Read Online Rock Harbor Series - 04 - Abomination by Colleen Coble - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Colleen Coble
Ads: Link
memories than he wanted to deal with.
The sun glinted through the windows of his SUV. He sat looking at the house where he used to live. The grass was beginning to green up, and he could see soft shoots emerging. His own life felt as dormant as the rosebushes.
The job wouldn’t get done by sitting here.
With a supreme effort he pushed open his door and got out. When he reached the house, he heard the engine of a car and turned around. His mother waved to him and got out of her Lumina.
“What are you doing here?” he asked when she reached him.
“You don’t think I’d let you do this alone, do you, Nicky?” Her dark eyes held empathy.
“I can do it, Mom.”
“We’re hurting, too, your Dad and me. Let me help you.” She looked past him to his key still in the deadbolt. “Are you going to open it, or do I have to?”
His grin felt genuine for the first time in two months. “Thanks, Mom.” The pain of stepping inside and seeing Keri’s little patent-leather shoes in the entryway wasn’t quite as bad with his mom along. He could do this.
He let his mother take Keri’s room while he went to the master bedroom. No way could he stomach looking at those little-girl clothes. Eve’s presence still occupied the master bedroom. Her fragrance clung to the bedding; her laughter echoed from the bathroom. He expected to see her come dancing into the room on her toes, doing one of those pirouette things.
Gritting his teeth, he opened the closet door and began to lift out the racks of Eve’s clothes so he could go through the pockets for clues. Don’t think about it—just do it . His gaze snagged on her pink nightgown. The garment was soft as gossamer, and he remembered the last time he’d seen her in it. The anger in her eyes had overshadowed the tearstains on her face.
He’d been the cause of both emotions.
He lifted the garment in his hands and buried his face in it. The gown still bore her scent, sweet and seductive. Thrusting it away, he dropped it to the floor. Those memories were unbearable.
“I’m glad you hired someone to clean the bloodstains,” his mother said from the doorway. Her gaze swept the pile of Eve’s clothing he had laid on the bed.
At least she hadn’t seen him with his nose buried in the nightgown. “Yeah,” he said. “I didn’t want to look at them again either.”
“How are you handling this, Nick?” Rhea took a tentative step into the room.
“How do you think, Mom? Some sicko has murdered my wife and daughter—” His voice broke, and the weakness spurred his anger. “I’m going to find him, and he will pay,” he muttered past clenched teeth.
“You don’t know that for sure. The bust looks like her, but we still don’t have the DNA back or anything.”
“I have to face facts, Mom. So do you. I’m going to find who did this.” He clenched his fists.
“Revenge? You know better than that.”
“Justice—I have to have justice.” He expected platitudes about how God would bring Gideon to justice, but she said nothing, just turned away. The sadness in her face defused his anger. He lifted a hand toward her, then dropped it back to his side. “I’m sorry.”
“So am I, Nicky. So am I.” She walked away.
Man, he was a jerk, taking his pain out on his mother when she only wanted to help. He started to go after her, but the phone rang on the bedside table. Eve had been gone over two months. No one should be calling this number.
The phone vibrated against his palm like a rattler when he lifted it. He punched the talk button. “Nick Andreakos,” he said.
He heard only silence at first. Then a high-pitched laugh hit his ear, the Daffy Duck inflection from his nightmares.
“It’s a fine joke, don’t you think, Nick?” The caricature of a voice chortled. “Did you like the way she looked in her pink nightgown? She wouldn’t look that lovely now. Not at all. But you already know that.”
Nick leaped to the window. As he peered through the glass, he
The sun glinted through the windows of his SUV. He sat looking at the house where he used to live. The grass was beginning to green up, and he could see soft shoots emerging. His own life felt as dormant as the rosebushes.
The job wouldn’t get done by sitting here.
With a supreme effort he pushed open his door and got out. When he reached the house, he heard the engine of a car and turned around. His mother waved to him and got out of her Lumina.
“What are you doing here?” he asked when she reached him.
“You don’t think I’d let you do this alone, do you, Nicky?” Her dark eyes held empathy.
“I can do it, Mom.”
“We’re hurting, too, your Dad and me. Let me help you.” She looked past him to his key still in the deadbolt. “Are you going to open it, or do I have to?”
His grin felt genuine for the first time in two months. “Thanks, Mom.” The pain of stepping inside and seeing Keri’s little patent-leather shoes in the entryway wasn’t quite as bad with his mom along. He could do this.
He let his mother take Keri’s room while he went to the master bedroom. No way could he stomach looking at those little-girl clothes. Eve’s presence still occupied the master bedroom. Her fragrance clung to the bedding; her laughter echoed from the bathroom. He expected to see her come dancing into the room on her toes, doing one of those pirouette things.
Gritting his teeth, he opened the closet door and began to lift out the racks of Eve’s clothes so he could go through the pockets for clues. Don’t think about it—just do it . His gaze snagged on her pink nightgown. The garment was soft as gossamer, and he remembered the last time he’d seen her in it. The anger in her eyes had overshadowed the tearstains on her face.
He’d been the cause of both emotions.
He lifted the garment in his hands and buried his face in it. The gown still bore her scent, sweet and seductive. Thrusting it away, he dropped it to the floor. Those memories were unbearable.
“I’m glad you hired someone to clean the bloodstains,” his mother said from the doorway. Her gaze swept the pile of Eve’s clothing he had laid on the bed.
At least she hadn’t seen him with his nose buried in the nightgown. “Yeah,” he said. “I didn’t want to look at them again either.”
“How are you handling this, Nick?” Rhea took a tentative step into the room.
“How do you think, Mom? Some sicko has murdered my wife and daughter—” His voice broke, and the weakness spurred his anger. “I’m going to find him, and he will pay,” he muttered past clenched teeth.
“You don’t know that for sure. The bust looks like her, but we still don’t have the DNA back or anything.”
“I have to face facts, Mom. So do you. I’m going to find who did this.” He clenched his fists.
“Revenge? You know better than that.”
“Justice—I have to have justice.” He expected platitudes about how God would bring Gideon to justice, but she said nothing, just turned away. The sadness in her face defused his anger. He lifted a hand toward her, then dropped it back to his side. “I’m sorry.”
“So am I, Nicky. So am I.” She walked away.
Man, he was a jerk, taking his pain out on his mother when she only wanted to help. He started to go after her, but the phone rang on the bedside table. Eve had been gone over two months. No one should be calling this number.
The phone vibrated against his palm like a rattler when he lifted it. He punched the talk button. “Nick Andreakos,” he said.
He heard only silence at first. Then a high-pitched laugh hit his ear, the Daffy Duck inflection from his nightmares.
“It’s a fine joke, don’t you think, Nick?” The caricature of a voice chortled. “Did you like the way she looked in her pink nightgown? She wouldn’t look that lovely now. Not at all. But you already know that.”
Nick leaped to the window. As he peered through the glass, he
Similar Books
