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Back Parting Shot Save as PDF
Chapters (68)
  1. Dedication
  2. Title Page
  3. Contents
  4. One
  5. Two
  6. Three
  7. Four
  8. Five
  9. Six
  10. Seven
  11. Eight
  12. Nine
  13. Ten
  14. Eleven
  15. Thirteen
  16. Fourteen
  17. Fifteen
  18. Sixteen
  19. Seventeen
  20. Eighteen
  21. Nineteen
  22. Twenty
  23. Twenty-One
  24. Twenty-Two
  25. Twenty-Three
  26. Twenty-Four
  27. Twenty-Five
  28. Twenty-Six
  29. Twenty-Seven
  30. Twenty-Eight
  31. Twenty-Nine
  32. Thirty
  33. Thirty-One
  34. Thirty-Two
  35. Thirty-Three
  36. Thirty-Four
  37. Thirty-Five
  38. Thirty-Six
  39. Thirty-Seven
  40. Thirty-Eight
  41. Thirty-Nine
  42. Forty
  43. Forty-One
  44. Forty-Two
  45. Forty-Three
  46. Forty-Four
  47. Forty-Five
  48. Forty-Six
  49. Forty-Seven
  50. Forty-Eight
  51. Forty-Nine
  52. Fifty
  53. Fifty-One
  54. Fifty-Two
  55. Fifty-Three
  56. Fifty-Four
  57. Fifty-Five
  58. Fifty-Six
  59. Fifty-Seven
  60. Fifty-Eight
  61. Fifty-Nine
  62. Sixty
  63. Sixty-One
  64. Sixty-Two
  65. Sixty-Three
  66. Sixty-Four
  67. Sixty-Five
  68. Copyright

“Just hang in there,” he said. “I’m going to take you to the hospital.”

Frommer said, “Rmmrr.”

“Do you think you can get up?”

Frommer didn’t move.

“I’m going to get you to the car,” Albert said. “Okay? I’m going to get you to the car.”

He moved to behind Frommer’s head and got his hands under the man’s arms. Frommer was a slim build, but as a dead weight—well, almost dead—he was still a lot to carry. Albert did not have to do a lot of heavy lifting in his day job, but he managed to get a good, solid grip on the man. As he hoisted him higher, Frommer’s head almost level with his own, blood smeared his shirt and jacket and neck.

He resisted the urge to vomit again.

He dragged the man toward his car. Once he had him there, he managed to free one hand to open the back door on the driver’s side. Somehow he got Frommer inside, then had to push him onto his side and shove him across the seat so that he could get his legs in.

He slammed the door shut, leaned his back against the car and took a moment to catch his breath.

He knew he should have called an ambulance, but he was worried that it could take a long time to get to this location. And if they missed the driveway, it could take even longer. Albert was confident he could get Frommer to the hospital more quickly.

He eased himself off the car, turned, and was horrified to see bloody smears on the door. He rubbed at them with the sleeve of his jacket, but it only made things worse.

There was nothing he could do about it.

He got behind the wheel, switched on the engine, and turned the car around. He raced to the end of the driveway, glanced hurriedly in both directions to make sure no one was coming, then hit the pavement with a squeal.

“Not much longer,” he said, turning his head to speak to Frommer. “Ten minutes tops! Just hang in there.”

Soon he was back in town. Far off in the distance, he could make out the blue H atop Promise Falls General.

And then the car turned.

Turned off the route that would have taken them to the hospital.

It was as though the vehicle had a mind of its own.

It didn’t, of course.

It was Albert who had decided, at the last minute, that he was not going to take Ron Frommer to the hospital.

He was going to take him to his place.

Forty

FORTY

CAL