Read Online Slayers (Jake Hawkins Book 1) by Matt Rogers - Free Book Online

hours, Jake came to a decision.
    When the morning arrived, a stern-looking policeman unlocked his cell and led him to an interview room. The man introduced himself as Superintendent Bryce. He wasn ’ t one of the ones who had arrested Jake last night. He was someone else. Anger was plastered across his face. Jake sensed he had to deal with thugs daily.
    Bryce seated him at a wooden table in the middle of the room. Apart from that, the space was bare, save for a rectangular window set high into the brick on his left, blocked by steel bars. The pale light of dawn was streaking in.
    “ Righto, ” Bryce muttered, shuffling through his files. He looked up. “ What ’ s your name? ”
    “ Jake Hawkins. ”
    “ Mmhmm. ” Bryce ticked a box. “ Alright, Jake, I ’ m going to need a statement from you. So we ’ re going to go through exactly what happened yesterday- ”
    “ Can I make a phone call? ”
    “ You can call whoever you want after we sort this out. Is that understood? ”
    “ No. You ’ re legally obliged to let me make a private call and a call to a lawyer – if that ’ s what I want. ”
    Bryce scowled. “ You ’ ve got an attitude. ”
    Jake said nothing.
    “ Can you tell me your whereabouts at quarter to eleven yesterday morning? ”
    “ Phone call. ”
    Silence.
    “ Fine, ” Bryce said. “ You get your phone call. Then we get this statement, or you ’ ll be in a lot more trouble than you ’ re already in. ”
    He slid a corded phone and cradle across the desk and exited the room, locking the door securely behind him as he left. Jake picked up the receiver and started punching in numbers as they came back to him from the night before. When he got to the last number, he froze.
    What was it? A five or a six? He couldn ’ t remember.
    Panic began to develop, and the longer he sat there the more it intensified. If he picked the wrong number, the wrong person would pick up and that would be that. He didn ’ t know if he was allowed a second phone call while in custody.
    Just as he was on the verge of an anxiety attack, he remembered it.
    A six.
    He thumbed the digit, then waited as the dial tone sounded.
    One ring.
    Two rings.
    “ Good morning, Harper & Benson Cleaning Services, how may I be of assistance? ”
    The voice was male, clean and crisp.
    “ You ’ ve got to be kidding me, ” Jake said into the phone, not caring what some customer service member on the other side thought of him. He had got it wrong.
    “ I ’ m sorry, sir? ” the voice said.
    “ Never mind, ” Jake said, taking the phone away from his ear.
    It was halfway to the cradle when he heard a faint voice. “ Jake? ”
    He froze and raised the phone again. “ Yeah? ”
    “ It ’ s Wolfe. You sure cut that close, buddy. ”
    He let out a sigh. Then he remembered what he had called for. Fear had dried his mouth and made his skin clammy. Without hesitation, he spoke the two words that would change his life forever.
    “ I ’ m in. ”
     

CHAPTER SEVEN
     
     
    “ Are you sure? ” Wolfe said. “ There ’ s no going back from this. ”
    “ I know. ”
    “ You can ’ t change your mind afterwards. ”
    “ I know. ”
    “ Well, alright then. ” He sounded relieved. “ Listen, we know you ’ re at the police station. We just don ’ t know what room you ’ re in. Any idea? ”
    “ There ’ s a window facing out. It ’ s up high and there ’ s bars across the top. ”
    Jake had inadvertently lowered his voice. He didn ’ t want Bryce to hear a word he was saying.
    “ That ’ s what we thought, ” Wolfe said. “ But we had to make sure. Hold on for a minute: stay on the line. ”
    “ You ’ re already here?! ”
    “ We had a feeling you would change your mind. ”
    “ Incredible. ”
    A pause.
    “ Okay, we ’ re in position. Now, one last time, I need to hear it again. Are you in or are you out? ”
    “ I ’ m in. ”
    “ Then get down on the ground. ”
    From the receiver, Jake heard an engine