I Am Death Read Online Free Page A

he’s got
loads of games that I’m sure you’ll be into as well. You guys could play together.’ He gave Ricky a moment. ‘C’mon, you’ve got nothing to lose, and I’ll
get your bike fixed for you, what do you say?’
    Ricky scratched his chin.
    One more quick look at his watch. ‘OK, so just wait right here for five minutes. I’ll go pick up John and come back. You can meet him first, then you decide.’
    ‘He likes comic books?’ Ricky asked.
    The man chuckled. ‘That’s putting it mildly.’
    Ricky shrugged. ‘He sounds like he could be a cool guy.’
    ‘He is. He really is.’
    ‘OK then,’ Ricky conceded.
    The man smiled and carried Ricky’s bike across the road. After placing it in the back of his car, he got into the driver’s seat.
    ‘We still have to get those hands and knees properly cleaned up,’ the man said as he geared up and got the car in motion. He turned right, then at the end of the block he swung
left.
    Ricky frowned as the man drove past the entrance to Morningside school.
    ‘You just missed the school.’ Ricky turned to look at the driver.
    The man was looking at him with an evil smile on his lips.
    ‘Relax, kid.’ His voice had changed. Gone were the warmth and the soft tones, substituted by a firm, cold and throaty voice.
    ‘There’s nothing anyone can do for you now.’

Four
    The crammed, open-plan space that formed the LAPD’s Robbery Homicide Division was located just down the hall from Hunter’s office. There were no flimsy partitions
or silly booths separating the messy labyrinth of desks. Identification was made either by desk nameplates, when they could be seen, or by shouting a detective’s name and waiting to see who
would raise their hand and shout back ‘right here’.
    Even at that time in the morning, the RHD sounded and looked like a beehive, alive with movement and buzzing with incomprehensible noise that seemed to come from every corner.
    Captain Barbara Blake’s office was at the far end of the floor. It wasn’t a large room by any means, but it was spacious enough. The south wall was taken by bookshelves overflowing
with hardcovers, the north one by a few framed photographs, commendations and achievement awards. The east wall was a floor-to-ceiling panoramic window, looking out over South Main Street. Directly
in front of her mahogany twin desk were two bourbon-colored, Chesterfield leather armchairs. A rectangular black and white rug centered the room.
    Hunter gave the door three firm knocks. A second later, he heard a voice from inside say, ‘Come in.’
    Captain Blake was sitting behind her desk, with the phone receiver held firmly to her left ear.
    ‘I couldn’t care less how you do it,’ she said into the mouthpiece, lifting a hand at Hunter, ushering him inside and indicating that she’d be two seconds. ‘Just
get it done . . . today.’ She slammed down the phone.
    At least in here, nothing has changed,
Hunter thought.
    Barbara Blake had been captain of LAPD’s Robbery Homicide Division for the past five years. Upon taking over from the previous captain, it hadn’t taken her long to establish a
reputation as a no-nonsense, iron-fist leader. She certainly was an intriguing woman – tall, elegant and very attractive, with long black hair and piercing dark eyes that could either calm
you or make you shiver with a simple stare. Nothing and no one intimidated her.
    ‘Robert,’ she said, getting up. She wore a tailor-made, light-gray suit with a white viscose blouse, black shoes and a thin black belt. Her hair was styled into a bun, and her small
pearl earrings matched her necklace. ‘Welcome back.’ She paused for a short instant. ‘I’m sorry that your vacation didn’t turn out to be a vacation at all.’
    Despite not knowing the true extent of the revelations brought on by the investigation Hunter had been involved in during his short time with the FBI, there was real sentiment in Captain
Blake’s tone of