[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
Sometimes, I can t even remember exactly where I last hid it. But
something this morning had told me it was time to dig it out. I d
stuck it in the van before leaving for my meeting with Pranav. Just
in case. Only when things get extreme as they just had do I
actually pull out the firepower. But, I would not hesitate to use it.
I wasn t going to take any chance of being out-gunned when it
came to protecting my loved ones.
As I approached the turn off the highway, I moved on to
prayer.
I made the right turn and was faced with a fork in the road.
The one to the right led to the house. The one to the left circled
around the heavily treed hill and ended up in a small clearing
next to the large pond. That s where I was headed.
Less than two minutes later, I jerked to a halt in the makeshift
parking lot. From here, Ash House was completely invisible. I was
glad. The elderly residents did not need to witness whatever was
about to go down.
I searched the area. Even through my dark glasses, the sun
was blindingly bright against an immaculately white landscape.
The ground, covered with a fresh layer of snow, was unsullied,
except for the bluffs of trees that rose from a colourless earth.
I yanked on my gloves and grabbed the gun.
Slowly I swung open the door of the van. I stepped out, the
soles of my Sorels crunching as they hit the ground, like stepping
into a crme brle world made of snow and ice.
From inside the vehicle the day had seemed all bright and
sunny, with a sky of flawless blue. But outside, God it was cold. A
north wind added to the misery. But I didn t dare flip on my ear-
muffs. I wanted to hear every tick and boo and heartbeat.
I stepped forward and studied my surroundings.
There was no other vehicle in sight.
224
F639BE36-0B80-4264-BA79-F0E13F235E3A
A n t h o n y B i d u l k a
Hema was nowhere to be seen.
The only obvious hiding place was in the bushes. Was she in
there sheltering from the wind and cold? Did she expect me to go
in after her? Where was she? Why call me here, then not show up?
My eyes swept across the field of white to the pond.
At the exact centre of the body of water s frozen surface, I saw
it.
My breathing stopped.
Every bit of air in my body was replaced with burning rage.
225
F639BE36-0B80-4264-BA79-F0E13F235E3A
Chapter 17
Until recently, it had been a mild winter. So mild, in fact, that
Ethan and Jared had so far resisted taking the Ash House resi-
dents skating on the pond. They were waiting until they were
confident the ice was thick enough to support them without fear
of cracks or breaks.
Someone had decided to wait no longer.
In the dead centre of the pond was some kind of object. From
where I was standing, next to the van, the sun s glare obfuscating
detail, it looked to be nothing more than a big, dark lump. But
there are no lumps in the middle of a frozen-over pond.
Something was not right here. I whipped off my sunglasses and
peered at the thing, all the while quick-stepping to the frozen
water s edge.
And then I was horribly sure. This wasn t some unlucky wild
animal, a deer, or perhaps a large coyote or wolf. It was a person.
Simon!
She was lying in a crumpled heap. And worse, she was wear-
226
F639BE36-0B80-4264-BA79-F0E13F235E3A
A n t h o n y B i d u l k a
ing only a light jersey and sweatpants, as if she d just stepped out-
side to get the mail or something. The girl was going to freeze to
death if I didn t get to her immediately.
Simon! I called out to her, my voice ragged with fear and
anger, both exploding in me like competing poisonous mushroom
clouds. Simon! Can you hear me?
Was she unconscious? It was the only option my brain would
allow.
There was no time to figure it out. Any of it. Least of all, why
Ethan s thirteen-year-old daughter was lying inappropriately
clothed in the middle of Ash House pond. But I did know how. I
could see a narrow path of tiny footsteps, drawn in the dusting of
snow that covered the pond from last night s storm.
Gingerly I took a first step onto the ice.
Simon seemed secure enough where she was. The ice was
holding her up just fine. Then again, I had a good eighty or nine-
ty pounds on her.
Slowly I inched my way down the same path, ears cocked for
the telltale sound of weakening ice.
By the minimal disturbance of the snow, I could tell there was
only one set of tracks. Simon had walked out here on her own.
Why would she do that? Did she have no choice? How did they
force her? Who could do such a thing to a child? My anger surged
forward, as did I.
Forward.
Forward.
Forward.
Then, a sickening sound.
Crackle.
My stomach turned to stone. My cheeks flared red. My brain
screamed in silence.
I stopped. Perfectly still. Holding my breath.
The sound had been slight, but definite.
I tried to remember everything I d ever learned, or seen on TV,
or in movies, about being on ice.
Moving as slowly as I could, I lowered myself down, down,
down, until finally, I was flat on my stomach on the ice.
227
F639BE36-0B80-4264-BA79-F0E13F235E3A
D a t e w i t h a S h e e s h a
Simon? I tried again. Honey? Can you hear me?
No response.
I had to get to her.
Using a shimmying motion, I once again began to move
towards the motionless girl.
Forward.
Forward.
Crack!
