Read Online The Watchman by Robert Crais - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Robert Crais
Tags: Fiction, General, Suspense, Thrillers, Action & Adventure, Mystery & Detective, Private Investigators, California, Los Angeles (Calif.), Los Angeles
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crying.
A slash of light from the edge of a shade placed a bar on the floor at his feet.
Pike touched the door.
“Larkin.”
The crying stopped, so he knew she was listening.
“The arrows. What they mean is, you control who you are by moving forward, never back; you move forward. That’s what I do. That’s what we’re going to do.”
Pike waited, but the girl made no sound. Pike felt embarrassed and wished he hadn’t tried to explain.
“You know me better now.”
Pike turned away and shut every light in the house. He returned to the living room. He stood in the dark, listening, then fell forward and silently caught himself in the push-up position.
He did push-ups. He clicked off one push-up after another, alone with himself, waiting for the night to pass.
Staying groovy.
Day Two
Light in Water
8
THE WINDOWS grew light by five-thirty the following morning, filling the Echo Park house with the brown gloom of a freshwater pond. Pike had already washed and dressed by then. He wore jeans, his sleeveless grey sweatshirt, and the running shoes. He was standing in the living room. From his position, he could see the length of the house from the front door through the kitchen to the back door, and the three doorways branching off the tiny hall to both bedrooms and the bath. He had been standing in this spot for almost one hour.
Throughout the night, Pike had dozed a few minutes at a time on the couch, but had never been fully asleep. Every hour or so he moved through the house, checked the windows, and listened. Houses were living things, as were cattle and forests and ships. When all was well, the noises they made sounded right. Pike listened for rightness. He had entered the girl’s room twice and found her snoring softly both times, once on her belly, once on her side, her covers kicked into a heap. Each time, he stood quietly in the darkness, listening to her breathe, then checked the windows before moving on.
Now he stood in the living room.
At five-forty that morning, the girl staggered out of her room and into the bath without seeing him. The bathroom light came on, the door closed, she did her business, the toilet flushed.
Pike never moved.
The door opened as she turned off the light. She shuffled out of the bathroom, carrying one shoulder higher than the other, and in that moment she saw him. Her eyes were puffy slits because she was groggy with sleep.
She said, “Why are you wearing sunglasses in the dark?”
Pike said nothing.
“What are you doing?”
“Standing.”
“You’re strange.”
She shuffled back to her room. The toilet filled. The water stopped. The house was once again silent.
Pike did not move.
At two minutes after six, his new cell phone vibrated. Pike answered when he saw it was Ronnie.
“Yes.”
“The alarm at your condo went off twelve minutes ago.”
Whenever an alarm was received, the security company would first phone the subscriber to see if everything was all right. False alarms were common. Pike had arranged for his security company to call Ronnie’s number if they received an alarm. He had also told them not to notify the police.
Pike said, “What did you tell them?”
“Everything’s cool and they should reset the alarm, just like you said. You want me to roll over there?”
“No. I’ll take care of it.”
Pike thought for a moment.
“Call the security company back. Tell them if they get an alarm at the store, we want a full-on response.”
“Got it.”
Pike put away the phone, then checked the time. The alarm had probably been tripped when they breached his front door or a window. They were likely still in his home. They would just as likely be gone by the time he arrived unless their plan was to wait, but Pike was okay with it. He had to stay with the girl.
Pike thought about them being in his home. He had figured it was only a matter of time, and now it had come, and he was glad for it. They had gotten his name,
A slash of light from the edge of a shade placed a bar on the floor at his feet.
Pike touched the door.
“Larkin.”
The crying stopped, so he knew she was listening.
“The arrows. What they mean is, you control who you are by moving forward, never back; you move forward. That’s what I do. That’s what we’re going to do.”
Pike waited, but the girl made no sound. Pike felt embarrassed and wished he hadn’t tried to explain.
“You know me better now.”
Pike turned away and shut every light in the house. He returned to the living room. He stood in the dark, listening, then fell forward and silently caught himself in the push-up position.
He did push-ups. He clicked off one push-up after another, alone with himself, waiting for the night to pass.
Staying groovy.
Day Two
Light in Water
8
THE WINDOWS grew light by five-thirty the following morning, filling the Echo Park house with the brown gloom of a freshwater pond. Pike had already washed and dressed by then. He wore jeans, his sleeveless grey sweatshirt, and the running shoes. He was standing in the living room. From his position, he could see the length of the house from the front door through the kitchen to the back door, and the three doorways branching off the tiny hall to both bedrooms and the bath. He had been standing in this spot for almost one hour.
Throughout the night, Pike had dozed a few minutes at a time on the couch, but had never been fully asleep. Every hour or so he moved through the house, checked the windows, and listened. Houses were living things, as were cattle and forests and ships. When all was well, the noises they made sounded right. Pike listened for rightness. He had entered the girl’s room twice and found her snoring softly both times, once on her belly, once on her side, her covers kicked into a heap. Each time, he stood quietly in the darkness, listening to her breathe, then checked the windows before moving on.
Now he stood in the living room.
At five-forty that morning, the girl staggered out of her room and into the bath without seeing him. The bathroom light came on, the door closed, she did her business, the toilet flushed.
Pike never moved.
The door opened as she turned off the light. She shuffled out of the bathroom, carrying one shoulder higher than the other, and in that moment she saw him. Her eyes were puffy slits because she was groggy with sleep.
She said, “Why are you wearing sunglasses in the dark?”
Pike said nothing.
“What are you doing?”
“Standing.”
“You’re strange.”
She shuffled back to her room. The toilet filled. The water stopped. The house was once again silent.
Pike did not move.
At two minutes after six, his new cell phone vibrated. Pike answered when he saw it was Ronnie.
“Yes.”
“The alarm at your condo went off twelve minutes ago.”
Whenever an alarm was received, the security company would first phone the subscriber to see if everything was all right. False alarms were common. Pike had arranged for his security company to call Ronnie’s number if they received an alarm. He had also told them not to notify the police.
Pike said, “What did you tell them?”
“Everything’s cool and they should reset the alarm, just like you said. You want me to roll over there?”
“No. I’ll take care of it.”
Pike thought for a moment.
“Call the security company back. Tell them if they get an alarm at the store, we want a full-on response.”
“Got it.”
Pike put away the phone, then checked the time. The alarm had probably been tripped when they breached his front door or a window. They were likely still in his home. They would just as likely be gone by the time he arrived unless their plan was to wait, but Pike was okay with it. He had to stay with the girl.
Pike thought about them being in his home. He had figured it was only a matter of time, and now it had come, and he was glad for it. They had gotten his name,
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