SEE HIM DIE by Debra Webb Read Free Book Online Page B

open. She stood stock-still long enough to ensure that no sound came from inside or outside the apartment other than the usual sounds of traffic in the distance.
    Fumbling in her haste, she quickly slid the patio door closed and locked the damned thing. For the good it would do, she mused, since it had been locked when she left for work this afternoon. Damned crappy lock.
    Okay. She stood back and drew in another bolstering breath. So there had been someone in her apartment. She hadn’t been imagining anything. Well, she certainly didn’t have a thing worth stealing.
    She didn’t even have a television set. Her intruder had likely been sorely disappointed. Though, admittedly, if he was shopping in this neighborhood his expectations had to be low anyway. On the other hand, why try to get to her through the locked bathroom door? Why would a common thief do that? The answer was likely one she didn’t want to know. She shuddered, thankful for her landlady’s nosiness.
    Her attention shifted to the short hallway. All she had to do now was check the bathroom and bedroom, and then she could relax. Firming her resolve, she checked the bathroom first.
    Clear
. Nothing out of the ordinary except for the vinyl blinds she’d damaged in her haste to get to the window. Covering all the bases, she peeked into the hall closet as she passed. Her relief at finding it empty made her a little lightheaded. Thank God.
    The bedroom and then she could relax. The door was closed. She couldn’t remember if she’d left it that way or not. Her hand shaking she reached out, gave the knob a twist, and pushed the door inward.
    No sound. No reaction. That had to be good.
    She eased into the doorway and felt for the light switch.
    Why hadn’t she gotten a weapon? A knife or something?
    Because you don’t have one
. You don’t have anything.
    Okay. She readied to press the final button on the phone.
    She could do this.
    She shoved the light switch upward with her free hand and the overhead light glowed to life.
    Nothing moved.
    Relief rocketed through her.
    Her gaze landed on the bed and her heart skidded to a near stop.
    Austin lay sprawled across the tousled sheets. He still wore the charcoal suit he’d been wearing at the bar tonight.
    Only... his crisp white shirt was...
    Red... the whole front was... red...
    Blood
.
    A scream rent the air. Not until after the sound faded into nothingness did Julie realize it had come from her.
    She rushed toward the bed. Her feet hit something wet and flew out from under her. Her backside hit the floor hard. Julie scrambled up, grabbing the phone that had slipped from her hand.
Blood
. On her hands. On her legs and feet. The sandals she’d thought would be comfortable in her new job were smeared with...
    Blood... so much blood. On the floor and the bed. It was everywhere.
    “Austin.” She crawled onto the bed.
    How could this be? It didn’t make sense.
    “Austin.” She reached out to shake him.
    He didn’t respond.
    His eyes were open. Glassy. Staring straight up at the ceiling.
    She forced in a ragged breath.
    Pulse
. She had to check his pulse.
    She shuddered when her fingers pressed against his neck. He was so cold.
    A desperate sound pushed past her lips.
    Help
.
    She needed help.
    It took three tries to get the number dialed properly. She couldn’t stop shaking. She somehow pushed the end call button twice. Her hands were sticky with blood.
    Austin’s blood
.
    “9-1-1, what is the nature of your emergency?”
    “My name is Julie Barton. My husband,” she said, her voice shaking so badly she could scarcely speak, “my husband is... I need help.”
    “What is the address you’re calling from, Mrs. Barton?”
    Julie’s mind went blank. “I don’t know. I can’t remember. Please send help. I think... I think he’s dead.”
    She shoved her hair back from her face only then realizing that her cheeks were damp with tears.
    Austin was dead
.
    She kept watching his chest... expecting it to