My head popped up like a gopher from his hole. I looked
around. Nothing. No spiderweb of death forming beneath me. No
shaking of the icy platform below me. No seep of glacial water
inching up my pant legs.
Crack!
What the& ? There was something strange about the sound.
It was different. It wasn t coming from below or around me. It
was coming from higher up. Behind me.
Crack!
Oh god. It wasn t the ice cracking. It was something much
worse.
Gunfire.
Part of me wasn t surprised. Hema Gupta didn t text me a
threat against my family just for fun. She was a madwoman.
Likely she was working with others. They d lured me out here,
onto this frozen pond s dangerous surface, for a reason. They
knew I would try to rescue Simon, no matter how risky the situa-
tion might be. And they were right. I could never allow anyone to
stay out here, abandoned on the ice in a killing cold. No one
deserved such a fate. But now, I knew in the aching pit of my
heavy stomach, this doom& was meant for two.
And I knew one more thing.
They weren t shooting at me.
Or even at Simon.
In a way, the plan was ingenious. A perfect murder. Whoever
the shooters were, they had likely forced Simon to walk out onto
the lake under threat of death. Of course, she must have known
an unhappy ending was coming for her anyway she couldn t
imagine she d last long without layers of warm clothing in this
228
F639BE36-0B80-4264-BA79-F0E13F235E3A
A n t h o n y B i d u l k a
extreme cold. She d have no idea what was going on, why these
people were doing this terrible thing to her. Still, she would have
had hope. Simon was a strong-willed girl. She was a fighter. She
would have believed she d find a way out of this, or that help
would arrive in time from her dad& from me? So she did it. She
walked out to the centre of the ice to await what happened next.
With hope.
Watching her quiet, still body, as I once again began my migra-
tion towards her, my mind began to creep into deep, dark corners
I did not want to visit. Was Simon& okay? Had her hope her
trust in those who were supposed to be protecting her been for
nothing? What about Ethan? I felt the molten sting of icy tears
burn into my cheeks as I came closer to the curled up form.
Simon would have cuddled up into a fetal circle, trying to pre-
serve warmth. Or maybe, mercifully, they d given her a fast-act-
ing sedative before they d sent her on her fatal walk, to ensure
she d stay in place until I arrived. And now that I had, and was
nearly by her side, their flawless plan could continue to stage two.
Of anywhere on a frozen body of water, the ice is at its
thinnest near the centre. Where Simon was. Where I was about to [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl chiara76.opx.pl
Sometimes, I can t even remember exactly where I last hid it. But
something this morning had told me it was time to dig it out. I d
stuck it in the van before leaving for my meeting with Pranav. Just
in case. Only when things get extreme as they just had do I
actually pull out the firepower. But, I would not hesitate to use it.
I wasn t going to take any chance of being out-gunned when it
came to protecting my loved ones.
As I approached the turn off the highway, I moved on to
prayer.
I made the right turn and was faced with a fork in the road.
The one to the right led to the house. The one to the left circled
around the heavily treed hill and ended up in a small clearing
next to the large pond. That s where I was headed.
Less than two minutes later, I jerked to a halt in the makeshift
parking lot. From here, Ash House was completely invisible. I was
glad. The elderly residents did not need to witness whatever was
about to go down.
I searched the area. Even through my dark glasses, the sun
was blindingly bright against an immaculately white landscape.
The ground, covered with a fresh layer of snow, was unsullied,
except for the bluffs of trees that rose from a colourless earth.
I yanked on my gloves and grabbed the gun.
Slowly I swung open the door of the van. I stepped out, the
soles of my Sorels crunching as they hit the ground, like stepping
into a crme brle world made of snow and ice.
From inside the vehicle the day had seemed all bright and
sunny, with a sky of flawless blue. But outside, God it was cold. A
north wind added to the misery. But I didn t dare flip on my ear-
muffs. I wanted to hear every tick and boo and heartbeat.
I stepped forward and studied my surroundings.
There was no other vehicle in sight.
224
F639BE36-0B80-4264-BA79-F0E13F235E3A
A n t h o n y B i d u l k a
Hema was nowhere to be seen.
The only obvious hiding place was in the bushes. Was she in
there sheltering from the wind and cold? Did she expect me to go
in after her? Where was she? Why call me here, then not show up?
My eyes swept across the field of white to the pond.
At the exact centre of the body of water s frozen surface, I saw
it.
My breathing stopped.
Every bit of air in my body was replaced with burning rage.
225
F639BE36-0B80-4264-BA79-F0E13F235E3A
Chapter 17
Until recently, it had been a mild winter. So mild, in fact, that
Ethan and Jared had so far resisted taking the Ash House resi-
dents skating on the pond. They were waiting until they were
confident the ice was thick enough to support them without fear
of cracks or breaks.
Someone had decided to wait no longer.
