I Kill in Peace by Hunter Shea Read Free Book Online Page A

head. A white hospital shoe stepped on his face as a nurse ran away.
    Suddenly, a gun went off, bringing a merciful silence to the riot.

Chapter Ten
    When the dust finally settled, the case of mistaken identity was responsible for three deaths, including the man who’d been brought in with the knife in his stomach, (the doctors were too busy saving themselves to save him) and four wounded. By the time Candy and I were allowed to leave our little curtained-off corner, a porter was mopping blood off the white tiled floor. There were more police than medical staff in the emergency room. I saw several state troopers and even cops from nearby towns. All of their faces were drawn and pale, unaccustomed to scenes of such brutality, in a place of healing, no less.
    I was released from the hospital the next afternoon, only after the police had shut down the hospital and questioned all who were in the emergency room when the fracas broke out. I wondered where the truly sick and wounded were taken during those hours. For all I knew, the nearest hospital was fifty miles away—or in the next town over.
    Candy and I were questioned for a bit. The doctors wanted to make sure I was all right to go home.
    I knew I didn’t have a viral infection, just like I knew I was responsible for the collapsing dominoes of death that followed my actions. Tension was high in the town when we stopped at the variety store to pick up some cans of Katie’s favorite iced tea. Folks were talking. Half were afraid, and the other half were quietly calling for even more justice. It didn’t take a genius to fathom that their idea of justice skirted the traditional involvement of police and the court system.
    Is this all it took to strip the civility from a quiet, little town? My head spun the whole car ride home, but I didn’t let on to my wife.
    Candy set me up in bed before getting Katie from our neighbors. Deep lines of worry etched across her forehead and the corners of her eyes.
    â€œI don’t think I’ll ever get the sound of everyone screaming out of my head,” she said.
    â€œWhy don’t you lie next to me for a bit before getting Katie? You look like you’re going to collapse.”
    â€œNo, I’ll feel better with her home. Maybe we’ll all lie down and fall asleep to some boring daytime TV.”
    I rolled onto my side when she left, staring out the window.
    What had I done? If I confessed now, I’d probably get the death penalty.
    But then, maybe that’s exactly what I deserved.
    The sound of my phone vibrating on my night table froze my blood. I was too terrified to pick it up. I pulled the covers over my head, muffling its cries to be held. A tiny pinpoint of heat emanated from between my eyes.
    â€œOh no,” I muttered, tensing further with dread.
    The phone kept vibrating. I pictured it dancing off the table and shattering on the floor.
    The heat seeped into my closed eyes. It got to the point where I thought for sure they were going to melt, just like the pale slugs in my parent’s yard used to sizzle away when we poured salt on them. Lashing out, I grabbed the phone while pushing the sheets away from my face.
    My hand trembled. My thumb was barely able to swipe the text icon.
    AO: You have nothing to feel guilty about.
    â€œI’ve lost my mind,” I said, holding the phone with two hands so it didn’t drop. “This can’t be happening.”
    AO: You’re not, and it is. This is only the beginning .
    â€œGet the fuck out of my head!”
    AO: You may rest today. The Mustang will be waiting for you tomorrow. You’ll drive to Saco in the afternoon.
    I no longer saw the need to text. Why bother when the great and mysterious AO could read my mind? It was all the proof I needed that I’d gone irretrievably insane.
    â€œAnd if I say no?” I asked, knowing the answer.
    AO: You won’t. Here’s why.
    My body went stiff as a board as a