Blind School by John Matthews Read Free Book Online Page A

revving furiously as it put on an extra spurt.
    She ran full pelt, could now see her house clearly, jolting in her vision only a hundred yards ahead. Surely she could make it?
    But the van swung in sharply then, its side door opening – and she caught only a blurred shadow of movement before she was grabbed round the shoulders, the cloth clamped over her mouth.
       Darkness.
    Darkness. Ryan's voice broke sharply through it:
    ‘No, no... No !’
    Heavy pause, then a man's voice. ‘So, you're awake?’
    A penlight torch switched on and shone on Ryan. He shrank back and squinted. The light was harsh, blinding; the man behind was little more than a hazy silhouette. Ryan couldn’t make him out clearly.
    ‘I... I didn't see anything. I promise.’
    The man smiled. ‘I'm not with Culverton.’
    ‘Then who are you? What's this all about?’ 
    ‘You'll get to know soon enough.’ Some rustling in the darkness. ‘Probably sooner than you'd like. And I'm sorry to have to do this again, kiddo.’
    The man reached out, clamped the cloth back over Ryan's nose and mouth. ‘The only safe place for you now is Blind School .’
    The last words Ryan heard before he sank back into blackness.
     
    Ellis Kendell was in the ATF offices with ATF agent Brent Cohburn and the FBI agent assigned to the air-crash, Paul Weiss.
    Behind Cohburn was a board with numerous photos of the crash, some marked and red-circled. An ominous reminder. Ellis gave the photos one last scan before bringing his attention back to Cohburn.
    ‘Okay. We're pretty much agreed that a key factor is Culverton Industries' new missile defence system. And if they've got a bag of tricks that can lock on to an incoming missile and guide it away – then not much of a stretch to get that same system to lock onto an aircraft.’ Ellis took a fresh breath. ‘But the one bit that doesn't fit is why John Culverton would get rid of a key Senator lined up to green-light a big contract for the company?’
    Cohburn nodded. ‘But that works equally for Alex too: why would he do that?’
    ‘Well... if he had bigger fish to fry.’ Ellis laid out the photos of Alex Culverton meeting with Teischen on Cohburn's desk. ‘Bruno Teischen. Code 6 with the CIA due to fears of him supplying arms through the back door to Iran and Syria through Kazakhstan . Mix in Culverton's hot-ticket missile technology and it could be the final flash-point for the biggie: World War Three.’
    Cohburn looked at Weiss. Weiss took a moment more studying the photos before looking up.
    ‘Okay. We'll keep tabs on Alex too,’ Weiss said. ‘But even discrediting his brother to give him a clear path to deal with Teischen – he's still got the old man to answer to. And old Joe Culverton would never sanction deals with Teischen.’
    Cohburn nodded thoughtfully. ‘Also how Alex was able to make that crucial signal call while he was in full sight in the marquee? And put his brother in the frame at the same time?’

NINE
    Bright light.
    Ryan looked around from his school-desk, taking it all in: a classroom with twenty or so students aged between twelve and nineteen.
    Among them, at the other end of the classroom, a girl with corn blonde hair. He’d have looked away if she caught him looking, but at that moment Jessica Werner seemed more distracted by some movement in the corridor through a glass screen by the classroom door: the visual check-point for teachers before entering the classroom, this time being used equally the other way.
    Others in the class too looked back at Ellis Kendell and Josh Eskovitz peering in at them.
    ‘Okay, fresh blood. Let’s do it,’ Ellis said, and they entered the class.
    After settling the class down, Ellis took center stage, Josh Eskovitz hanging just behind. He surveyed the class thoughtfully.
    ‘I suppose most of you will be wondering why you're here.’
    A teen boy in a tie-dye towards the back leered slyly. ‘Yeah, you could say that, Sherlock.’
    A few giggles and