juvenile facility as a child.”
    “About a month.”
    “What put you there?”
    He leaned back in the chair and let out a bitter laugh. “If I’m a suspect again, why not just come out and say so. I thought you wanted to clear the air.”
    “That’s not why I’m asking.”
    “Oh, really?”
    “I need you to consult on a case, and I’d like to fill in that blank before we begin.”
    “If you don’t mind, I don’t believe you.”
    “Your choice. So what put you in juvie?”
    He paused for a moment, trying to decide if he’d answer or not. Finally curiosity over what she was getting at won out. “I started a fire. I told you that.”
    “Did anyone die?”
    “No, but an insurance company lost a lot of money. In our society, that’s probably worse.”
    A little smile touched the corners of her mouth, a smile he’d like to believe was real.
    “And you served a month for this?” she asked.
    “You know I did. And I didn’t torture puppies or wet the bed, if those are your follow ups.”
    “You’re a little defensive.”
    “If you were in my place, wouldn’t you be?”
    She tilted her head to the side. “I suppose I would.”
    “Is that it?”
    “For now.”
    He watched her for a few seconds. He should probably just get up and leave. She obviously still had her doubts about him, and he’d had enough suspicion to last a lifetime. But there was something different about her this time, as if she was leaving him an opening she hadn’t before. And stupidly enough, he couldn’t walk away until he knew what that was about.
    “Okay, while we’re being honest, answer a question for me,” he said.
    “If I can.”
    “Who was the suit in here