All the Things I Didn't See Read Online Free PDF Page A

now, and he needs to be with her.”
    For the past four years, Sam’s brother had worked as an environmental planner for the World Bank’s office in Vienna. Two years ago, he had married Miko, a financial analyst with the WB. The couple was expecting their first child.
    Josh suddenly remembered Sam telling him that his parents had planned to fly to Vienna for the birth of their first grandchild.
    “Oh shit, when were you supposed to leave?” He blushed when he realized he had cursed in front of Sam’s mom. “Sorry.”
    “Uh… Josh, you’ve met my son, right? He hasn’t watched his language around me since he was eight.” She chuckled a little before quickly sobering.
    “We were supposed to leave the day after tomorrow. But now we’ll wait until Sam’s okay before we leave.”
Josh loved how positive she seemed that Sam would be okay. Then again, she hadn’t seen him like Josh had, bleeding and so still. Sam was never still.
He felt the blood running from his face, and he started to sway. Mary quickly grabbed his hand and led him over to the sofa, pulling him down to sit beside her.
“Josh, do you think you could tell us what happened?”
She didn’t want to push the young man. It was obvious he was pretty much hanging on to his emotions by a thread, but she really needed to know how and, more importantly, why her son had been shot.
The nurse said that a detective had been by briefly, but he was called away almost as soon as he arrived, telling Josh he would be back to take his statement.
Josh leaned forward, putting his elbows on his knees and cradling his head in his hands. He tried to fit all the facts together in his head before starting.
“There was a production problem at the studio so we got an unexpected day off. We decided to check out a couple of the stores, you know, near Sam’s apartment?” Josh shuddered as the terrifying playback began.
“We were going for coffee after leaving The Bookmark, that bookshop he likes over on Avenue L?”
The pained expression on Josh’s face tore at Mary’s heart.
“I spotted this guy coming across the street toward us, and at first he looked… normal. He introduced himself to me, and I smiled at him, and he seemed nice enough. But then he looked at Sam and his whole expression changed. I mean, I didn’t understand it then, but he looked so angry, and it scared me.”
He remembered the whole horrific scene in minute detail, how something clenched in his throat, telling him this man was dangerous, especially for Sam, and he could feel it even now.
“I tried to get Sam to go back in the store, but you know Sam….” They all nodded, even Jared, and he had heard this story already.
    “Every time Sam spoke, the guy got angrier, and all I could think to do was get his attention away from Sam. But then the guy pulled out the gun, and I could feel Sam tense up behind me, and then he was trying to get around me as if to shield….”
Josh couldn’t breathe. His chest heaved, trying to get air it couldn’t find.
    Mary wanted to tell him to stop. She wanted to take him in her arms and keep him safe, but she knew he needed to finish.
Josh looked up into her eyes as if pleading with her to believe him.
    He continued. “I tried to keep Sam behind me, but he just kept pushing….” Tears began running down Josh’s cheeks, and his voice grew hoarse.
    “It all happened at once.” He swallowed hard. “That fucking cop shouted. What in the hell was he thinking? And the gun went off and somehow Sam was in front of me.” He leaned forward, hiding his face in his knees.
    “Sam—he was falling—and I caught him. I didn’t let him fall!” He looked up again, seeing Kenneth’s face, begging his forgiveness.
    Kenneth’s heart was breaking for the young man in front of him.
“That maniac, he fell—the cop shot him, I think….” He trailed off for a moment before continuing. “Sam was bleeding. His lips were moving but nothing was coming out, and I tried… oh