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Back The Nest Save as PDF
Chapters (82)
  1. Cover
  2. Copyright page
  3. Introduction by Will Errickson
  4. Acknowledgements
  5. TREMORS
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. SUSPICIONS
  13. 1
  14. 2
  15. 3
  16. 4
  17. 5
  18. DREAD
  19. 1
  20. 2
  21. 3
  22. 4
  23. 5
  24. 6
  25. WITNESS
  26. 1
  27. 2
  28. 3
  29. ALERT
  30. 1
  31. 2
  32. 3
  33. 4
  34. 5
  35. ENCOUNTER
  36. 1
  37. 2
  38. 3
  39. 4
  40. 5
  41. 6
  42. HAVOC
  43. 1
  44. 2
  45. 3
  46. 4
  47. 5
  48. 6
  49. SEARCH
  50. 1
  51. 2
  52. 3
  53. 4
  54. 5
  55. CLASH
  56. 1
  57. 2
  58. 3
  59. 4
  60. 5
  61. 6
  62. 7
  63. COUNTERATTACK
  64. 1
  65. 2
  66. 3
  67. 4
  68. 5
  69. 6
  70. 7
  71. VICTORY
  72. 1
  73. 2
  74. 3
  75. 4
  76. 5
  77. 6
  78. 7
  79. 8
  80. 9
  81. EPILOGUE
  82. About the Author

The roaches were ready. Suddenly, an ice pick stabbed the man in one eye, then the other, so that he never saw what it was he had been calling to in the woods. He crashed down with an expression of amazement and stupefaction that was soon the grin of a skull on a deathbed of crimson leaves.

3

THREE

Amos Tarbell drove north from the village, to pass the lighthouse on his way to High Ridge. Everything seemed to be in order and he did not stop. He continued eastward on the small road along the shore, which would have led him to the dump if he were not turning onto High Ridge Road at the junction.

The road climbed steeply after the southward turn to the ridge, and the sheriff could see the ocean clearly. Russell Homer’s small boat was pitching and yawing in seas that were running visibly heavier now. But the craft was making steadily for the beach fringing the dump. Good boy, Russell, the sheriff considered. He might not be the brightest fellow on Yarkie, but he was a damned depend­able one to have on any team.

Good team for a crisis all round, the sheriff contemplated. He’d take sailors for a tough job anytime, men who knew how to keep cool when things got hot. Take Craig Soaras. Hard to beat Portugee blood on the water, and a top-­notch bunkie anywhere. He seemed to have calf eyes for Liz Carr’s black friend, and that might not be too good. There was more than water between Yarkie Island and Cambridge. But it was none of anyone else’s business, if that’s what was simmering.

Reed Brockshaw, another winner. He was doing all the work on the marina, everyone knew. Scott ought to give him an interest. Probably would, too, before they were through. If they ever got through anything again after this spooky cockroach affair.

Ben Dorset. Ben was the one no one would have predicted good of. He had run to Boston with his family inheritance and blown it. But he’d come to his senses and back to Yarkie, and now a good right-­hand police officer. Couldn’t tell how people would turn out. Take Liz and her friend—who’d ever dream two Radcliffe seniors would get down on their knees scrubbing those filthy lighthouse floors. They had everything spick and shining, never pulled rank. The Johnson blood showed. The other girl? Bonnie Taylor sure had a sunny disposition—until Sharky, anyway. He’d seldom seen anyone so ruffled.

Well, they all had plenty to be upset about, didn’t they? Lucky there was Elias Johnson, solid as rock. Simply his presence always made a difference anywhere in town. People thought and spoke differently when he was around. That was the real definition of leadership. America’s unsung heroes, men like Elias.