Souls At Zero (A Dark Psychological Thriller) by Neal Martin Read Free Book Online

girl.
    Then she remembered something. "Do you think this could have anything to do with your brother?"
    Harry gave her a sharp look. It was something they had only ever spoken about once, just before they were married. He refused to talk about it ever again after that, but now, she had no qualms about bringing it back up. "Why would this have anything to do with Declan?"
    "Because your brother was kidnapped, Harry, that's why. Don't you think there might be some connection there?"
    "No, Gemma, I don't."
    "Why not?" she asked, exasperated.
    Harry stared at her, obviously doing his best to remain calm. "That was twenty-six years ago, for a start."
    "So what? Who's to say it isn't the same people?"
    "Because they didn't fucking take Declan to get at me, that's why. I was fifteen at the time. You're forgetting they tried to take me as well."
    "That's right," she said. "You got away. Declan didn't."
    "What is that supposed to mean?"
    She shook her head. "Nothing. It just seems like too much of a coincidence, that's all. Your brother is kidnapped, then your daughter is…kidnapped as well." She wiped fresh tears from her face.
    "That's all it is, Gemma. A coincidence. I don't know who took Declan. No one does. He's—"
    "He's what, Harry? Dead? Is that what you were going to say?"
    Harry sighed. "Whoever took Kaitlin has nothing to do with whoever took Declan. If that was the case, they would have taken me instead. Someone else wants to get at me through Kaitlin."
    Gemma bit her lip so hard that she tasted blood in her mouth. "If she dies, Harry…"
    "She won't."
    "You don't know that!" she screamed back. She felt herself on the verge of hysteria, and it took everything she had for her to draw back from the edge and keep herself anywhere near calm.
    "Look," Harry said in a soft voice. "The best thing we can do at this stage is to wait on the kidnapper to make contact, which he will do."
    "You're sure about that? How many phone calls did you get from your brother's kidnappers? How many, Harry?"
    He closed his eyes for a second and shook his head.
    "That's right. None. You just never heard from your brother again."
    Harry walked forward then and grabbed her firmly by the arms. "Listen to me," he said, his eyes boring into her. "You need to stay calm, for Kaitlin. We are going to get her back."
    She twisted out of his grip and pulled away from him. "So what now? We just sit around and wait while Kaitlin is out there? God knows what they are doing to her…oh Jesus…" She ran to the kitchen sink and threw up into it, feeling like her whole insides were being ripped out of her. When she felt Harry's hand on her back she immediately sprang up and swiped his arm away. "Get the fuck away from me!" She stared at him, spit and vomit around her mouth, until he backed off. He looked hurt, upset, but she didn't care. She didn't care that Kaitlin was his daughter too and that he was probably as devastated as she was that someone had taken her. Gemma just couldn't see past the notion that everything was his fault. Someone kidnapped Kaitlin to get at him. Harry inserted himself into their lives in the first place. It was all on him.
    "Okay," he said after a moment. "I have to ask this, Gemma. Could this be related to you in anyway?"
    She was dumbfounded. "Are you kidding me?"
    "No. I just need to eliminate the possibility."
    Despite herself, she thought it over. It didn't take her long to conclude that no one hated her enough to kidnap her daughter. "Like I said, Harry. This is all on you."
    He nodded, knowing she was telling the truth. "The police are going to be contacting you soon. They know who I am. Just tell them whatever they want to know."
    "What are you going to do?"
    "I'm going to see John, try to figure something out. Wait for the kidnapper to make contact. If the police ask, you don't know where I am. I need time to sort this out."
    "That's it? You're just going to leave me here?"
    "What you want me to do, Gemma? I have to do