Six Seconds by Rick Mofina Read Free Book Online Page A

traffic cop, Graham had been punched, slapped, and had people collapse in his arms as he stood at their door, cap in hand, to tell them what no one should ever have to hear.
Ever.
At times they’d see his police car pull up, watch through the living-room window as he got out and ap proached their home. They’d refuse to let him in. Because they knew. They knew that as long as they never heard what he was going to tell them, their world would remain intact. If they didn’t hear the words then their daughter, their son, sister, brother, mother, father, husband or wife would not be dead.
No one knew how much he feared the day it might happen to him.
Then it did happen.
    “We couldn’t stop the bleeding. We did all we could for her. I’m so sorry.”
After five rings, a woman answered the phone in Maryland.
“I’m calling for Mr. Jackson Tarver.”
“One moment please, he’s in the yard.” Footsteps on a tiled floor, a back door creaked. “Jack! Phone! I think it’s that salesman again!” A man far off grumbled some thing as he approached the phone. Graham squeezed the handset, grateful he was alone in his office.
“Hello.”
“Mr. Tarver? Mr. Jackson Tarver?”
“Yes?”
“Sir, Corporal Daniel Graham with the Royal Cana dian Mounted Police in Calgary.”
“Police?”
“Yes. Sir, I’m sorry to disturb you at home, but it’s important that I confirm your relationship to Raymond, Anita, Tommy and Emily Tarver of Washington, D.C.”
Silence hung in the air as realization rolled over Tarver and he swallowed hard.
“Anita’s my daughter-in-law. Tommy and Emily are my grandchildren.” Tarver cleared his throat. “Ray mond is my son. Why are you calling?”
When Graham delivered the news, Jackson Tarver dropped his phone.

10
    Calgary, Alberta, Canada
    Dental records confirmed Anita, Tommy and Emily Tarver as the victims.
Ray Tarver’s body had still not been recovered. The tragedy landed on the front pages of Calgary’s
newspapers with the headlines RIVER HORROR
CLAIMS FOUR AMERICANS and U.S. FAMILY
DIES IN MOUNTAINS. The Calgary Herald and
Calgary Sun ran pictures of the Tarvers, the scene and
locator maps. Through interviews with shocked U.S.
friends of the Tarvers, the papers reported that Ray
Tarver was a freelance journalist, Anita was a part-time
librarian and that Tommy and Emily were “the sweetest
kids.”
Not much more in the Web editions of the Washing
ton Post and Washington Times either, Graham thought
before he met Jackson Tarver at the Calgary airport.
From the passport and driver’s license photos, Graham
saw the father and son resemblance, except the elder
Tarver had thin white hair parted neatly to one side. Jackson Tarver was a sixty-seven-year-old retired high-school English teacher. His handshake was strong for someone whose world had been shattered. He insisted on “taking care of matters right away,” so Graham drove him to his hotel where they found a quiet booth in the restaurant. Tarver never touched his coffee.
He sat there twisting his wedding band.
“Since your call, I’ve been praying that this has been
some sort of mistake,” Tarver said. “I need to see with
my own eyes that this has happened. I hope you under
stand?”
Graham understood. He opened his folder to display
sharp color photographs of Anita, Tommy and Emily
Tarver, on autopsy trays.
Pain webbed across Jackson’s face and he turned
away.
After giving him time, Graham took Tarver’s fore
arm to ensure he was registering their conversation. “Our services people have contacted the U.S. Con
sulate here. They’ll help you with the airline bookings
and the funeral-home arrangements and they will assist
you in getting them home with you,” Graham said.
“They’ll also help you get the belongings shipped home
later when we’ve finished processing them. Here’s some
paperwork you’ll need.”
Graham slid an envelope to Tarver who took several
moments to collect himself.
“Do you know how it