Edge of the Heat 5 Read Free Page B

was around. Nothing was moving.
    Breath tearing in and out of his lungs, he ran for the parking lot.
    It was late. Probably close to midnight. And this was a quiet, small apartment building. If he found a car pulling out of a stall, he gave it better than 50% odds it would be who he was looking for. But he didn’t see anything moving. No taillights flashed. No car doors banged. Everything was quite.
    Damn! He almost kicked the closest car in frustration. He had left the door to the apartment open, he was sure of it. So that meant someone had been in there when he got there. How could they have gotten away so quickly, quietly, and cleanly?
    Unless ...
    A scary idea bloomed in Jerry’s mind. What if it had been a neighbor ? Suddenly it seemed as if his heart had stopped beating. But why?
    Why not?
    Jerry racked his brain, trying to think of what to do now. He wasn’t a cop. But what if what he did in the next few minutes meant the difference between life and death for Sara? He turned in a circle, feeling completely helpless. Should he look in all the cars to see if anyone was hiding in one? Should he knock on the neighbor’s doors? Should he look for tracks on the back lawn? A dozen possibilities occurred to him, all of which seemed to be equally important. He whipped his phone out of his pocket and punched in Craig’s number. It would take a few minutes to explain to Craig what was going on, but Craig could then tell him what was the best thing for him to do next. While he talked he could walk up and down the rows of cars and peek inside them.
    As he dialed, lights splashed on the street in front of him and the sound of a car filled his ears. It was a police car, pulling into the parking lot. Relief bloomed in his belly, making him feel shaky. He pressed end on his phone and slipped it back in his pocket. The cops were here and they would know what to do. At least that’s what he thought at the time.

Chapter 3
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    J erry stood in the living room of Sara’s apartment, his hands fisted at his sides and his jaw locked tight. He couldn’t believe that an hour ago he had thought that the police officers showing up meant everything was OK. As he watched Officer Blalock dust for fingerprints and Officer Ferris take pictures he heard his teeth grind together. He tried to relax his jaw but as soon as he did, he lost what little control he had. He started saying out loud the thoughts that were scraping his brain raw.
    “So this is it? This is all you guys are going to do? Take fingerprints and pictures?”
    Officer Blalock turned around, his thick neck scraping his collar.
    “What do you think we should be doing, Mr. Mansko?”
    That Mr. Mansko burned Jerry up a little. He had been friendly with Blalock years ago when he’d seen him on calls, but ever since the incident in which Norman Foster had shot him and tried to run him over, and he had shot Norman back, too many of the cops suddenly snubbed Jerry, or pretended not to know him. Jerry didn’t understand this at all. Foster had been a dirty cop, for God’s sake. He was a disgrace! Idly, Jerry wondered if Blalock had been friends with Foster.
    “You should be out looking for Sara!” Jerry practically yelled.
    “Oh yeah, where should we look for her?” Blalock asked contemptuously.
    Jerry squeezed his hands tighter still, trying to keep a lid on his anger. “You could start by looking around the apartment building. What if somebody dragged her off when I got here? What if she fought them and there’s sign somewhere outside?”
    “It doesn’t sound to me like she was here when this happened.” He gestured to the bloody walls and the couch. “Otherwise, why would they do it? You don’t leave a message for someone who is right in front of you.”
    “I know, but what if she walked in on them. I told you that someone was here when I got here! Your assumption could be getting her killed right now!”
    Blalock shrugged. “Look, we’re doing