Long Gone Man Read Online Free

Johnny alive?”
    Lauren lifted her arm and studied her watch. “Almost two hours ago, around eleven thirty.”
    â€œSo, tell me where you really were.”
    â€œExcuse me? What business is it of yours?”
    â€œLook at it this way, if there’s just you and me here with a dead body, which one of us did it?”
    â€œIt wasn’t me,” Lauren whispered. Her eyes went to the gun. “I didn’t kill John, so that leaves you.”
    Singer laughed. “And it wasn’t me, that’s for sure. So who was it?”
    Lauren’s forehead wrinkled. “I don’t know. I didn’t hear a thing.”
    â€œHow could you not hear a gun being fired?”
    Lauren’s eyes shifted. “I was in my room with the TV on. Loud.”
    â€œIf you can’t lie better than that, we’re in big trouble.”
    â€œWhat do you mean ‘we’?”
    â€œYou weren’t in the house, were you?”
    Lauren’s jaw hardened and her chin went up.
    Singer raised a hand to stop Lauren speaking. “You were outside with the dog. I heard it bark, thought it was the hound of the Baskervilles.” Singer laughed at her fear. “And your hair’s still wet from the fog. You were out there for a while.”
    â€œSo, Sherlock, tell it to the Mounties.”
    â€œMounties? What have the Mounties got to do with anything?”
    â€œThe Royal Canadian Mounted Police are in charge on the islands. When they get here you just tell them I was outside when Johnny was killed. That’s an alibi. We can alibi each other.”
    â€œThey’ll want to know what took you out in this weather and who you were with.”
    â€œI was walking the dog.”
    â€œI didn’t meet any cars. So he’s still up here someplace.”
    â€œWho is?”
    â€œThe guy you were meeting,” Singer said. “The guy you’re protecting.”

Seven
    â€œYou’re only guessing.”
    â€œAnd that’s what the Mounties will do too.”
    â€œI’m alone here.”
    â€œAw, but when you opened the door, you thought you knew who you’d see. It must have been quite a shock to see me there. So who were you expecting?”
    Lauren pointed her finger at Singer. “Maybe you killed John and then went outside. When I came in the room you knocked, pretending you had just arrived. That’s it, isn’t it?”
    â€œPossible. Or maybe I just have really bad timing. What do you think? Did Johnny let me in, or did I just walk in?”
    â€œIt works either way; the doors are never locked. How do I know you didn’t kill him?”
    â€œThe same way I know you didn’t.”
    â€œAnd that is?”
    Singer smiled. “Because you have an honest face.”
    Lauren gave a bark of laughter. “You aren’t fooling me. By giving me an alibi, you give yourself one. You don’t want the Mounties digging around anymore than I do. So what have you got to hide?”
    â€œI’m just trying to save myself some hassle and the cops a little time. That’s all. If they suspect us, they won’t dig any deeper for Johnny’s killer. Might just as well start them off right.”
    â€œVery public spirited of you.” Lauren folded her arms. “Just why are you here anyway?”
    â€œJohnny invited me. I called him a few days ago, said I was heading in this direction and I’d like to talk about old times.”
    â€œHe didn’t say anything to me.”
    â€œSlipped his mind I guess. He just told me to come ahead.”
    â€œI doubt that.”
    â€œWell to be honest I was hoping to hit him up for a few bucks for old times’ sake. That’s why I’m here.”
    â€œSo out of nowhere, after how many years, you just show up?”
    â€œYup.”
    â€œHe never mentioned you. When did you last see him?”
    â€œTwenty years ago, back in the seventies, like I said