The Two Deaths of Daniel Hayes by Marcus Sakey Read Free Book Online Page A

fingerprints, DNA, brass from his old Smith and Wesson, who knew what else.
Which meant that any screwup, any screwup at all, and he was done. Not maximum security done. Not even federal prison done. Twenty-three hours in solitary done. SuperMax done. Hell, maybe Guantánamo Bay done.
Does she know anything worth taking that risk?
His gut told him no. Still, no harm in pushing a little. “You’re not helping me,” he said, soft and low.
Her hands fluttered at her side. “I can’t tell you what I don’t know.”
“What can you tell me?”
“The same thing I told the sheriffs. That I love Daniel, but that I don’t know why he left or where he is. He called me, I told him I’d be right over, but when I got there, he was gone. Since then I’ve dialed his cell phone a million times. I’ve e-mailed him. I’ve called all our friends. I’ve talked to the cops. No one knows where he is. You say he’s in Maine? That’s news to me. I believe you when you say that you’ll hurt me,” her voice catching for just a second, “but it won’t make any difference. Because I don’t fucking know where he fucking is.”
Bennett was coming to like her. Not many people had the stones to talk that way in a situation like this. “Did you tell the police about the phone call?”
“I told them that he called.”
“But not what he said.”
“No.”
“Why not?”
She opened her mouth, closed it. “Because he’s my friend.”
Hm. “Last question, Counselor.” He kept her pinned with his eyes. “If you did know where he was, would you tell me?”
She paused a long moment before answering. “Yes.” Sophie pushed her shoulders back. “But not until I couldn’t not.”
Well, well. We have an honest-to-god human being here. He was almost glad she didn’t know anything. Always a shame to break something lovely. “Tough girl.” He straightened, tucked the gun back into his pants. “Smart one, too. Since you’re so smart, I don’t need the speech about not calling the police, right, sister?”
“No. I won’t. I promise.”
“Good.” He started for the door, then stopped, unable to help himself. “And, Sophie?”
Her breath caught in her throat. Her hair was wet, and the outline of her body marked the towel. She was trembling. Wondering, he could see, if he had changed his mind. If he was going to shoot her, or worse.
“I like your style. I ever need a lawyer, can I give you a call?”
She stared at him, and he laughed, then walked out, back through her house and into bright morning sunshine. He was maybe ten steps out the door when he heard a faint snap behind him, the sound of her locking the deadbolt.
Fifty bucks says she’s dialing 911 right now.
Good for her. He did love predictable people.
D

aniel was in a concrete canyon.
    Water trickled. The bleeding sun stained everything crimson. Ahead was a tunnel, tall and broad. The mouth of it was perfect black shadow, but he knew that something waited there. Waited and watched.
Something terrible.
     
He turned, but he was alone this time. No lounging vision of Emily Sweet. Her absence made the whole world emptier.
    From the darkness of the tunnel, a faint rasping. A movement sound, but indistinct and wrong, like snakes squirming across one another in dark pits, like the slow inhale of some huge beast. His fear was childlike in its perfection. It seized him completely. He wanted to run. Told himself to run. To turn and flee, feet splashing through the trickle of water in this lost basin.
    Instead he took a tentative step forward.
I don’t want to. Please don’t go in there, don’t, stop . . . He took another step forward. His hands were heavy. The rasping again. His skin was too tight for his bones. His
    breath came fast.
Run! Don’t go in there, don’t go in there, don’tgointhere— Something moved in the darkness of the tunnel. A shape his eyes
    couldn’t fix, a swirling. Madness made physical.
Runrunrunrunru—
The darkness leapt at him. He threw himself