Blind School by John Matthews Read Free Book Online

until it was too late.
    He caught only a blur of movement and managed only a half gasp before the cloth was clamped hard over his mouth.
    Darkness.

 
    EIGHT
    Ellis Kendell looked at the frozen cam image as Josh Eskovitz pointed to the screen.
    ‘Same triangulation area as the other two girls. And not too different looks-wise, either.’
    Ellis nodded. Similar blonde hair, though a slightly darker corn-shade. And this girl looked a good year or so younger; no more than sixteen.
    As Josh released the frozen image, the opaque light refraction was more evident in her eyes for a second, until she turned to look at her two friends by a car. Josh grimaced tautly.
    ‘Given recent activity in that area, reckon we should fast-track this one?’
    Ellis closed his eyes for a second. He nodded slowly, solemnly.
    ‘Yeah. Reckon we should. And pray that we're wrong.’ He studied the girl again: smiling as she talked to her two friends, carefree; totally unaware of what might soon happen to her. ‘And that if we're not, we're not already too late.’
    Jessica Werner was with Denise and another friend, Tasha, as they left the shops.   Tasha was two years older, a posy platinum-blonde.
    Tasha pressed the remote to put the roof down on her ice-blue Mercedes cabriolet, then swung her three shopping bags into its back seat.
    ‘You'd think for a birthday present he'd make sure to get it right.’ Tasha rolled her eyes. ‘I told him clear: lavender blue Kompressor... lavender blue. Not steel blue.’ No hint of irony in her complaint; she was seriously miffed. She waved a hand with lavender blue nails. ‘Man, my dad can be such a dork at times. I told him straight: I'm not keeping it.’
    ‘I'm sure he meant well.’ Jessica offered a cramped smile. ‘Like they say –  it's the thought that counts.’
    ‘Yeah, and that's what happens whenever my dad thinks: he screws up.’
    Denise shook her head. ‘I know – ' thinking '. Whatever's the world coming to?’
    Jessica bit back a smile. But the sarcasm had obviously gone over Tasha's head. She checked her Cartier watch and got into her car, fired its engine up.
    ‘Oh, better rush. My PT's due at my place now.’ She smiled slyly as she backed out. ‘You should check him out. He's a hunk....’
    A gold-bangled arm was waved their direction as Tasha zoomed off. Jessica and Denise looked pensively at the departing Mercedes.
    ‘I'll be lucky to afford an old Honda when I'm ready to drive.’ Jessica smiled wistfully. ‘But, hey .’
    ‘Know what you mean. I'll probably still be driving this thing when I'm thirty.’ Denise got on an old Yamaha 115cc moped and donned a helmet. ‘Give you a ride back?’
    ‘No, it's okay. Only six blocks – and if my mom saw me riding pillion without a helmet, she'd go crazy.’
    Denise grimaced. The misfortunes and ailments besetting the Werner family. She didn't trouble to argue.
    The streets rapidly became quieter and lonelier as Jessica headed away from the town center.
       And as she passed the third cross-street, a black van with tinted windows turned in and started following her sixty yards behind.
    She didn’t take much notice it at first, but as it edged closer, to within thirty yards, she became more aware of it. And as it stayed the same distance behind, only doing a few miles an hour, she became unsettled.
    She walked faster. It stayed with her.
    She looked round at it more anxiously, but couldn’t make out anything beyond its tinted glass windows. Couldn’t see its driver.
    She picked up pace, almost at a jog now – when suddenly she was hit with another asthma panic attack.
    Breathless, she fumbled in her handbag, put the inhaler to her mouth. She drew heavily on it as she took the last turn towards her house.
    Then, her breathing evening out again, as soon as she got round the corner out of sight of the van, she started running.
       She looked round frantically as she saw it swing in the corner following her, its engine