WILL TIME WAIT: Boxed set of 3 bestselling 'ticking clock' thrillers

WILL TIME WAIT: Boxed set of 3 bestselling 'ticking clock' thrillers by H Elliston Read Free Book Online

Book: WILL TIME WAIT: Boxed set of 3 bestselling 'ticking clock' thrillers by H Elliston Read Free Book Online
Authors: H Elliston
him. 
Evidently, the emails were threats.
    Lee
nodded while pointing at the big fat zero numbers on the screen.  “His
timer ran out.  He’s dead.”
    I
tried to think of an alternative conclusion.  “The email and Daryl’s death
aren’t necessarily linked.  It could be a coincidence.”
    “If
I hadn’t read your note I’d never have checked Daryl’s emails, because on
Saturday night I assumed you’d made it up, were drunk, or after a story,” Lee
said.  “But, I did check.  And I realise now that he wanted me
to find this message.  That’s why he texted me that phrase before he
died.” 
    “Okay. 
So someone wants to scare me.  Well done.  They’ve succeeded. 
But, you can’t be sure this is linked to—”
    Lee
drew a frustrated breath.  “I’m sure.  I’m sorry, Chelsea. 
There’s no way of breaking this delicately.  I think someone’s out to kill
you.”
    No. 
The whole thing seemed crazy and a big part of me refused to believe it. 
I looked sideways at him.  “You have it wrong.  I didn’t even know
your brother.  Someone’s trying to scare me, yes, but kill me?”
    Lee
set his hand on my shoulder and unnerved me with his serious glare. 
“Yes.  Kill you.”
    My
heart banged faster. 
    “Daryl
was first.  You’re number two.  It’s all here in the emails.”
    “I
need a minute,” I said, my mind moving in circles.  I’d expected my week
off work to be for helping Laura organise her wedding, not for going on the
run.
    Lee
spun my seat until we came face to face. 
    I
saw enough to notice his pained expression.  I’d seen sufficient faces of
customers leaving the dental surgery to recognise pain; extraction,
fillings.  But this look struck me as different.  It was deep, an
inner pain. 
    Only
one question stood between knowing and not knowing how seriously to take the
threat.
    My
cheeks must have been glowing scarlet by now.  “Phillip told me Daryl’s
death was an accident, but that you’re not convinced.  Did your brother
jump, slip or what?” 
    “The
coroner ruled it as an accident.”
    “But
you don’t believe that, do you?  You wouldn’t be here if you did.”  I
took his silence as a bad sign and my heart twitched in my chest.  “Why
don’t you believe the ruling?” 
    His
lips didn’t part.
    “I
need to know.”  My voice sounded cracked at the guilt of hoping his
brother had committed suicide or slipped.  If so, the email meant
nothing.  I tugged his sleeve.  “What I need to know is, is this
email an empty threat?  You brought me here.  Don’t hold back on me
now.” 
    Leaning
in closer, wanting to untangle Lee’s locked-in thoughts, my gaze studied his
face.  He stonewalled me during an agonizing silence, which suggested he
gave his answer serious thought. 
    Lee
steepled his fingers, then stared point blank into my eyes.  “He seemed
worried about something, yes.  But not depressed.  When something
troubled him he usually went for a drive, not hike up a goddamn hill. 
Evidence may suggest an accident, but I knew my brother.”
    “So,
you think—”
    “Not
think.”  Lee pointed at the computer screen.  “Daryl was number
one.  I’m now convinced that whoever sent him this email, lured him
and pushed him to his death.”
    For
a second, I struggled to breathe.  Shit.  I’m number two. 
This is for real. 
    Lee
spoke again, but I didn’t listen.  The shock wouldn’t let me
concentrate. 
    I
wanted to get up and run out of the café, but the words ’pushed him’ seemed to
nail me to the chair. 
    “Chelsea,”
he said loudly, snapping me back to reality.
    My
gaze attached to his, silently requesting another explanation.  Somewhere
below awareness, I knew I’d expected chilling news.  But not to this
extent.  “Tell me this is a wind up so I can go back to my friend, play
the doting bridesmaid, and forget the whole thing.”  In my head, I began
conjuring up alternative meanings.
    “I’m
sorry. 

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