The House of Wood by Anthony Price Read Free Book Online Page B

okay?”
    She could feel her heart
racing. “That would be lovely.”
    “I finish my shift tonight at
the hospital around eight. I could stop by your room at nine?”
    Was this moving too fast? She
wondered. She'd hoped for a couple more days. Butterflies were
going crazy in her stomach. His steel blue eyes fixed right on her.
If she didn't take the chance now, she never would. “That’ll be
great.”
    “Good. Nine it is then.”
    They sat there for another half
an hour, finishing their coffees. David looked at his watch. “Well,
I best be getting back. I'll see you tonight at nine o'clock.”
    “Okay.”
    “Bye.”
    As the door of the cafe closed
behind him, Rachel slumped in her chair. Relieved. She had no idea
what had come over her. She would never have asked out a guy she
didn't know before. Now she was nervous.
    She looked out of the window.
The sunshine had hidden behind some clouds. The air felt stormy.
She peered across the street. A single blackbird was perched on top
of the box office at the cinema. She rubbed at her eyes. Was it
looking at her? Don't be silly, she thought, it's just the
nerves.
    She shut down her laptop,
packed it away and gulped the last dregs of her coffee. When she
turned to pick up her bag, she noticed the bird had gone.

Chapter
Six
     
    Nathan had been driving around
town aimlessly in the car for two hours since leaving the café. As
usual the town was quiet; dispatch hadn’t sent out any emergency
calls all day. Under any other circumstances, it would have been a
blessing. But not today. The last thing he needed was time to
think. His mind had been spinning like the wheels beneath him,
bringing him back to the same conclusion over and over. It was
happening again. For the second time in his life, Rachel was
choosing somebody else over him. How could it be? He thought. Was
he that unlucky? Of all the people in the town she could have
chosen, she had to choose him. David was bad news. Deep down inside
him Nathan knew it. He just couldn’t work out why. Well, he was
damn sure he was going to find out.
    The traffic lights above him
turned red. The squad car ground to a halt. He licked the sweat off
of his top lip, trying to keep his eyes fixed on the road. He knew
it was there; the place that had caused all his recent problems.
There was that familiar knawing sensation at the back of his brain.
It wouldn’t hurt to go in for one, he thought, resisting the urge
to turn his head in the direction of his nemesis. He knew if he saw
it, the day would be over. He would sink himself in to that black
pit, which was getting harder and harder to climb out of. And there
wasn’t time for that. If he was going to stop the past repeating
itself, then he had to stay on track. His own peace of mind
depended on it.
    The light turned green and
Nathan set off, letting out a small sigh of relief. He had managed
to resist it, but promised the demon inside him that he would
return later. At an appropriate time. If there ever was such a
thing.
    He spent the next thirty
minutes parked outside the café. He needed answers, but didn’t know
where to look for them. If only he could find something, a bit of
dirt, something to pin on the doctor, then he could show it to
Rachel and she would know the truth. He owed it to her. If he
hadn’t let her go the last time a new guy came in to her life. If
he had been more forceful, instead of walking away. Life may have
turned out different. All he had ever wanted was for her to look at
him the way he looked at her. He had to find something. But
where?
    The squad car revved in to
life, as Nathan turned the key. A thought had struck him. He had no
idea where it came from. But it was better than nothing. He reached
over and picked up the radio microphone.
    “Dispatch, this is Deputy Ross,
do you copy?”
    This is
dispatch .
    “Hey Connie, I need you to do
me a favour. Can you look up any files on the Langrishe case? It’ll
be in the archive.”
    Nate, I don’t
have