Takedown Read Online Free

passenger who owned the vehicle, harboring staggeringly high levels of blood-alcohol content,
     would likely mean Krogan’s fingerprints were on the steering wheel and a small lobster-claw roach clip was in the ashtray.
    “Things are never as bad as they seem at first,” Gavin said to Amy calmly.
    Amy smiled weakly. “I know you don’t believe that. Not when it comes to this.”
    Not true. But Gavin took the moment to do the math on his priorities. Whether or not Amy’s fears were real or imagined, she
     needed for him to go see Buck. Life had been so good for the last two years, she probably felt that a heavy weight of tragedy
     was about to balance the scales. And the last thing he wanted was for his beautiful, pregnant wife to be under any unnecessary
     stress with her due date so—
    “Gavin? What are you thinking?”
    “Huh? Nothing.”
    “Well, we should visit him,” Amy said, her voice not betraying her fear.
    “No, I’ll go. You said Delhi Hospital?” Gavin asked, taking off his tool belt.
    “Yes… about six or seven miles north of Samantha’s.”
    “You’re leaving?” Chris said incredulously.
    “Sorry. Amy’s right. At least one of us should see him.”
    “I’ll go,” Amy offered. “You stay with Chris.”
    “No. It’s too far.”
And you’ll believe everything Buck tells you and be a basket case when the baby’s born,
he thought. “Besides, you’ve been busy all day. Too busy.” He gently touched her belly.
    Amy looked at Chris. “You know, I never used to get this kind of pampering before I was pregnant. Sometimes I think he cares
     more about the baby than me.”
    “Nice try, Amy, but you’re staying here,” Gavin insisted calmly, although inwardly shaken by her comment.
    “What’s Samantha’s?” Chris asked.
    “Samantha’s Dairy Farm,” Amy replied. “That’s where Buck lives. In Hamden.”
    Chris frowned. “That’s… four hours from here.”
    “I’ll do it in three with the Tiger,” Gavin said, speaking more to himself than to Chris.
    “I don’t get it. What’s the hurry? He’s in a hospital. I mean, I’ve never heard you even talk about him before,” Chris said.
     He hammered a single nail into a stud, took off his tool belt, and hung it up. An obvious sunburn line striped his shoulders
     where his suspenders had been.
    “He showed up for us, Chris. We should be there for him.” Gavin hoped his friend would be satisfied with that excuse.
    He wasn’t. Chris now wore his skeptical detective face. “Gav, I don’t really get it. But look, we’ve been bustin’ our butts
     here. Let’s take showers, have a bite to eat, and I’ll ride up there with you. We can—”
    “
No.
I mean… no thanks. Your wife’s going to be jealous for your time as it is, and I need you to help me here tomorrow.”
    Chris nodded suspiciously. “Yeah, right. Okay, you win. I’ll put in another hour or two after lunch, and by the end of tomorrow
     we should have most of the shell wrapped up.”
    Gavin stopped, not liking the idea of Chris working without his help.
    “Go on, get out of here.” Chris waved Gavin on. “I get more done with you not getting in my way anyway.”
    Gavin turned the ignition key and hoped. The Sunbeam Tiger cranked and cranked. He pumped the gas pedal and tried again. The
     engine started with a throaty rumble, then settled into a deep purr.
    As he backed out of his driveway, he paused for a moment to take in the new shape of his home. It looked just the way Amy
     had sketched it out for the architect. The project would be a good diversion from this sudden crisis with Buck. The reality
     was that someday the old man was going to die, whether now or five, tenyears from now. He was not going to allow his wife to live the rest of her life in fear of that day, based on one man’s religious
     theories, and he certainly was not going to let it affect his new and growing family.
    The sudden sound of a circular saw cutting through new lumber broke into