Amid the Shadows Read Online Free PDF Page A

“Then why didn’t we see huge
amounts of blood on the stairs or across the parking lot too?”
    Griffin took a drink of
his soda.   “Maybe they bled out by then
which means the other three would have had another body to carry…”
    “Which slows them down,
adds more weight, another source of blood droplets…all of which we don’t see.”
    Griffin shook his
head.   “It doesn’t work.”   He thought for a minute, absently watching a
woman walk by with her dog.   “Okay, let’s
forget the other three in the parking lot for the moment.   Why would the person in the hall, who was
hemorrhaging, simply be standing there?”
    Buckley shrugged and
downed his last piece of hot dog.   “Deciding which way to run?”
    “I don’t think so.   It doesn’t take that long to pick a
direction, a few seconds maybe.   And even
if he did, there was no other trail of blood downstairs or around the hotel.”
    “So where did he go?”
asked Buckley.
    “I don’t know.”
    Buckley finished his
soda and tossed his cup in a nearby trash can.   “So, let me ask you something else, is it just me or are you wondering
why it would take four guys, at least, to take down one single mother?”
    Griffin folded his
arms.   “I’ve been wondering the same
thing.   And the amount of damage to that
room was incredible.   How much fight does
one woman have against four attackers?”
    “Or more.”
    “And when and how did
little Sarah escape?”   Griffin wondered
out loud.   He suddenly looked at
Buckley.   “What if the person in the hall
was looking for Sarah?”
    “And simply stopped
looking because he was bleeding too badly.”
    “That fits.”   Griffin said.   “But why would they not go with the other three?   Wouldn’t that be their best chance at getting
treatment somewhere?   It still doesn’t
make sense.”
    Buckley reached into
the car and grabbed his cell phone.   It
had a voice mail on it.   He dialed the
number and listened.   With the phone
still next to his ear, he looked at Griffin.   “Roberts says she left you a voice mail.”
    Surprised, Griffin
pulled his own phone out of his pocket.   He frowned and rolled his eyes, holding it up for Buckley to see.   “Damn thing turned off again.   I think my battery is dying.”
    “You’ve got to get a
new phone,” Buckley said pulling out a small notepad and writing on it.
    “What’s the message?”
    Buckley finished
writing and hung up his phone.   “She says
they have an address for Barbara Baxter’s work.   Ready for a ride upstate?”

 
 
    Albany, New York, was
just over two hours away and had the distinction of being one of the oldest
surviving colonies from the newly discovered Americas.   First settled in 1614, it was located at the
north end of the Hudson River and now served as the state capital of New York.
    Just three blocks away
from the state capital building, Griffin and Buckley arrived at Simon &
Meyer, a small but prominent law firm.   Both
men were escorted to a conference room where they were joined by Aaron Meyer
and Karen McClay, manager of the firm’s support staff.   The two were devastated when they heard the
news about Barbara.
    “Who on earth would do
something like that?” asked Meyer incredulously.   McClay sat beside him weeping.
    “That’s what we’re
trying to find out,” said Griffin.   He
reached for a tissue box behind him and passed it to Karen.
    “Can you tell us how
long Barbara worked here?” asked Buckley.
    “Years,” replied Meyer,
trying to think.   “Five, maybe six years.”
    “Did she have any
problems that you’re aware of?”
    Meyer shook his
head.   “At work?   God no, she was incredible.   She worked hard and was as sharp as a
tack.”   He looked at Karen, who was still
struggling.   “I don’t really know much
about her home life. Karen might.”
    Karen looked up, but
still couldn’t stop crying long enough to get the words out.   After a long time, she