The Hostage

Read Online The Hostage by Jonas Saul - Free Book Online Page A

Book: The Hostage by Jonas Saul Read Free Book Online
Authors: Jonas Saul
Tags: thriller
Ads: Link
defined his life.
     
    Newspapers, the broadcasters of everyone’s dirty laundry. Death and mayhem. When he was twelve, after he wasn’t allowed to paint anymore, he had taken up reading the local newspaper and it had completely redefined him. It soon became an obsession. Across Toronto, rape after rape took place and got front lines in the Toronto Sun Daily. It aroused him to read all the details of how a man had gone after what he had wanted and taken it. The truth, Elmore felt, was that it belonged to him. That was why women were created and, at that early age, Elmore realized that he would one day be the same way. But he’d be smarter about it and make sure he never got arrested because it was socially unacceptable to have sex with a woman against her will. They enacted laws against it to protect women, yet it still happened every day. Politicians did it and got away with it. For the right price, you could buy anything you wanted in large cities like Toronto. But Elmore would never pay. Paying for something you could take belittles the spender.
     
    While waiting for the Toronto papers to load on his screen he examined the last nails he’d ever get from Jackie. He placed them in the black container and closed it for later use.
     
    With his right hand on the mouse, he used his left to pick at the scab on the side of his head and wondered what the next girl would look like. The excitement leading up to the caging of his next subject caused him to be permanently aroused.
     
    “Days, it’ll only be days, and then I’ll have a plaything again,” he whispered out loud.
     
    Across the room Sarah Roberts’ face stared back from all the pictures he had plastered on the walls. He smiled at her and blew her a kiss.
     
    “One day …”
     
    The computer screen filled with the latest news.
     
    The image of Sarah Roberts stared back at him from his monitor.
     
    His eyes widened. The nail on his scab stopped scratching and pushed down on the piece he’d been working on.
     
    The caption said there had been a stampede at the Rogers Centre, and the root of the problem had been the failed apprehension of one Sarah Roberts by American authorities.
     
    He couldn’t believe it. The scab fell away in his fingers and blood trickled down the side of his head.
     
    This was his chance. Sarah Roberts had surfaced in Toronto. She was downtown. It couldn’t have been set up better. If things went well, he could have her locked up before the end of the day.
     
    He looked again at her face on the Sony JumboTron at the Rogers Centre.
     
    “Yes. Sarah Roberts. That’s you. How pretty.”
     
    American authorities. What do they want with her? Why are they up here in Canada hunting her?
     
    He’d have to play that angle if he needed it.
     
    He turned off his computer and headed upstairs to get dressed. He would finish cleaning the basement after he had Sarah. She took priority now.
     
    He reveled in the odds. How was it possible that Sarah could be in Toronto?
     
    He changed into his authentic Toronto Police uniform and donned a suit over that. He grabbed his police scanner off the bureau and got behind the wheel of his four-door sedan that resembled an unmarked cruiser with its Plexiglass shield between the front and back seats. He drove off his property with thoughts of Sarah.
     
    “Sarah, it’s only a matter of time now.”
     

Chapter 11

    Sarah ran along with the crowd, Drake following close behind. They were on a street called Blue Jay Way, running around car after car and hundreds of people as they all left the stadium at the same time. She stopped at a wider street called Spadina, turned and headed north, walking away from the lake.
     
    She was free. Rod had been left behind. The bracelet had been removed and there was nothing he could do about it now.
     
    “How did you know who I was?” Sarah asked.
     
    Drake caught up and walked beside her. “I saw your picture on the front page of the newspaper two weeks

Similar Books

The Body in the Bouillon

Katherine Hall Page

Ring of Truth

Ciji Ware

Twice In A Lifetime

Jennifer Jakes

Dominion

J. L. Bryan

Katana

Cole Gibsen