Witness Pursuit Read Online Free Page B

pass by his boat at the Emerald Lake Pier. They were terrified of him, until the day he saved Izzy Bingham. No one knew Izzy couldn’t swim. After the save, the kids had changed their opinions of Mr. Gruner. He was just lonely, not mean.
    She had a feeling Shovel Man didn’t fall into that same category.
    A shiver snaked down her arms. She slipped into her jacket to get warm. The more agitated she appeared, the more her family would close ranks and suffocate her. She had to show them she was strong, healthy and capable, that she wasn’t that sick little girl anymore.
    The curtain slid open.
    â€œDid you find it?” she said, assuming it was Madeline.
    â€œI’m here to take you for a CT scan,” a male voice said.
    â€œOh, okay.”
    She opened her eyes, but he stood behind her as he pushed her bed out of the examining area.
    â€œI was hoping you were my cousin with my phone,” she said.
    â€œNope, sorry.”
    â€œHow long does a CT scan take?”
    â€œNot long.”
    She knew they wouldn’t find anything, but she couldn’t fault the doctor for being cautious. They entered the elevator, and he pressed the button for the bottom floor.
    â€œHow did you get injured?” he said.
    She glanced at the orderly, who wore a surgical mask. A surgical mask?
    â€œI’ve got a cold,” he said in explanation.
    Yet even behind the mask she recognized the thick eyebrows of the man who’d been carrying the shovel.
    The elevator doors closed.

THREE
    C assie was alone with the killer.
    A ball of fear rose in her chest.
    No, she wasn’t going to give up without a fight.
    She had nothing with which to defend herself, nor did she have her phone to call for help. But she was a smart woman and would use her best weapons: her wits and her words.
    She took a quick breath for strength. Wait, she remembered she had her emergency house keys in her side pocket. Locking herself out last month had become a blessing after all. She launched into chatter mode to distract him.
    â€œI can’t believe they want a CT scan,” she started. “I told them I didn’t hit my head. I can see just fine and I know my own name.”
    â€œSo what happened?”
    â€œI’m a klutz. I fell off a trail. Can you believe that?” She deftly reached into her jacket to palm the keys. “I mean, I’ve lived here forever and Dad used to take us hiking, and you’d think I’d be an expert with all my experience, but I wasn’t paying attention and went over the side of the mountain. Isn’t that the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever heard?”
    â€œWhy weren’t you paying attention?” he asked.
    She slipped the keys between her fingers, thinking she could jab him in the eye if necessary. “I was scared,” she said.
    â€œOf what?”
    â€œI’d found an unconscious woman at a rental house and there was all this blood.” She shuddered.
    â€œWas she dead?”
    â€œI have no idea, but me and blood? Not a good mix. Last year my brother was attacked by a guy with a knife and there was blood everywhere, all over the kitchen, and I completely freaked out. I guess that’s what happened today. I took off and lost my footing and fell off the trail. Quite embarrassing if you think about it.”
    She hoped she could convince him she hadn’t seen his face at the cabin. She certainly didn’t want to get into hand-to-key combat.
    She clutched the keys tighter. “Have you ever done anything dumb? It would make me feel a whole lot better if you had.”
    â€œNothing comes to mind.”
    The doors opened and he wheeled her out of the elevator. Jumping off and running didn’t seem like the best plan, since he was much taller than Cassie and therefore a lot faster. She strategized her next move as she chatted away.
    â€œI’m going to get a huge lecture from my family, but what else is new?” she said,