Lies That Bind: A Thriller by Maggie Barbieri

Author:Maggie Barbieri [Barbieri, Maggie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Literature & Fiction, United States, Mystery; Thriller & Suspense, Mystery, Amateur Sleuths, Women Sleuths, Thrillers & Suspense, Crime, Murder, Vigilante Justice, Crime Fiction, Thrillers
ISBN: 9781250011695
Amazon: B00M65AWLO
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Published: 2015-02-17T06:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 33

One way in, one way out.

She wished she had scoped this out a bit more, had used her head. But she could be impulsive, she knew that about herself, and not having a plan had gotten her in hot water before. It looked like it had again. She switched off the headlamp and stayed low to the ground. Outside, the sound of boots crunching on the dead, frozen leaves made her take cover behind a large tractor in one corner of the barn, moving along the ground slowly and carefully, cautious of making even one sound. She knelt beside the massive front wheel of the tractor.

She slowed her breathing, telling herself to get comfortable because she would likely be there a long time. It was still dark out, but black was turning to gray, meaning that dawn was close at hand. She hoped that she wouldn’t have to stay so long that daylight would break and take away any cover she might have had.

The door to the barn was still ajar and Maeve could tell by the movement of dust motes in the air that someone had entered. That, and the sound of raspy breathing, the hoarse inhales and exhales reminding her of the voice of the woman she spoke to a few days earlier when she called to inquire about Evelyn. She stayed perfectly still and waited, thinking that the person might call out to her or give some indication that she was in the barn. There was nothing, though; just some movement at the opening to the barn, a quick movement of some items on the long wooden table, and then an almost silent exit. The person left, sliding the barn door closed, leaving Maeve inside, her bones rattling inside her skin with fear.

Whoever this was, whoever resided in this house, wasn’t very curious. Maeve would have searched through every inch of the barn if she suspected someone was in there. And then, when she found them and ascertained that they were up to no good, which was the only conclusion to draw of someone hiding behind a tractor, she would likely shoot them. That was her way. Fortunately, the person with the shotgun didn’t share Maeve’s curiosity or bloodlust, two good things for her.

Outside, the Rambler came to life, its noisy muffler indicating that it likely hadn’t been changed in several decades. It drove off in a noisy clatter, down the street, past Maeve’s car, and to parts unknown. She looked at her watch and waited five full minutes before standing up, creeping out from behind the tractor, and then breaking into the fastest sprint she could away from the barn, down the road, taking care to run behind the first layer of trees that flanked the roads so that she wouldn’t be seen by a passing car, unlikely as it seemed one would come by at this hour in this deserted part of town.

Using her hands to bat away errant tree branches and still-attached dead leaves before they could hit her in the face, she reached the car in record time.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.