Dark Winter by Andy McNab Read Free Book Online

police.’
    ‘No need, mate.’ I started for the Dodge. ‘I know exactly where she’s gone.’

7
    We headed west, and it wasn’t long before we were following signs for Baltimore and Washington. Josh had called his house three times already but no one was answering. Soon we were taking the ramp left on to the I-95 towards Washington. ‘Disneyland, huh? Is that what she calls her old house?’
    ‘Sort of.’
    He shrugged. ‘Did I tell you she doesn’t come to church with us any more? She says religion is a con. I don’t even think she believes it, she’s just saying it to pain us.’
    ‘You know her take on that, mate – if there’s a God, then how come her family’s dead?’
    He shot me a telling glance. ‘I’m not getting into that – and I keep telling you, go read the book.’
    I looked at the dash. The Puerto Rican in him revealed itself in the recent picture of Kelly and his three mounted there in a small but ornate gold frame. Dakota was now sixteen and had the mother of all braces in her mouth. Kimberly was fourteen and the biggest concern in her life was her hair, and the boy, Tyce, was thirteen and thought he was Tony Hawks. Their skins were all lighter than Josh’s because their mother was white, but they looked just like their dad. You couldn’t move in their house for framed photographs. There was Josh when he used to have hair, as a young fresh soldier, looking very much like the ones in his neighbours’ windows; Josh becoming a member of Special Forces; Josh and the kids; Josh, Geri and the kids, plus all the horrible school portraits with gappy-toothed grins and scabs on their knees.
    It must have been clear he wasn’t going to get an answer out of me and, like a good Christian, he turned the other cheek. ‘So tell me, man, what you been doing?’
    ‘I’m fine. I’ve been working in the UK the last few weeks. It’s been quite strange standing in the foreigners’ line at Immigration. But, hey, it pays the bills.’ Which reminded me why I’d come to see him in the first place. I reached into my bomber for the still-sealed envelope and pushed it under his thigh. ‘Get yourself a decent car, will you? And a wig.’
    ‘Thanks. But I think I can put it to better use.’
    I was sure he could. Kelly wasn’t the only one who needed the cash.
    He drove a while in silence, then leant forward for his cell from the dash mounting and passed it over. ‘Get to “Names”, will you, Nick? Look under B for Billman. They’re neighbours in Hunting Bear. Keep an eye on the house and stuff.’
    I hit a few keys and listened to the ringing tone. After a while an answering-machine kicked in.
    He shrugged. ‘We’ll try later. ‘ He turned his head and gave me a wry smile. ‘They’re probably at another of their community meetings, still complaining about the way we’re messing with their real-estate prices. Maybe we should give in, you know, let them have it cheap. No one’s ever going to buy a house with that kind of history. Let them knock it down and make a play area or whatever it is they want.’ It had taken a while, but Josh was slowly coming round to my way of thinking. ‘It might help Kelly in a funny sort of way. Some kind of closure, know what I’m saying?’
    He flicked the indicator to come off the I-95 at the next exit, towards the Outerloop, the I-495 around DC. Electric road signs constantly flashed out their instruction to report any suspicious terrorist activity. ‘What are we supposed to do with any unsuspicious activity we see, mate? Just keep it to ourselves?’
    He’d obviously spent the last few miles collecting his thoughts. ‘Look, Nick, this is my take on things. It’s nothing new, I’m just more sure. First of all, we’re not going to give up on her, whatever. Her acting out, she’s trying to cope. She’s coping with her family being dead, coping with the fact she feels abandoned. She’s coping with living with us. She’s got a lot weighing on that heart