Running Blind Read Free Page B

circumstances were perfect; everything was falling into place, as if this opportunity was a gift. Rain kept a lot of people off the streets, and those who were out kept their heads down and their focus on their feet. It wasn’t a day for a leisurely stroll, for checking out the other pedestrians. And with the rain falling as it was and his hood up, even if someone did look his way they wouldn’t be able to see him well. No one would be able to give a description. Eyewitnesses were notoriously unreliable. And even if they did manage a vague description, he had his alibi.
    His stride was longer than hers, and while Carlin walked with purpose, so did he. He was right behind her, so close—closer than he’d been in months. A part of him wanted to look her in the eye as he pulled the trigger, wanted to make sure she knew that he had been the one to kill her, but the situation was what it was. He’d take what he’d been given. He’d offered Carlin Reed his devotion, and all he’d gotten in return had been insults and rejection. She deserved to die.
    Ah. She turned down a side street, and they had a long section of the sidewalk to themselves. Yes, a
gift
, that’s what this was. It was a near perfect opportunity that might never come again.
    He reached into his pocket and gripped the automatic. His pace fast and smooth, he closed the distance between them, his rubber-soled shoes silent on the wet sidewalk. When he was just a few feet from her, Brad pulled out the weapon, aimed, and fired, then immediately tucked the weapon back into his pocket.
    It was a good shot, but he’d known it would be. Hewas the best shot on the force. The bullet entered Carlin’s brain just an inch or two above the nape of her neck. Her body jerked and she dropped, facedown, onto the sidewalk. By his calculations, she’d been dead before she landed. The hole in the back of her red hood was neat; the view from the front would not be so clean, but he couldn’t stick around to turn her over to survey the damage. The gunshot had drawn attention from those few who were walking in the pouring rain, and at least one man was looking directly at him, but Brad didn’t think he’d seen the pistol. People—from the sidewalk, from the businesses along the way—ran between him and the man. He lost sight of the witness as he calmly walked away, confident that the rain and the hood and the excitement would make the eyewitness less than useful.
    The rain began to fall harder, steadier. Head down, Brad took long strides toward his car. It was his car, but the license plate on it wasn’t his; he’d taken the precaution of stealing one that morning off a junker that looked as if it hadn’t been cranked in years. He’d covered all the possibilities. He kept his hands in his pockets, his right hand on the pistol grip in case the man who’d seen him at the crime scene decided to do something stupid, like follow him. But no one came after him, and he got lost in the confusion. Sirens sounded in the distance—he needed to get in his car and on the road before streets were blocked. He had time. Not much, but he had time. Already his mind was working ahead. He’d dump both the coffee cup and the gun somewhere between Dallas and Houston. He’d also dispose of the stolen tag and reattach the right one. No one would ever be the wiser.
    He felt good. Lighter. Vindicated. Carlin was dead, and he was happy.
Dead
. It was her own fault. She washis, he’d laid claim to her, and she’d tried to run away. He’d missed her at first, but not now. What choice had he had? None. None at all.
    There was no reason to second guess himself. Carlin had gotten what she deserved. It was done.

Chapter One
    IO MONTHS LATER
    B ATTLE R IDGE , W YOMING , didn’t look like much. Carlin Reed pulled her faded red Subaru into a parking space in front of an empty store and looked around. There probably wouldn’t be any jobs here, but she’d ask around anyway. She’d found work in