Spy Mom by Beth McMullen

Author:Beth McMullen
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Hyperion
Published: 2012-08-17T19:26:54.049000+00:00

38

“You’re bleeding,” Pauline points out as we pass two CHP cruisers hauling ass in the opposite direction. I wipe my nose, and my hand comes away smeared with red.

“Shit.” My face hurts, my body hurts. My heart aches. Pauline passes me an old spare diaper stashed in the glove box. I wipe my face and hand it back to her. I can see Theo in the rearview mirror.

“Are you okay, baby?” I ask as brightly as I can manage. He nods, thoughtfully.

“Yes, Mama. It was the man who won’t play trucks.”

“It was. Yes.”

“I don’t like them. I like my friends.”

“I like your friends too.”

“Okay,” Theo agrees and looks out the window. I don’t like to think about what I have done to my child in the course of a single day. I make a deal with myself to confront the guilt later, after I’ve had a shower and maybe a cocktail or seven.

Pauline sits quietly next to me, folding and unfolding the bloody diaper. I know what she is thinking.

“Was he dead?” she whispers finally. I assume she’s talking about Simon, but who knows?

“No. It would take a lot more than that to knock off Simon Still.”

“Doesn’t matter. I left him down. I’m done.”

I pat her on the thigh. “Don’t worry,” I say. “You did the right thing. And sometimes it works out in the end.” I see a long cold Russian winter in her future, but I don’t tell her that.

I also don’t tell her that Simon will be in the back of some minivan with tinted windows right now on the way to San Francisco International Airport. There, he will enter a secure waiting area and will be tended to by a doctor who will not even ask his name. After he’s patched up, he will board a private plane to Washington, D.C. Once back in the office, it will be business as usual. No one will ever ask him to explain what happened out here. He will simply keep chasing.

“And Blackford? Will they catch him?” Pauline sounds worried.

“He was wearing a climbing harness,” I point out. “The police will find a rope attached to the bridge and not much more. Blackford is probably halfway to Japan by now.” But I’m lying. He has unfinished business. And I will not be able to stop him.

“Your nose is bleeding again,” Pauline says, handing me back the diaper. We ride the rest of the way home in silence.

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.