Dead Asleep Read Free Page B

failed.” He eyed Sumner. “Are you the renter?”
    â€œI am. Can I go in? I don’t have much there, but my clothes are still hanging in the master bedroom.”
    â€œThe bedroom was untouched, but I doubt that you’ll want to keep your clothes once you smell them. Once the smoke gets in the fabric it’s almost impossible to remove. You’re welcome to see if you can salvage anything.”
    Sumner struck out around the snaking fire hoses and past the gaping hole of an entrance, reentering at the laundry room and taking the hallway to the bedroom. The smell of burnt fabric, scorched carpeting, and blackened drywall hung in the air. He went into the bedroom and winced when he saw the thick cloud of smoke that filled it. He opened the closet door, grabbed the sleeve of a jacket and brought it to his nose. The ashy scent was unmistakable. The fireman was right; he’d have to buy all new clothes. Sumner grabbed his tablet computer, removed the leather cover and tossed it into the garbage. He opened a drawer in the nearby chest and removed a small titanium case. He left everything else there, including his leather shaving kit. When he walked out, he saw Kemmer standing at the property’s edge.
    â€œYou’re welcome at the big house,” Kemmer said.
    Sumner was surprised. “Aren’t you worried that I’m the target?”
    Kemmer sighed. “Yes, but more worried that I am. You strike me as a useful type of guy to have around.”
    â€œWell thanks, but I’ll be moving on.” Sumner put the computer on the passenger seat of his car and slid behind the wheel. Kemmer leaned in, putting a hand on the open window ledge.
    â€œIf that blonde comes back this time, you listen to her.”
    Sumner smiled. “You bet I will.” On his way out he paused at the gate to pat Susie’s head when she ran up and put her massive paws on the door. “Thanks for the tip,” he said to the dog. Susie merely snuffled before dropping down again. Sumner continued along the twisting drive, using his brights to illuminate the dirt road and trees around him. At the base he stopped.
    The blonde woman’s body hung from a tree at the side of the road.

Chapter 4
    S umner threw the car into park and flung open the door. He ran up to the body. A dried trickle of blood came from a bullet hole in her temple. Her eyes were closed. He reached up to touch her bare calf. The body was cold. He hadn’t been gone from the casino that long. She must have been killed shortly after he left.
    An all encompassing anger started to bubble up from deep inside him. He stood there, staring at her. This was not the first time Sumner had encountered death, but the sight of the woman who had been so alive only a few minutes before now hanging from a tree, gone forever, outraged him. After a moment a beeping noise from the car invaded his consciousness. He returned and reached in to turn off the engine and pull the key out of the ignition.
    â€œSuch a waste.”
    Sumner looked up at a woman who stepped into the moonlight. She was dressed in black and wore a balaclava over her face. He felt adrenaline kick into his system but relaxed when he saw that she didn’t have a weapon. Her voice seemed familiar somehow, but he couldn’t place it.
    â€œDid you kill her?” he asked.
    The woman shook her head. “No. I only wish I’d been able to stop it. Forgive me for not revealing my name, but my cover hasn’t yet been blown and I can’t. Yours has, though, so you need to get away from St. Martin as fast as you can.”
    â€œI’m simply a tourist.”
    â€œNo you’re not, Mr. Sumner.” That stopped him in his tracks. His cover was well and truly blown.
    â€œWhy should I believe what you say?”
    â€œBanner asked me to collect you and take you to see him. Drive out and turn right. I have a red car parked on the other side of the gates.