False Witness by Randy Singer Read Free Book Online Page A

the line, while Clark kept striking out.
    If anything happens to her, I’ll hunt down Xu if it takes me the rest of my life. Kill him. Then kill myself. Through twelve years as a bounty hunter, Clark had never been forced to kill a man. But he had no doubt he could do it now. The pain and the hatred were feeding on each other. It felt like another man, cold-blooded and vengeful, had taken control of Clark’s body.
    â€œCan I get you anything?”
    Clark looked at the bartender. “Coffee. Black.” It would be his third within the last few hours. Even before this new shot of caffeine, his hands had started trembling a little. But he couldn’t afford to sleep. Not with the clock ticking.
    As the bartender retreated to the coffeepot, Clark caught his own reflection, just above the liquor bottles, in the mirror that lined the back of the bar. He looked like death on a bad day. Matted blond hair. Bloodshot eyes underscored by dark circles. Bagging eyelids. In his younger days, he had been something of a ladies’ man. Now, at age thirty-six, an all-nighter made his haggard face look like it belonged on a hostage. Even the piercing sky blue eyes, accentuated by colored contacts, seemed hollow and lifeless. He needed to get the contacts out, but his glasses were in the rental car. Dry eyeballs were the least of his worries.
    Two sips into his coffee, Clark decided to take a step he had been contemplating all night. If nothing else, he had to at least know that Jessica was still alive. He blew on the coffee, took another sip, and played out the next conversation in his mind. He ran through it three times, then placed a five-dollar bill on the bar and took a few steps away. He felt his gut tense, the coffee and bile working overtime. He pulled out the black Motorola Razr phone that had been left on the seat of his car and speed-dialed 1.
    â€œI assume you found Kumari,” said the same voice he heard yesterday. Perfect diction. Huang Xu.
    Clark took a breath, told himself to stay calm. “I’m making progress, but I’m going to need more time. And first, I need to speak with Jessica.”
    â€œI told you to call when you have Kumari,” Xu replied firmly. “Not before.”
    â€œIf you want your man, let me speak to my wife.”
    Xu scoffed at the suggestion, waited a beat, and lowered his voice. “This call will cost you twelve hours. We start pulling her teeth tomorrow morning at 1:45 a.m.”
    â€œWait!” Clark shouted, his mind reeling. He hadn’t anticipated this. He swallowed the curse words, reaching for something that might stop the madman. “I’ve got a lead, but these things take time. If you touch her, even one small cut, I’ll stop hunting Kumari and start hunting you. I’m willing to do this deal, but I’ve got to have a little more time.”
    â€œNineteen seventeen thirty,” Xu said. He paused. “Nineteen seventeen thirty-five. . . . Nineteen seventeen forty.”
    Clark cursed loudly into the phone, threatened Xu again, and drew a number of concerned stares from those around him. He took a breath and listened. Dead air had replaced the counting, but the relentless march of seconds continued unabated in Clark’s mind.
    Nineteen seventeen fifty-five. In less than seventeen hours, they would start on the teeth.

8
    Out of options, deep in despair, Clark climbed into the Escalade and made his way toward the North Vegas police station. His instincts told him this was a bad move, but he knew that if he wanted the police to help, he couldn’t wait until the last minute. He had thought about trying to contact Silvoso but rejected that idea. Jessica’s captors would probably be watching the plastic surgeon like hawks.
    Driving north on the Strip, just past the Riviera Hotel, Clark received a text message on his cell phone. I’ve got the drop on Johnny Chin, the message read. Call me. It was signed by