Silent Night (Sam Archer 4) by Tom Barber Read Free Book Online

grey hair and glasses.
    He looked terrified.
    ‘Sir, I’m a detective with the NYPD. My name is Archer.’
    The man didn’t respond.
    ‘My first name’s Sam. What’s yours?’
    There was a long pause.
    ‘Peter.’
    Silence.
    The only sound was the wind and the noise Peter’s coat made as it was whipped around his body. Archer glanced to his right and looked out over Central Park . From up here he could see all the way up to Harlem . He felt his stomach lurch and fought down vertigo. Turning his attention back to the rooftop, he saw Josh standing with the woman near the door, arms wrapped around her in comfort but also to keep her from moving towards Peter and startling him.
    Both of them were watching the tense exchange in silence.
    Archer turned back to Peter. Looking down, he noticed that the tips of the man’s shoes were over the edge of the building, just his heels keeping him in place.
    ‘Peter, if you step back, we can sit down and talk,’ Archer said, slowly and reassuringly. ‘I’m sure that whatever’s wrong, we can fix it. Together.’
    ‘No. We can’t.’
    Silence.
    ‘Do you have a family?’ Archer asked.
    Silence.
    ‘I’m sure they’d want you to move away from the edge,’ he said, taking his time, choosing each word carefully. ‘Whatever has happened, I’m sure they’d understand.’
    He paused.
    ‘Nothing could be worth this.’
    For the first time, the man turned his head and looked at Archer.
    His eyes looked haunted behind the glasses.
    ‘You need to get out.’
    ‘Out?’
    ‘Of New York . You need to leave right now.’
    ‘Why?’
    ‘Thousands of people are going to die.’
    ‘Why, Peter? What’s going to happen?’
    Silence.
    ‘Talk to me, Peter.’
    Silence.
    Archer glanced back at Josh.
    And Peter took a step forward.
     
    Across the East River in Astoria , the doors to a Manhattan-bound N train opened and the three men from the diner stepped inside the carriage. Given that it was the weekend the service had been delayed and they’d been waiting on the 30 th Avenue platform for a while. The trio stood together by the doors across the carriage. There wasn’t a word of conversation between them. The train was moderately full but no-one gave the men a second glance. There was nothing unusual about them; they blended right in.
    By the far doors, Bleeker grabbed a support pole with a meaty hand and looked down at the white bag he held in the other. He saw the shoebox tucked inside.
    His ticket to a whole new life.
    A female voice came over the intercom. Stand clear of the closing doors.
    A second later, the doors slid shut.
    And the train moved on towards the city.
     

SEVEN
    A police cordon had been set up on Amsterdam just outside the building off 66 th . Several officers in uniform were standing with their backs to some blue wooden barriers, preventing any pedestrians who were unwise enough to want to see what had happened from getting any closer. It was easier said than done.
    The body was covering about an eight foot radius, concealed under a series of hastily placed sheets. The impact of the fall had left a grisly aftermath. Luckily, no one had been hit by the falling man, although a handful of people had been walking nearby on the sidewalk at the point of impact. They were all in an ambulance nearby being cleaned up and treated for shock.
    Inside the lobby and relieved to be back down on street level, Archer looked at the spread of white sheets covering the ground. A four-man team from the CSU, the forensics specialists, had arrived. Archer had just finished speaking to two of them, providing them with the details of what had happened up on the roof, including every word that had been spoken between him and Peter. Standing with the pair of investigators, he watched as a third member of their team knelt down and lifted the sheet with a latex-gloved hand. The fourth dropped to a knee beside him and took photographs of whatever was underneath. Some detectives from the