Read Quicksand for Free Online
Authors: Iris Johansen
call."
"I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING about Kistle's background," Joe said impatiently. "I told you, I traced him by his cell phone he bought in Detroit. If I knew any of his friends or family, I'd be on my way to see them, since you lost the bastard."
"We'll get him back. Why did Kistle call Eve Duncan?"
"My number was the last number on the sheriff's phone."
"But he talked to her. She said he was taunting her, telling her he could never be caught."
"How could I know anything about that? When I call her, I'll ask what he said." And he needed to make that call right now. Find a way to skip over the unessential questions and give the sheriff a quick summary. "Look, the reason that we're after Kistle isn't only that he may be a child killer. He could have killed Eve Duncan's child, Bonnie. That makes it very personal. If he did call to taunt Eve, it may mean that he's the one we're searching for."
"It wasn't hard to figure out that it was personal after we read the report on you. You may be in luck," Dodsworth said. "Because we're not going to let him slip away from us." He parked in front of the sheriff's office. "Now come inside and sign a statement and we'll—"
"No way. I'll do it later. I told you that—"
The deputy's radio blared out. "Charlie. Where are you, Charlie?"
"Dodsworth," he answered. "Have you got him, Pete?"
"No. God, Charlie. It's bad here. You gotta come and—"
"What the hell is going on?"
"Bill Parks and Lenny Brewster. They're dead, Charlie. Shot."
"Kistle?"
"I guess so. You gotta come and see them."
"I'm on my way." Dodsworth was backing out of the parking space. "I should be there in ten minutes."
"Where are we going?" Joe asked.
"Clayborne Forest." Dodsworth pressed the accelerator and put on the siren. "That was Pete Shaw, a deputy, on the radio. Parks and Brewster were in the posse tracking down Kistle." THE PATROL CAR WAS MET at the edge of the forest by a lanky young deputy whose face was pale enough to show the freckles scattered on his thin cheeks. "They're dead, Charlie. I was talking to them ten minutes before we found them. We split up, but there were two of them and—"
"Take it easy, Pete." Dodsworth got out of the car. "You did the right thing. Where are they?"
"Still at the bog. I called the medical examiner and told him to come take a look."
"Take me there." He glanced at Joe. "Coming?"
Joe was already out of the car and shedding his jacket. "You bet I am." He threw the jacket on the hood of the car. "Let's get out there."
"Pete Shaw, Joe Quinn," Dodsworth said. "He's Atlanta PD, Pete." But the young deputy was already yards away in the brush ahead of them.
The forest itself was pitch-black, but Joe could see beams of flashlights dotting the darkness as he moved after Dodsworth. "How big is this forest?"
"Over a thousand acres."
"And how many men do you have out here?"
"Twenty, maybe twenty-five. We had a lot of volunteers. Everyone liked Jim Jedroth." Eager young men like this Pete Shaw who wanted to catch the monster and had no idea what they were up against, Joe thought. "The victims were shot in the bog?"
"We think so." Pete had stopped to wait for them. "But we found them on the bank. It's ugly, Charlie." He pulled aside a bush to reveal an area lit by lanterns and teeming with men, some in uniform and some in camouflage hunting garb. "I don't understand why— See for yourself."
"God," Dodsworth murmured. "What did he do to them?" The two dead men were propped up against a tree. Their eyes were wide open and staring into nothingness.
"Bill was shot in the head. Lenny has a bullet wound in his throat," Pete said. "But after he killed them he set them up like that and pounded short wooden stakes through their hearts. It looked like he was using them to fasten those messages on their chests." He swallowed hard.
"Son of a bitch."
Joe could see the scraps of notebook paper, but they were stained with blood and he was too far away to read what they said. He had to
"I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING about Kistle's background," Joe said impatiently. "I told you, I traced him by his cell phone he bought in Detroit. If I knew any of his friends or family, I'd be on my way to see them, since you lost the bastard."
"We'll get him back. Why did Kistle call Eve Duncan?"
"My number was the last number on the sheriff's phone."
"But he talked to her. She said he was taunting her, telling her he could never be caught."
"How could I know anything about that? When I call her, I'll ask what he said." And he needed to make that call right now. Find a way to skip over the unessential questions and give the sheriff a quick summary. "Look, the reason that we're after Kistle isn't only that he may be a child killer. He could have killed Eve Duncan's child, Bonnie. That makes it very personal. If he did call to taunt Eve, it may mean that he's the one we're searching for."
"It wasn't hard to figure out that it was personal after we read the report on you. You may be in luck," Dodsworth said. "Because we're not going to let him slip away from us." He parked in front of the sheriff's office. "Now come inside and sign a statement and we'll—"
"No way. I'll do it later. I told you that—"
The deputy's radio blared out. "Charlie. Where are you, Charlie?"
"Dodsworth," he answered. "Have you got him, Pete?"
"No. God, Charlie. It's bad here. You gotta come and—"
"What the hell is going on?"
"Bill Parks and Lenny Brewster. They're dead, Charlie. Shot."
"Kistle?"
"I guess so. You gotta come and see them."
"I'm on my way." Dodsworth was backing out of the parking space. "I should be there in ten minutes."
"Where are we going?" Joe asked.
"Clayborne Forest." Dodsworth pressed the accelerator and put on the siren. "That was Pete Shaw, a deputy, on the radio. Parks and Brewster were in the posse tracking down Kistle." THE PATROL CAR WAS MET at the edge of the forest by a lanky young deputy whose face was pale enough to show the freckles scattered on his thin cheeks. "They're dead, Charlie. I was talking to them ten minutes before we found them. We split up, but there were two of them and—"
"Take it easy, Pete." Dodsworth got out of the car. "You did the right thing. Where are they?"
"Still at the bog. I called the medical examiner and told him to come take a look."
"Take me there." He glanced at Joe. "Coming?"
Joe was already out of the car and shedding his jacket. "You bet I am." He threw the jacket on the hood of the car. "Let's get out there."
"Pete Shaw, Joe Quinn," Dodsworth said. "He's Atlanta PD, Pete." But the young deputy was already yards away in the brush ahead of them.
The forest itself was pitch-black, but Joe could see beams of flashlights dotting the darkness as he moved after Dodsworth. "How big is this forest?"
"Over a thousand acres."
"And how many men do you have out here?"
"Twenty, maybe twenty-five. We had a lot of volunteers. Everyone liked Jim Jedroth." Eager young men like this Pete Shaw who wanted to catch the monster and had no idea what they were up against, Joe thought. "The victims were shot in the bog?"
"We think so." Pete had stopped to wait for them. "But we found them on the bank. It's ugly, Charlie." He pulled aside a bush to reveal an area lit by lanterns and teeming with men, some in uniform and some in camouflage hunting garb. "I don't understand why— See for yourself."
"God," Dodsworth murmured. "What did he do to them?" The two dead men were propped up against a tree. Their eyes were wide open and staring into nothingness.
"Bill was shot in the head. Lenny has a bullet wound in his throat," Pete said. "But after he killed them he set them up like that and pounded short wooden stakes through their hearts. It looked like he was using them to fasten those messages on their chests." He swallowed hard.
"Son of a bitch."
Joe could see the scraps of notebook paper, but they were stained with blood and he was too far away to read what they said. He had to
Similar Books
Hip Deep in Dragons
Christina Westcott
The Stand Off
Z. Stefani
Kabbalah
Joseph Dan
Death Tidies Up
Barbara Colley
Probability Sun
Nancy Kress
The Silencers
Donald Hamilton
Somewhere Montana
MJ Platt
The Mark of the Dragonfly
Jaleigh Johnson
