Heather Gudenkauf

One Breath Away


Скачать книгу

make soft, impatient sounds until McKinney glares at me.

      Gail snuffles loudly. “No, no. I’m not hurt.”

      “Let’s get you warmed up and then you can tell us what’s going on.” He leads her to a squad car with an idling engine, opens the door and gently guides her into the passenger’s seat. The chief climbs into the driver’s side and I settle into the backseat. For a moment the only sound is Gail’s soft cries and shivers. Chief McKinney fiddles with the heat and a whoosh of warm air floods the car.

      “Gail,” I say through the partition that separates the front and back seats, “I know how difficult this must be for you. How terrified you must be.” I look at the chief and he nods for me to continue. “We need to know just three things right now, then we can take you wherever you want to go. Okay?” She bobs her head up and down and presses her fingers to her eyelids. “First, is anyone injured inside?”

      Her chin wobbles. “I don’t know,” she says in a small voice. “I don’t know. He went off down the hallway and then he was gone.”

      “One intruder, Gail? Did you know him? Is that what you are saying? There was just one person? Young or old?” I ask, thinking of Dorothy Jones’s son, Blake.

      Gail closes her eyes and shakes her head as if trying to conjure up an image. “I didn’t recognize him. It was a man, just one. Forties maybe,” she says in a whisper.

      Chief McKinney and I look at each other in relief. At least we can assure Dorothy that her son isn’t the intruder and encourage her to get him the help he needs and fast.

      “I saw him come in,” Gail cries. “Oh, God, he walked right by the office window. He had on a tool belt. I thought he was going to work on the boiler—the thing is always breaking down and it’s so cold today. I didn’t even give it a second thought. He just walked right on by. Gave me a little wave.” A fresh round of sobs erupts and the chief pats her on the knee. “I should have noticed that he wasn’t dressed like a maintenance man. He was wearing dress shoes. Not work boots.” She pulls her hands from her eyes and her fingers are smudged with mascara. “Can I call my husband? Please?”

      Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

      Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

      Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

      Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAgEAYABgAAD/4RKSRXhpZgAATU0AKgAAAAgABwESAAMAAAABAAEAAAEaAAUA AAABAAAAYgEbAAUAAAABAAAAagEoAAMAAAABAAIAAAExAAIAAAAUAAAAcgEyAAIAAAAUAAAAhodp AAQAAAABAAAAnAAAAMgAAABgAAAAAQAAAGAAAAABQWRvYmUgUGhvdG9zaG9wIDcuMAAyMDEyOjA2 OjAyIDAyOjE4OjIyAAAAAAOgAQADAAAAAf//AACgAgAEAAAAAQAAAfSgAwAEAAAAAQAAAxcAAAAA AAAABgEDAAMAAAABAAYAAAEaAAUAAAABAAABFgEbAAUAAAABAAABHgEoAAMAAAABAAIAAAIBAAQA AAABAAABJgICAAQAAAABAAARZAAAAAAAAABIAAAAAQAAAEgAAAAB/9j/4AAQSkZJRgABAgEASABI AAD/7QAMQWRvYmVfQ00AAv/uAA5BZG9iZQBkgAAAAAH/2wCEAAwICAgJCAwJCQwRCwoLERUPDAwP FRgTExUTExgRDAwMDAwMEQwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwBDQsLDQ4NEA4OEBQO Dg4UFA4ODg4UEQwMDAwMEREMDAwMDAwRDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDAwMDP/AABEI AIAAUQMBIgACEQEDEQH/3QAEAAb/xAE/AAABBQEBAQEBAQAAAAAAAAADAAECBAUGBwgJCgsBAAEF AQEBAQEBAAAAAAAAAAEAAgMEBQYHCAkKCxAAAQQBAwIEAgUHBggFAwwzAQACEQMEIRIxBUFRYRMi cYEyBhSRobFCIyQVUsFiMzRygtFDByWSU/Dh8WNzNRaisoMmRJNUZEXCo3Q2F9JV4mXys4TD03Xj 80YnlKSFtJXE1OT0pbXF1eX1VmZ2hpamtsbW5vY3R1dnd4eXp7fH1+f3EQACAgECBAQDBAUGBwcG BTUBAAIRAyExEgRBUWFxIhMFMoGRFKGxQiPBUtHwMyRi4XKCkkNTFWNzNPElBhaisoMHJjXC0kST VKMXZEVVNnRl4vKzhMPTdePzRpSkhbSVxNTk9KW1xdXl9VZmdoaWprbG1ub2JzdHV2d3h5ent8f/ 2gAMAwEAAhEDEQA/AOZx8CwkQVsY3TLSzVyuYeDBnSAtejHaANQpjokycino1j3jc47RyB3Cu1/V vcdwsLRP0RwArby8DqJbYB6VTC3V0tPpud+i2uG1aM0t6o+t97GVCmt4DnuGpOV6jq2N/R2exjPW 3/8ABphJC7hNXfTi/CMv/Ujz1/1fbLyx+p0ALRoP3k1X1ZNgltrmk8gAQtuiuy219eQdvqMbl0Dd /g3AtNW6vZt+zubXur/4dNjseyjpljLTuyXsNm5ziDuxrXu3t3fR9RjHbP8ATIGZrdPCbIvb7NuJ yv8Am5ktaGC/cwGRLRKlX9W7fULzaIOgbt7rVsc70hNoEdRdU9xc9rAz9L7HPB3V0fQVq2z7L1A2 Mse3GoZh2W2tJc1rHnKbe91bh+kou20MyLPp0M/W/wDBJnHM7FcMRPX+XyuK36ndTfo2wNH7zhCv Yn1VysVz3vcy7cPo/wDkV0djyCZMgE+PAHKE57xAAMy0H/Uf9+TDOZ0tjoOR+xcv/Rt+5Jau/I/d H3JIerurR//QtseK6d7YaS6uve4aN9R7at5H8jereU449GX6dj/WpxX3Ma5rSAW7ttm7Y385vvqT 0Y9e0sc0Oa4Q5pEgg/muafpKzVTh4paANtl/6NjCXWOeGjca2MebHekzduf/AIJn+EU0t0wlEAWL IN7fN8uiS3dXkNYCRWKbXxp9JpqDH/8ATcgY2Xe2np9r7DY3LFbbq3Boh76jf69TmNZt2Or99f0P S/qKxjVYRrIxgNg/RPALi5uz2/ZyLDvp9Of5j2bEqun41IHpM27G7G6udtb+4z1HP2N/qppVxRAI q/MD+t/i/MiZnXjBzbi9wfWcgVOLWFgNT7WUva0e57q2Mb6nqfTU68x9uXVi2j0skFzcmgah0t/Q 3Uvd77Mex7fZ+f8A4G/9Il+y8ICwGoFtwcLG7ne7f7rJ93t9R309iuYGDUMluY8BzscHY5wkhzgG +3n6SjlVEpMokkCO/FWnDw6elf6vZdlrn022FluOXtfWWgGwG2yqrIBb/wBpqfS9Bvpf4b1ftP8A g0C3qeTfgdVyGPdTdi0vysM+ma3ei9jn4r4tlrnttx7fV9v6T9GinFxHAUGhobX6pY2XAtFx/Wfe Het+sTvfV6myzf76/wCbR6qKPVbeWND21mphM6V+2adv0X1fo2ex+9NuPZkM8fESI6dBQ0o/90mt dszGUMkMNF1h0aJIdSxr5jd+ja6z/jlW6fkZN/TMe65+2+6mqwusY0t3OYyxzqm17P0X0vZ7LEmV Y9A/RM2tIFLtxcSGD2+m11jnvbU3d7K6v0advoYrG0gCimloZWC7RoB2bW7i53s/6hNJW3HhoeGt NncfEf5x/vSVX1a/Fn3j+9JBH0f/0b9GY4R3U3XW/bqs1gBDaLMd7Jh0PfXe2xm72u91OyxiL1Tp ox+kZ1wOw1Y1z2vB2kFrHOa5rhHu3BBrqdTkW0+x9j78SoNLy6lgyazs9Oz+d9XdX6+RQ/8A0n6L +cU4IOo/l/LiWhi0ZJyrMh0xkZdVttbLC39DXR9jLbHMcz1H2+1/p/1P9GiYr87dScl7z6VVQAbY DD2Gz1/X/wC5Dcit1P7/AND/AAdn6RGa4trvttrrppxn21WWPsiLKnV1fzYa651Vz3u9P9H9D7P/ AKf9HKoes+tpDK2vOZXYJ1BxX+gNrmv9jnt/S/noGWm3h9iNUv2t+sCSFsyGYFbQSDaJ051CwuiV nIrZU+C+vGxLS9ri4uGRW53v3fn/AKL6f+EW3m3to0cfaxobA8YUGTcBdAEWSwea8Sr1bB9GRtaB J8gsyzr2MLa2Nm224zRTX