Hell's Horizon by Darren Shan Read Free Book Online Page A

fell into each other’s lives for a while. It was a complication-free relationship—my favorite kind.”
    “Did you tell her what you did for a living?”
    “Sure.”
    “Before you started dating or after?”
    I thought back. “Before, I guess.”
    “You told her you were a Troop?”
    “Yeah.”
    “Hmm. Ever consider the possibility that she was after more than sex?”
    “I don’t follow.”
    He tossed a large photograph across the table. It was of Nic’s carved back. There was a lot of blood, so it must have been taken in the Skylight or just after she’d been delivered to the Fridge. I didn’t touch it.
    “Not very pretty,” The Cardinal said. “You noted the design in the center?” I nodded. He fished something out of the file and threw it on top of the photograph. It was a golden brooch. I’d seen it on Nic a couple of times. At its center was a symbol of the sun.
    “Recognize it?”
    “Yes.”
    “She was wearing it the night of her murder. I don’t think it’s coincidence. Nicola Hornyak moved in dangerous circles. She became involved with men of violence. Perhaps she anticipated an attack of this nature. If so, would she not have sought protection? Found a strong boyfriend adept in the ways of death? A solider maybe… or a Troop?”
    “She never mentioned any of this to me. We spent very little time together. It’s possible…” But I wasn’t convinced.
    “I want to know who killed her,” The Cardinal said.
    “I do too,” I breathed softly.
    “Excellent!” he boomed, startling me. “That’s what I hoped to hear. When can you start?”
    “Start what?” I asked.
    “The investigation. I want you to track down her killer. Find him, kill him, bring me his bones to pick my teeth with.”
    “But I’m not a detective.”
    “You are now,” he grinned, eyes twinkling, “ shamus .”
    I spent twenty minutes trying to convince him I was the wrong man for the job.
    “I know nothing about that line of work,” I insisted. “I’ve been trained as a guard, to function as part of a unit. I know about lines of fire and body searches, how to spot trouble and deal with it. I don’t know shit about trailing people, planting bugs or research.”
    “That’s irrelevant,” The Cardinal said. “I’ve had experts on the case since Saturday and they’ve uncovered nothing. You know the time frame for catching a murderer in circumstances such as these? Seventy-two hours. Three days to extrapolate from clues, interview witnesses and crack suspects. If you’ve turned up nothing by then, chances are you never will. That’s what my experts tell me.”
    “Then why set me on it? If the case is dead, what’s the point?”
    “A case never dies, Al. People die. Empires die. Never mysteries. I want to find Nicola Hornyak’s killer. It’s not a major thorn in my side but it irritates me. The experts had their crack at it. Now it’s time to do things another way.
    “Do you know what Frank Weld did before starting work for me?”
    “He was in the army.”
    “No. That’s a misleading rumor I circulated. He executed pigs.”
    I couldn’t prevent a skeptical smile.
    “I’m not bullshitting you. He worked in an abattoir. Put a stun gun to their heads and fried their brains. Lost his job when he was found interfering with the livestock.”
    “Get the fuck out of here,” I laughed.
    “All right,” The Cardinal smirked. “That last bit was a joke. But he did work in an abattoir. Before that he worked in a fish factory. Before that he was a bouncer in a club. Before that he served nine years for killing a man in a brawl over a prostitute.”
    “Is this on the level?” I asked, sobering up.
    He nodded. “Not the stuff generals are generally made of, wouldn’t you say?”
    “So how’d he end up head of the Troops?” It was the question he’d been angling for.
    “You’re aware of my nocturnal informants?”
    “Sure.”
    The Cardinal had a personal herd of gossipmongers. They came every