Read Ark of Fire for Free Online

wooden staircase. That was followed of the slamming of several doors. Then he stomped back down the stairs. She wasn’t sure, but she thought she heard the back door open. All the while, the killer stood sentry beside the Crown Vic.
    A few moments later, the cop emerged from the house, stepping onto the porch.
    “She hasn’t been here,” he announced to his partner, who joined him on the porch. As they stood side by side, Edie could see that the two men were near equal in height, giants the both of them.
    “You certain?”
    The cop nodded. “Nothing’s been touched in the bathroom. I can’t imagine a chick hitting the road without her electric razor and makeup bag.”
    “Fuck! Where the hell is she?”
    “Dunno. According to the background search, she has no living relatives and there doesn’t appear to be a significant other in the picture.”
    Edie tightened her hold on the velvet drapery panel, disbelieving what she’d just heard.
    They’d done a background check on her. They knew all about her. Her friends. Her family. Or lack thereof. Everything. They held all the cards and she . . . she was about to pee her pants.
    Even if she hid out in Garrett’s house—and the thought was awfully tempting—she figured that sooner or later they’d come banging on his front door. Not having a key, they’d probably kick it in when no one answered.
    “Where the fuck is she?” the killer again snarled.
    “Don’t worry. We’ll find her. Without a wallet, she’s not going to get very far.”
    “Don’t be so sure. She got out of the museum, didn’t she?”
    Smirking, the cop said, “Hey, don’t blame me. As I recall, that happened on your watch, not mine.”
    The killer countered with a glare. Of the two men, he was definitely the more frightening. “You’ve got the first watch. I want to know the second the bitch shows up,” he growled before stomping down the steps. The cop, relegated to guard duty, stayed behind on the porch.
    Moments later, seeing the plume of white smoke emitted from the Crown Vic’s tailpipe, Edie let go of the drapery panel.
    Time had suddenly become a precious commodity. She rushed into the kitchen, threw open a cabinet door, and grabbed a roasting pan off the shelf. Filling it with dry cat kibble, she placed it on the floor. She then removed a large mixing bowl from the same cabinet, filled it with tap water, and placed it beside the food. She figured it would do until Garrett returned at week’s end.
    As she locked the back door behind her, she prayed that Garrett had filled the tank in his Jeep before leaving for Chicago. Along with the keys to his house, she had the keys to his wheels. And those wheels were her ticket out of town.
    Unlocking the driver’s-side door of Garrett’s black Jeep Wrangler, she slid behind the steering column. As she did, she slung her canvas tote bag onto the passenger seat. Seeing the big wet spot from the melting box of spinach, she was hit with an onslaught of memories. Of leaving in the middle of the night to escape the landlord. The bill collector. The abusive boyfriend. The junkie in need of a fix. On any given day, those were the bit players in her mother’s poorly acted psycho drama.
    As if she’d just been dunked in a cold tank of water, the memories crashed in on her. Thirty years had come and gone, and she was still that scared little girl huddled in the backseat of her mother’s old Buick Le Sabre.
    Her hands violently shaking, Edie stared at the steering wheel. She tried to put the key in the ignition, but couldn’t; the metal key repeatedly slid off the steering column. She didn’t know how to deal with the fear then. She couldn’t deal with it now.
    Breathe, Edie, breathe. In and out. Long, slow, deep breaths. It won’t conquer the fear, but it will mask it. Just enough so you can put the key in the ignition switch and start the vehicle.
    A lost soul, she obeyed the voice in her head. Breathing deeply, she told herself that she