Thief River Falls by Brian Freeman Read Free Book Online Page A

where he lived, he heard the noise of a car engine, which was unusual in this neighborhood late at night. The car stopped in front of his house. He waited, knowing that whoever it was, they were here for him. Not long after, the beam of a flashlight swept across the backyard.
    Denis glanced over his shoulder to see who was there. He saw a young man in a deputy’s uniform making his way toward the river. Garrett was his name.
    “Mr. Farrell,” the police officer called.
    Denis didn’t answer and made no effort to leave his place by the water. Soon heavy footsteps made the boat dock shudder. The cop came up behind him and then stopped when he was a few feet away, as if awaiting permission to come closer. Denis finally turned around and made an impatient gesture with his cane. He didn’t want to be disturbed.
    “What is it?”
    The cop was stocky and big shouldered like most cops, but he looked ready to sink into the ground. Denis had that effect on people.Deputy Garrett shifted nervously on his feet, and the sway of the dock nearly threw Denis into the river.
    “Be careful!” Denis snapped.
    “Yes, sir. Sorry, sir. I apologize for bothering you tonight. I know this isn’t a good time.”
    “What is it?” Denis demanded again.
    “We’ve been trying to reach you,” Garrett told him.
    “My phone’s off.”
    “Yes, we figured that. I’m sorry.”
    “So why are you here?”
    “Well, I know this is the last thing you need right now, but I’m afraid we have a problem. We thought you should know.”
    “A problem?”
    “It’s about the boy.”
    Denis felt a roaring in his head. “What about him?”
    “The thing is, the boy is . . . well, the boy is missing.”
    Denis blinked. He heard the words but didn’t understand them. “Missing? What does that even mean, missing ? How is that possible?”
    “Well, we don’t really know yet, but we can’t find him. He just . . . disappeared. We’ve been looking everywhere, but so far, we’re not sure exactly what happened.”
    “How long ago?” Denis asked sharply.
    “Several hours,” the cop replied.
    “ Hours? And you’re only telling me about this now?”
    “We didn’t want to interrupt you, sir. We wanted to take care of it without worrying you, but given the situation, we all thought that—”
    Denis silenced him with a wave of his hand. He closed his eyes, needing to think clearly. His anger flooded back and gave him a focus. “I don’t want excuses, Deputy Garrett. This is unacceptable. I don’t care what you have to do, but you need to find that boy . Am I clear? Find Harlan and bring him back.”

6
    Lisa flinched with concern when she saw headlights on the highway, but as the car turned and headed up her driveway, she recognized the red Ford Bronco that Laurel March drove. Relief flooded through her at the thought of her friend arriving. She ran to the front door and hurried down the porch steps and greeted Laurel as she got out of the SUV. Lisa threw her arms around her in a tight hug, and Laurel hugged her stiffly back. They stood like that together in the cold for a silent minute.
    “Thank you,” Lisa murmured. “I really appreciate your coming over here like this. I’m sorry it’s so late.”
    “Don’t worry about that,” Laurel replied. “I’ve told you before, I’m always around when you need anything. Day or night. Now let’s go inside where we can talk.”
    “Can I ask you a favor first?”
    “Of course.”
    “Can you park your Bronco behind the house? Where no one can see it from the highway?”
    Laurel cocked her head. “Okay, but why?”
    “I don’t want anyone to know that someone’s here if they drive by. I’ve been keeping the lights off.”
    Laurel didn’t protest or ask for an explanation. She got back into her SUV and started the engine again. Lisa heard the radio boom to life, playing a song she knew called “Little Talks.” Laurel routinely traveledall over the northland for her work, and she