Winter and Night by S.J. Rozan Read Free Book Online Page A

curb and watched me. She stayed in my rearview mirror until a curve in the road set someone's home between us. She didn't wave, but she didn't turn away, either.
    * * *
    I headed into town, pulled into the lot behind the solid brick building that held the mayor's office, the town council chambers, the Warrenstown Police Department.
    "I'm Bill Smith," I told the cop behind the counter. The counter's brass rail gleamed under the old-fashioned ceiling globes. A WARRENSTOWN WARRIORS banner hung on the back wall, between a JUST SAY NO poster and one listing ways to TAKE A BITE OUT OF CRIME. "I'm a private investigator from New York. I'd like to speak to Detective Sullivan."
    "About what?" The cop, a muscled young guy with an open, friendly face, turned my card over in his hand, found nothing hidden on the back, looked at me again.
    "Gary Russell."
    He looked blank.
    "Runaway," I said. "Hasn't been home since Monday."
    "Oh, yeah. New kid in town. Sorry, now I remember." The cop grinned. He didn't look any older than Gary himself. "Sullivan's in a meeting." He said meeting as though having to be in one was one of the penalties of adulthood, and something he wasn't looking forward to when he got there.
    "When can I get him?"
    "Hour or two, probably."
    "Okay. I'll try later. Meanwhile, I'm in town. I'm driving a gray Acura." I gave him the license number. "My cell phone number's on the card. In case anyone has a problem with me."
    "You're what, investigating? This Gary Russell thing?"
    "That's right. Anything you can tell me?"
    "Oh, no, sir. It's just," he grinned, "I never met a private eye before."
    I'd met a lot of cops, so I just shook his hand and left.
    Helen had given me the addresses of kids she knew were Gary's friends. I'd have liked to talk to the police before I tackled them, but I could do it the other way. As I drove I called Lydia.
    "Anything?" I asked.
    "No. I've spread the picture around, and I'm talking to people at youth hot lines and places like that. I'm about to go down to Times Square and the East Village and talk to some kids myself."
    "Good. And do one more thing? There's a camp on Long Island, a sports camp called Hamlin's or something close. The Warrenstown varsity seniors are there for the week. It's a long shot, but Gary may be headed there."
    "Why?"
    "I don't know. But check it out, okay?"
    "Sure. How's it going out there?" It was what she'd have asked any time, on any case, but now I heard behind the words a different question.
    The answer to that one was long, though, and I didn't really know it. I said, "Nothing yet. I'll let you know."
    Briefly, silence. Then, "Okay. Be careful."
    "You, too." Something struck me. "Hey, Lydia? Speaking of careful: It seems my brother-in-law did go to New York. He may be covering the same territory you are."
    "I'll consider myself warned. You be careful," she said again, and hung up.
    The bright November sun and the quiet tree-lined streets brought me to a wood-frame house in the older part of town, yellow with white shutters, neatly trimmed hedge, red leaves spotting a clipped lawn. The door was answered by a short-haired woman about my own age, who didn't look happy when she read my card and I asked for her son.
    "What's this about?"
    "There's a boy missing, Mrs. Reed. Gary Russell. I'm working for the family. I'd like to ask Morgan a few questions."
    "The police have already been here. Morgan doesn't know anything."
    "I know they have. I won't be long."
    In the end, because another mother's son was missing, she agreed, providing she could stay. Expecting a fifteen-year-old to reveal any secrets with his mother in the room was like expecting snow in July, but I wasn't necessarily looking for secrets. And if I got a sense from Morgan that he had more to say than he'd say in front of his mother, I'd find a way to hear it.
    Mrs. Reed called up the stairs to her son. After the second call, "Yeah, awright!" floated from above, and after the third call a tall,