Shadow Man

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Book: Read Shadow Man for Free Online
Authors: Cynthia D. Grant
die.
    Well I’ve gone way over my limit lots of words this time so next time I don’t have to write so many right?
    SHADOW MAN
    Gabe :
    Wrong. Keep up the good work. You’re doing beautifully! P.S. I think it’s great that you’re speaking up for Manuel. The other kids look up to you, Gabe. They really do. Set them a good example .
    C.S .

16
    Jennie Harding
    It is so quiet here. There is no sound. Even the waves are silent; as if I were lying on the bottom of the ocean, the water above me as blue as the sky, the gulls flashing by like fish.
    I am suspended in stillness, on the crest of the wave, in the breathless hush just before the wish. I have pushed back the world. I have made a safe place for my baby and me.
    If I try very hard and hold my mind tight, I can keep out the terrible pictures: the crying faces, the open mouths. The sea is motionless. Time is my prisoner. I have carved out a moment that does not exist; it’s now and no tomorrow.
    And I see my lover, rising like the sun, then bending to kiss me, his breath a warm breeze, his blue eyes deep enough to drown my fear.
    The rock is hot, but the water is cool. I dangle my toes. Waves come nibbling like fish. I feel Gabriel pressing kisses on my lips, his tongue as sweet as chocolate.
    Put your hands on my belly. Can you feel the baby, swimming in the dark like a minnow? We don’t even know who’s in there, you said. Yes, we do, I said; it’s you and me.
    The walls of my mind are stretching, shrieking. Hold on tight. Got to hold on tight. Imagine Gabriel’s face above me. Inches away. He is kissing my throat.
    I have to use all my strength to hold this moment in place, to make a space for Gabriel and the baby and me. Together forever. I can’t keep out the sound. The roaring and pounding. Gabe is slipping away. Don’t leave me !
    Clouds are gathering. Waves are crashing. The storm is coming. Can you hear the thunder? My God, it sounds like Gabriel’s truck, hitting and hitting and hitting that tree, over and over, until nothing is left.
    Not even me.

17
    Joey Hammer
    I ran into Franny coming out of the liquor store. He looked terrible.
    â€œHow you doing?” I asked, a stupid question. But what was there to say?
    â€œPretty bad.” He looked at me sideways. That’s his way.
    â€œI’m awful sorry about Gabe,” I said. Franny cracked open a fresh pack of Salems. He might’ve bought a bottle too, but that’s his business. What’s the point of staying sober now? So he can tell how bad he’s feeling?
    People are saying this is a punishment from God, for all of Franny’s sins.
    The hell it is. Fran’s been punished enough. Anyhow, God wouldn’t use Gabe that way. Gabe’s just a kid, he didn’t do nothing wrong.
    â€œHow’s Katherine taking it?” We were standing outside, leaning against the wall by the newspaper racks.
    â€œNot too good,” Franny said. “The minister just left. She wouldn’t talk to him.”
    â€œShe must be pretty upset.”
    â€œShe hasn’t said one word since she saw Gabe this morning.” Fran’s face was the color of the newspapers.
    â€œThere anything I can do?” I started to reach out my hand, but he’s not the kind of guy you touch.
    He shook his head. “Gabe’s girlfriend took off. Nobody’s seen her all morning. Her father called the house. He’s been looking. Guess I’ll drive around and keep my eyes open.”
    â€œWhat about Katherine?”
    â€œShe wants to be alone. Anyway, David’s there with her.”
    â€œYou want some company?”
    â€œNo,” he said. “I mean, thanks anyway.”
    â€œMaybe I’ll drive around too,” I told him. “Did she and Gabe have a place they liked to go, someplace in particular?”
    â€œNot that I know of.” He rubbed his eyes. Franny looked like he hadn’t slept in a week and might

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