Read Online Upon A Pale Horse by Russell Blake - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Russell Blake
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cars in front. Nice neighborhood we have here…”
Jeffrey stepped closer and tipped his head in the direction of her door. “How bad is it?”
“See for yourself. They’re about done. But there’s not a lot they can do, according to Officer Klutsky here and his twin. Everyone’s just going through the motions. Best they can offer is that my computer or stereo might show up on a hot sheet if the thieves try to sell them.”
Jeffrey followed her a few yards to the door. She pushed it open and motioned with an open hand for him to take a look.
The room was in shambles, drawers dumped out on the floor, papers everywhere.
“Damn. Looks like it’s been hit by a tornado.”
“Now you know how I’ll be spending my evening. The cops think it was junkies. Apparently there’ve been a host of robberies in the last week. The only thing that’s weird to them is that it looks like the lock was picked. There’s no sign of a forced entry, so they’re not sure it’s the same gang. The others were obvious break-ins where they jammed the lock or broke a window to get inside.”
Her voice cracked as she finished and her shoulders sagged, and a small part of Jeffrey’s heart broke. After all she’d been through, the timing couldn’t have been worse. Before either knew what was happening, she was in his arms, sobbing against his chest as he held her tentatively, unsure what to do next. The moment only lasted a few heartbeats and then she pulled away, wiping her tears from her face with the back of her hand. He looked at the two officers conferring by the bedroom door, giving her a chance to compose herself.
“I’m…I’m sorry, Jeff. Some days really suck, you know?”
“Yeah. I do.”
The two uniforms walked towards them, as unenthusiastic as any humans Jeffrey had ever seen, and offered a few insincere platitudes before excusing themselves and leaving, their work done. Becky’s eyes swept around the room. She sighed, went into the kitchen, and returned holding a shiny brass ring with two keys dangling from it.
“The keys to Keith’s kingdom. You’re lucky – at least they didn’t steal them. Oh, and here, I wrote down his address. It’s about fifteen to twenty minutes away, over by Logan Circle.” She checked her watch. “Unless you try it during rush hour, in which case you can double or triple that.”
“Are you going to be okay here?” he asked, eyeing the mess on the floor.
“Sure. It looks worse than it is. It’ll actually give me something to do besides sit here and cry, so maybe they did me a favor…”
“You’re taking it way better than I would.”
“What’s the alternative? If I stop to consider how much bad has happened in just the last few days, I’d probably wind up in a padded room.”
He nodded. “Then I’m going to get going. Let me know if you need anything.”
“Do you want to take your brother’s stuff? I have it in a box over there…Had. Had it in a box. Now it’s that pile over by the window.”
“Can I ask you to hold onto it for now? I don’t know what I’m walking into at his place, and I don’t want to bite off more than I can chew. Unless you want it out of here…”
“No, that’s not it at all. I’ll keep it until you get things under control. Don’t worry about it. It’s all just odds and ends, anyway. Nothing super important,” she said.
They walked back to the door and he stepped across the threshold into the hallway, then gave her another hug, realizing as he did so just how little he knew her or about his brother’s life. Time had a way of racing by, especially if you were busy, but that seemed like a facile, inadequate excuse now that Keith was gone forever. He made his way back down the stairs and set out for the larger street two blocks away, where with any luck he could find a taxi.
The man tailing him moved from between two buildings on the far corner and settled in a comfortable distance behind Jeffrey, who was oblivious to his
Jeffrey stepped closer and tipped his head in the direction of her door. “How bad is it?”
“See for yourself. They’re about done. But there’s not a lot they can do, according to Officer Klutsky here and his twin. Everyone’s just going through the motions. Best they can offer is that my computer or stereo might show up on a hot sheet if the thieves try to sell them.”
Jeffrey followed her a few yards to the door. She pushed it open and motioned with an open hand for him to take a look.
The room was in shambles, drawers dumped out on the floor, papers everywhere.
“Damn. Looks like it’s been hit by a tornado.”
“Now you know how I’ll be spending my evening. The cops think it was junkies. Apparently there’ve been a host of robberies in the last week. The only thing that’s weird to them is that it looks like the lock was picked. There’s no sign of a forced entry, so they’re not sure it’s the same gang. The others were obvious break-ins where they jammed the lock or broke a window to get inside.”
Her voice cracked as she finished and her shoulders sagged, and a small part of Jeffrey’s heart broke. After all she’d been through, the timing couldn’t have been worse. Before either knew what was happening, she was in his arms, sobbing against his chest as he held her tentatively, unsure what to do next. The moment only lasted a few heartbeats and then she pulled away, wiping her tears from her face with the back of her hand. He looked at the two officers conferring by the bedroom door, giving her a chance to compose herself.
“I’m…I’m sorry, Jeff. Some days really suck, you know?”
“Yeah. I do.”
The two uniforms walked towards them, as unenthusiastic as any humans Jeffrey had ever seen, and offered a few insincere platitudes before excusing themselves and leaving, their work done. Becky’s eyes swept around the room. She sighed, went into the kitchen, and returned holding a shiny brass ring with two keys dangling from it.
“The keys to Keith’s kingdom. You’re lucky – at least they didn’t steal them. Oh, and here, I wrote down his address. It’s about fifteen to twenty minutes away, over by Logan Circle.” She checked her watch. “Unless you try it during rush hour, in which case you can double or triple that.”
“Are you going to be okay here?” he asked, eyeing the mess on the floor.
“Sure. It looks worse than it is. It’ll actually give me something to do besides sit here and cry, so maybe they did me a favor…”
“You’re taking it way better than I would.”
“What’s the alternative? If I stop to consider how much bad has happened in just the last few days, I’d probably wind up in a padded room.”
He nodded. “Then I’m going to get going. Let me know if you need anything.”
“Do you want to take your brother’s stuff? I have it in a box over there…Had. Had it in a box. Now it’s that pile over by the window.”
“Can I ask you to hold onto it for now? I don’t know what I’m walking into at his place, and I don’t want to bite off more than I can chew. Unless you want it out of here…”
“No, that’s not it at all. I’ll keep it until you get things under control. Don’t worry about it. It’s all just odds and ends, anyway. Nothing super important,” she said.
They walked back to the door and he stepped across the threshold into the hallway, then gave her another hug, realizing as he did so just how little he knew her or about his brother’s life. Time had a way of racing by, especially if you were busy, but that seemed like a facile, inadequate excuse now that Keith was gone forever. He made his way back down the stairs and set out for the larger street two blocks away, where with any luck he could find a taxi.
The man tailing him moved from between two buildings on the far corner and settled in a comfortable distance behind Jeffrey, who was oblivious to his
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