Chapters (57)
- Cover
- Dedication
- Foreword
- Prologue
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Forty-Eight
- Forty-Nine
- Fifty
- Praise for Linwood Barclay
- Also by Linwood Barclay
- About the Publisher
She pointed a finger at Ruskin. “Somehow, he did this. I know it. I can feel it. He had his reasons. He’s as much as admitted it.” She pointed to the laptop that belonged to Lisa Carver. “I bet he knows how to get into that. I bet he knows how to make all this stop.”
Ruskin continued to shake his head. “No. Look, I’m not sorry Lisa’s gone, but I didn’t have anything to do with this shit show. And even if I could get into her computer, I’ve no idea how to stop it.”
Sandra wasn’t buying his denials. She gave Joe a desperate look. “Give me your gun.”
“What?” Joe said.
“Just give it to me!” She held out her hand, as though expecting Joe to do what she’d asked. To a wide-eyed Ruskin, she said, “You’ll shut these cars down or I’ll fucking shoot you in the foot.”
“Sandra,” Joe said with forced calmness. “We can’t do that.”
“You’re crazy,” Ruskin told her. “You’re out of your mind.”
Sandra, realizing she might have crossed a line, said, “There has to be a way. Joe knows computers. The two of you, working together—”
“Oh, please,” Ruskin said, casting a derisive look at the police chief. “Does he work at the Genius Bar in his spare time? Does he go to India on vacation and offer tech support?”
When Joe’s jawline hardened, Ruskin realized he’d just pissed off the one possible ally he had in the room. “Sorry,” he said. “Look, I’m telling you, it’s not my doing. I don’t have to put up with this one more minute.”
He pushed Sandra out of his way.
“Hey!” she said.
“Whoa, hang on,” Joe said as Ruskin moved past Sandra and headed for the door.
“Stop him!” Sandra said. “Joe, handcuff him or something!”
“You have no right!” Ruskin said.
“Arrest him!” Sandra said. “Arrest him for something.”
Joe was nonplussed. “Sandra, I just can’t—”
Ruskin needed to get past Joe to leave the room. He waved a hand, a wordless command that the chief get out of his way.
“Mr. Ruskin, I think it’d be a good idea if you did hang in. I mean, I do have a few questions—”
He glared at Joe. “You going to shoot me in the foot if I don’t answer them? I’d rather take my chances with those fucking cars than stay in here with that crazy woman. I just got rid of one bitch and now I’ve got another.”
“Whoa, hold on there, Mr. Ruskin, that’s no way—”
“Get the fuck out of my way.”
Ruskin tried to shove Joe out of his path, and Joe wasn’t having any of it. He grabbed hold of Ruskin’s shirt and tossed him back into the room.
Ruskin lost his footing and stumbled backward.