Read Online The Blonde by Duane Swierczynski - Free Book Online
Authors: Duane Swierczynski
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could be easily picked off, she decided to follow a central path away from the danger, most likely planning to emerge when the danger had passed.
Sorry, Mrs. Hunter, Kowalski thought. This danger has a job to finish.
Pumping hard, Kowalski closed the distance. His fingertips caressed the smooth stone he had picked up back at the tree house. Dense little sucker.
“Claudia!”
Always better to use the first name. Increases the likelihood that someone will respond to you.
She didn’t turn, but she slowed for a second, and in that instant a tiny bit of hope seemed to drain from her body. That wasall Kowalski needed. He hurled the stone at her head; direct strike. Claudia’s knee buckled and she tripped forward into the creek.
Kowalski didn’t slow down. He needed to confirm death— failing that, induce death—then recover the head and get the hell out of there. Behind him, in what was not quite the distance, the Hunter home burned like a three-story stone bonfire.
Claudia still had a little fight left in her. She was lying faceup in the shallow creek, despite the fact that Kowalski had seen her fall face-first. She’d had enough energy left to flip over. He admired that. Face your attacker, rather than hide from the inevitable. Kowalski could imagine her calling up her last reserves of strength just so she could spit on him as he approached.
He felt for a pulse; it was fading rapidly. She was on her way out.
He thought about leaving her as is. Investigators could surmise that she’d fallen and banged her head while fleeing from a burning house….
Okay, yeah, that was crap. Her neck needed to be professionally snapped.
Before he did that, though, Kowalski surprised himself by thinking about leaning over and kissing her forehead.
He didn’t of course.
Instead, he placed his left palm on her chin, and his right hand around the back of her neck. Then twisted …
Why would he think things like that?
… hard.
Now, back to the tree house. Back to Ed’s head. Back to his handler, back to his mission of vengeance before wrestling with the inevitable, crippling grief of losing Katie and their baby….
Kowalski reached up again, felt around. Got a splinter, but nothing else.
The gym bag?
Gone.
12:52 a.m.
Sheraton, Room 702
W ill you stop?”
As she spoke, Kelly had kept inching closer to him, and Jack tried to keep some personal space. It was starting to freak him out.
“What?”
“Look, I swear I won’t walk away. You sit on your end of the couch, and I’ll sit on mine. I’ve had a long fucking day, and it’s only getting longer. I need to process this stuff.”
“Then go, Jack, go. Process away.” She leaned back and closed her eyes. She seemed upset.
Great. He was feeling guilty about a woman who had tried to kill him. No, even better—was
still in the process
of killing him. The poison was still running through his veins.
Kelly opened her eyes. “Look, forget everything I told you. You can believe me; you can think I’m crazy. You can write a story about this, or you can go off and never think about this again. I ask one thing of you: a night’s sleep. I’m begging you. Just lie next to me in bed until morning; then I’ll give you the antidote and you’ll never have to see me again.”
Jack looked at her. She did look exhausted. Exactly like he felt.
“What if I take the antidote from your bag when you’re sleeping? How do you know I’ll stay?”
“You haven’t tried taking it so far, Jackie boy. You’re not that kind of guy.”
“You’re so sure of that?”
“Besides, it’s a bit tricky. I dosed you with luminous toxin. Nasty stuff if not treated correctly. I need to step-dose you out of it. You find the antidote, by some small miracle, you have to know how to take it.”
“Luminous
what?
”
“I’m a scientist, Jack. I’ve got access to all kinds of disturbing chemicals.”
“Okay, say I get your bag and take it to a doctor. Tell them what you told me.
Sorry, Mrs. Hunter, Kowalski thought. This danger has a job to finish.
Pumping hard, Kowalski closed the distance. His fingertips caressed the smooth stone he had picked up back at the tree house. Dense little sucker.
“Claudia!”
Always better to use the first name. Increases the likelihood that someone will respond to you.
She didn’t turn, but she slowed for a second, and in that instant a tiny bit of hope seemed to drain from her body. That wasall Kowalski needed. He hurled the stone at her head; direct strike. Claudia’s knee buckled and she tripped forward into the creek.
Kowalski didn’t slow down. He needed to confirm death— failing that, induce death—then recover the head and get the hell out of there. Behind him, in what was not quite the distance, the Hunter home burned like a three-story stone bonfire.
Claudia still had a little fight left in her. She was lying faceup in the shallow creek, despite the fact that Kowalski had seen her fall face-first. She’d had enough energy left to flip over. He admired that. Face your attacker, rather than hide from the inevitable. Kowalski could imagine her calling up her last reserves of strength just so she could spit on him as he approached.
He felt for a pulse; it was fading rapidly. She was on her way out.
He thought about leaving her as is. Investigators could surmise that she’d fallen and banged her head while fleeing from a burning house….
Okay, yeah, that was crap. Her neck needed to be professionally snapped.
Before he did that, though, Kowalski surprised himself by thinking about leaning over and kissing her forehead.
He didn’t of course.
Instead, he placed his left palm on her chin, and his right hand around the back of her neck. Then twisted …
Why would he think things like that?
… hard.
Now, back to the tree house. Back to Ed’s head. Back to his handler, back to his mission of vengeance before wrestling with the inevitable, crippling grief of losing Katie and their baby….
Kowalski reached up again, felt around. Got a splinter, but nothing else.
The gym bag?
Gone.
12:52 a.m.
Sheraton, Room 702
W ill you stop?”
As she spoke, Kelly had kept inching closer to him, and Jack tried to keep some personal space. It was starting to freak him out.
“What?”
“Look, I swear I won’t walk away. You sit on your end of the couch, and I’ll sit on mine. I’ve had a long fucking day, and it’s only getting longer. I need to process this stuff.”
“Then go, Jack, go. Process away.” She leaned back and closed her eyes. She seemed upset.
Great. He was feeling guilty about a woman who had tried to kill him. No, even better—was
still in the process
of killing him. The poison was still running through his veins.
Kelly opened her eyes. “Look, forget everything I told you. You can believe me; you can think I’m crazy. You can write a story about this, or you can go off and never think about this again. I ask one thing of you: a night’s sleep. I’m begging you. Just lie next to me in bed until morning; then I’ll give you the antidote and you’ll never have to see me again.”
Jack looked at her. She did look exhausted. Exactly like he felt.
“What if I take the antidote from your bag when you’re sleeping? How do you know I’ll stay?”
“You haven’t tried taking it so far, Jackie boy. You’re not that kind of guy.”
“You’re so sure of that?”
“Besides, it’s a bit tricky. I dosed you with luminous toxin. Nasty stuff if not treated correctly. I need to step-dose you out of it. You find the antidote, by some small miracle, you have to know how to take it.”
“Luminous
what?
”
“I’m a scientist, Jack. I’ve got access to all kinds of disturbing chemicals.”
“Okay, say I get your bag and take it to a doctor. Tell them what you told me.
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