Raven's Peak by Lincoln Cole Read Free Book Online Page B

sure,” he replied.
    “Your sister wouldn’t want you to—”
    “Don’t bring her into this,” Haatim interrupted. “You have no right to bring her into this.”
    “We lost her, too, Haatim,” his mother said, and he could tell she was on the verge of crying.
    Haatim was silent for a long moment, fighting down the wave of despair that always hit him when he thought about his little sister. It had been four months since she’d died of stomach cancer, but it hurt just as much as the first moment she was gone.
    “Did you lose her?” he asked. “Sometimes I’m not so sure.”
    “Haatim!” his mother said sharply.
    He blew out a deep breath of air. “I’m sorry. That was uncalled for.”
    He saw her sniffle. “It’s OK.”
    “Look, mom, I need to go. I’m busy, and I have some stuff to take care of.”
    “We need to talk about this, Haatim,” his mother said. “I miss you, and your father misses you.”
    “I know. You’re right. I’ll call you tomorrow, OK?”
    “Haatim…”
    “I promise, Mom, I’ll call.”
    A pause, and then she said: “Very well. Have a good night, Haatim.”
    “And you have a good day. Bye, mom.”
    Then she clicked the connection closed. Haatim tapped the mouse on his desk, chewing on his lip and fighting back tears. He let out a coughing sob and knew his eyes were red. His emotions were roiling the same as they always were when he talked to either of his parents. He loved them completely and utterly, but another part blamed them for what happened to his sister.
    That wasn’t completely true. He didn’t blame his mother for anything except her inability to stand up to his father. His father was the one who had refused to seek medical treatment for his sister when her condition worsened. He didn’t want to put her through rough clinical trials that would make her last few months miserable, and instead, he put his faith in God’s hands.
    For all the good that did her.
    Haatim pushed the thoughts and the bitterness away. After he graduated from college in Arizona he’d moved back to India to be with his family and get married, but after his sister died he’d fled back to his old stomping grounds in the States. He’d come here to get away from all of that grief and anger.
    He glanced back at his computer and the missing place in his article for a photo. Like his life, he felt it wasn’t complete and had a vast, empty hole in it.
    Haatim got dressed, grabbed his camera, and headed out into the night. It was passed time he got those photographs.
***
    Abigail Dressler waited in the little diner called Ashley’s Burger Joint for her tail to arrive. She sat in a corner booth, keeping her back to the wall so she had a clear view of the street and other patrons eating their meals. She sipped on lukewarm coffee and considered ordering a sandwich. Haatim was a little later than normal, and she was getting bored waiting for him.
    She had to take care of some business and wrap things up with George Wertman, but she wanted to make sure Haatim followed her when she did. Normally she would just give him the slip and disappear, but this time, things were different.
    Haatim had managed to get closer to her than she’d anticipated. He had snapped some incriminating photos of her, and she’d only found out about them this morning. She had to take care of the images to make sure they wouldn’t be floating over her head when she left Arizona.
    She hadn’t considered Haatim a serious threat and was surprised that he’d managed to track her so efficiently. She was impressed with his skills considering how novice he was to the entire situation. She’d looked into him and confirmed that he wasn’t a detective and had no law enforcement affiliation. He was just a kid in over his head.
    But that didn’t soften her annoyance that he was running late. She had to get to the docks before George managed to flee the city and escape, and she couldn’t do that until Haatim had shown up so he