In the dead centre of the pond was some kind of object. From
where I was standing, next to the van, the sun s glare obfuscating
detail, it looked to be nothing more than a big, dark lump. But
there are no lumps in the middle of a frozen-over pond.
Something was not right here. I whipped off my sunglasses and
peered at the thing, all the while quick-stepping to the frozen
water s edge.
And then I was horribly sure. This wasn t some unlucky wild
animal, a deer, or perhaps a large coyote or wolf. It was a person.
Simon!
She was lying in a crumpled heap. And worse, she was wear-
226
F639BE36-0B80-4264-BA79-F0E13F235E3A
A n t h o n y B i d u l k a
ing only a light jersey and sweatpants, as if she d just stepped out-
side to get the mail or something. The girl was going to freeze to
death if I didn t get to her immediately.
Simon! I called out to her, my voice ragged with fear and
anger, both exploding in me like competing poisonous mushroom
clouds. Simon! Can you hear me?
Was she unconscious? It was the only option my brain would
allow.
There was no time to figure it out. Any of it. Least of all, why
Ethan s thirteen-year-old daughter was lying inappropriately
clothed in the middle of Ash House pond. But I did know how. I
could see a narrow path of tiny footsteps, drawn in the dusting of
snow that covered the pond from last night s storm.
Gingerly I took a first step onto the ice.
Simon seemed secure enough where she was. The ice was
holding her up just fine. Then again, I had a good eighty or nine-
ty pounds on her.
Slowly I inched my way down the same path, ears cocked for
the telltale sound of weakening ice.
By the minimal disturbance of the snow, I could tell there was
only one set of tracks. Simon had walked out here on her own.
Why would she do that? Did she have no choice? How did they
force her? Who could do such a thing to a child? My anger surged
forward, as did I.
Forward.
Forward.
Forward.
Then, a sickening sound.
Crackle.
My stomach turned to stone. My cheeks flared red. My brain
screamed in silence.
I stopped. Perfectly still. Holding my breath.
The sound had been slight, but definite.
I tried to remember everything I d ever learned, or seen on TV,
or in movies, about being on ice.
Moving as slowly as I could, I lowered myself down, down,
down, until finally, I was flat on my stomach on the ice.
227
F639BE36-0B80-4264-BA79-F0E13F235E3A
D a t e w i t h a S h e e s h a
Simon? I tried again. Honey? Can you hear me?
No response.
I had to get to her.
Using a shimmying motion, I once again began to move
towards the motionless girl.
Forward.
Forward.
Crack!
My head popped up like a gopher from his hole. I looked
around. Nothing. No spiderweb of death forming beneath me. No
shaking of the icy platform below me. No seep of glacial water
inching up my pant legs.
Crack!
What the& ? There was something strange about the sound.
It was different. It wasn t coming from below or around me. It
was coming from higher up. Behind me.
Crack!
Oh god. It wasn t the ice cracking. It was something much
worse.
Gunfire.
Part of me wasn t surprised. Hema Gupta didn t text me a
threat against my family just for fun. She was a madwoman.
Likely she was working with others. They d lured me out here,
onto this frozen pond s dangerous surface, for a reason. They
knew I would try to rescue Simon, no matter how risky the situa-
tion might be. And they were right. I could never allow anyone to
stay out here, abandoned on the ice in a killing cold. No one
deserved such a fate. But now, I knew in the aching pit of my
heavy stomach, this doom& was meant for two.
And I knew one more thing.
They weren t shooting at me.
Or even at Simon.
In a way, the plan was ingenious. A perfect murder. Whoever
the shooters were, they had likely forced Simon to walk out onto
the lake under threat of death. Of course, she must have known
an unhappy ending was coming for her anyway she couldn t
imagine she d last long without layers of warm clothing in this
228
F639BE36-0B80-4264-BA79-F0E13F235E3A
A n t h o n y B i d u l k a
extreme cold. She d have no idea what was going on, why these
people were doing this terrible thing to her. Still, she would have
had hope. Simon was a strong-willed girl. She was a fighter. She
would have believed she d find a way out of this, or that help
would arrive in time from her dad& from me? So she did it. She
walked out to the centre of the ice to await what happened next.
With hope.
Watching her quiet, still body, as I once again began my migra-
tion towards her, my mind began to creep into deep, dark corners
I did not want to visit. Was Simon& okay? Had her hope her
trust in those who were supposed to be protecting her been for
nothing? What about Ethan? I felt the molten sting of icy tears
burn into my cheeks as I came closer to the curled up form.
Simon would have cuddled up into a fetal circle, trying to pre-
serve warmth. Or maybe, mercifully, they d given her a fast-act-
ing sedative before they d sent her on her fatal walk, to ensure
she d stay in place until I arrived. And now that I had, and was
nearly by her side, their flawless plan could continue to stage two.
Of anywhere on a frozen body of water, the ice is at its
thinnest near the centre. Where Simon was. Where I was about to [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]