Cold Fear by Rick Mofina Read Free Book Online Page A

Chicago in time for the wedding. Promise. And we’re going
to make it up to you.”
    “But why the Hood case? It’s nothing. No San Francisco connection. Nobody knows or cares about that thing. It barely makes the Montana papers. I don’t even follow it. I think he killed somebody like fifteen, twenty
years ago. Bump on the head or something, I don’t know. He’s a small-town
loser. Nothing remarkable. He’s sentenced to die. End of story. Why waste the
ink? We all know not every execution is covered in this country.”
    “Tom”--Violet was legendary for her coverage of
executions-- “there is something in every tragedy that we can learn from. It’s
the human condition. And given this case is so old and forgotten means the
story’s value has just been fermenting. A man is going to be put to death. Tell
me why; tell me what happened; tell me a story.”
    During his cab ride to San Francisco International, Reed
checked his two phones. One was a new compact sat phone; because of the
expense, it should only be used if the cell did not work. He reviewed hard copy
of the updated wire stories on the lost girl. Not much new. Ten minutes after
leaving the Star building, he called Molly on his cell.
    “You in Montana, cowboy?” she joked.
    “You got anything for me?”
    “No. Call me from Salt Lake.”
    “Don’t tell anybody what we know about police suspicions
just yet. I’m going to try to hook up with Sydowski if I can find him.”
    “OK. Watch out for bears.”
    When the jet leveled off, Reed opened up his laptop
computer and went to all the background stories about Isaiah Hood he’d
requested from the news librarian. Reed’s jaw dropped. Expecting at least two
dozen, he found three with apologies from the library. “We have little on this
case, Tom.”
    Hood had killed a kid some twenty years ago. Convicted
after a two-day trial. Sentenced to death. Usual years of appeals. Unremarkable
for a murder, except for the last sentence in the most recent story. Hood’s
last appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court was made on a claim that Hood was not
guilty.

SEVEN

    Emily could not stop shivering.
    Night had come. The second without Paige.
    Since Paige’s disappearance, Emily had not slept or
eaten.
    “You must be freezing, ma’am.” A young ranger tried to
drape a sleeping bag on Emily. She shrugged it off.
    “My daughter has no blanket. I will go through this with
her.”
    Doug was working with the searchers at the map table lit
by lanterns. Their radios muted. Emily stood alone in the darkness at the edge
of the camp, the distant lights of the searchers’ campsites dotting the black
valleys and mountainsides, blinking eerily as if a starlit sky had fallen to
earth.
    Paige.
    Her child was out there; the clock was ticking away on
her life. Every second, every minute, every hour, buying another piece of it.
Oh, Paige, forgive me. It was all her fault. Her fault. Like before.
    “Guess what I’m going to do.”
    Emily’s monster was brushing against her, reaching for
her, trying to pull her into the darkness. No. Please. No. It had taken
hold. She struggled, hearing her counselor’s voice. When you feel it coming
up on you, reach for the good things, Emily. The good things are your
lifelines. They are real. They are unconditional. The good things will save
you. Reach for them and hold on. She reached into a good memory….
    Push, Emily! The hospital. The nurses. Doug squeezing
her hand. The doctor urging her. A couple of deep breaths, Emily. Push for me.
This is so hard. Here we go. Almost there. The sounds of the baby’s first cry.
Emily’s heart swelling with joy. Congratulations, Mom and Dad, you have a
daughter. Her scrimped little face, her bright eyes. The love washing over her.
Doug kissing her. I love you. Holding their new baby. Tender, warm heart. Love.
The pain subsiding. Have you chosen a name? Paige. We’ll call her Paige. Emily
would never let go. Paige was her new life. Doug was her new life. Her