An Evil Mind--A Suspense Novel Read Online Free PDF Page A

him.
    Leonard Barlow’s office was a fifteen-minute drive from Dallas PD headquarters. Mark called him and made an appointment for tomorrow morning. He did not tell the lawyer it was about Edward Phillips.
     
    3
    At half past four Mark picked up Sam Curtis’s pistol at the crime lab. When he was halfway to police headquarters, his phone rang. It was Detective Aguero.
    “You asked me to call you,” Aguero said.
    “How are you doing, Detective? I really appreciate you calling me.” Mark put on his blinker and began to pull over.
    “Are you busy?”
    “No.”
    Mark brought the car to a stop and turned off the engine.
    “You said you wanted to discuss the Sumner case.”
    “Yes. I have a few questions I want to ask you.”
    “Ok, shoot.”
    “Do you have any suspects?”
    “No.”
    “Are there any persons of interest?”
    “There was one, Laura’s ex-boyfriend, but we cleared him.”
    “Did you find any fingerprints or DNA evidence?”
    “No, we didn’t.”
    “Did you interview a man named Sam Curtis?”
    “No.”
    “Has his name ever come up?”
    “No. Why are you interested in this case, Mark?”
    Mark looked out his window and watched a fuel truck pass by. He could barely hear the traffic.
    “Have you heard of Helen Hinton?”
    “No.”
    “She’s my daughter. She was murdered the same way as Laura Sumner.”
    “I’m sorry about your daughter. When was she killed?”
    “Last December. They found the killer.”
    “Is he in custody?”
    “Yes. He’s in prison awaiting execution.”
    “Do you think there’s a connection between these murders?”
    “I don’t know. Maybe.”
    There was a silence on the line. Then Aguero said, “I’m going to look into this. I’ll let you know if I find something.”
    “Okay. Thank you.”
     
     
     
     

Chapter 5
     
    1
    “Did you murder Helen Hinton?” Jeff asked.
    “No,” Sam replied.
    “I know you killed her. I have proof. We found your DNA on her body.”
    “It’s impossible. I didn’t kill anyone.”
    “If you confess, the DA will take the death penalty off the table. Do you want to live, Sam?”
    “You got the wrong guy. I didn’t kill Helen Hinton.”
    “Will you take a lie detector test?”
    “No.”
    “Why?”
    Sam thought for a long moment and said, “I don’t know to say. What should I say?”
    “Tell them you think that lie detector tests are unreliable.”
    “Got it.”
    Five minutes later Sam saw what looked like a human figure far down the road. A rush of excitement filled him, the kind a hunter felt when he found his prey.
    “I think I see a hitchhiker.” Sam pointed down the highway.
    Jeff leaned forward between the front seats and said, “Yeah, it does look like a hitchhiker.”
    “Let’s pick him up.”
    People rarely hitchhiked these days, so they had to seize this opportunity.
    “Why?” Jeff asked.
    Sam explained, and Jeff nodded agreement.
    When they were about fifty feet from the hitchhiker, Sam pulled over to the side of the road and honked the horn.
    “Don’t put him to sleep right away,” he said to Jeff. “Wait five, ten minutes.”
    “Okay.”
    The hitchhiker was a man; he wore jeans and a fleece jacket, and had no bags. As he approached the car, Sam rolled down his window.
    “Where are you headed, bro?” Sam asked the man, smiling.
    “Rockwall.”
    The hitchhiker was in his twenties and had a stubbly face and short dark hair.
    “We can take you there. It’s right on our way.”
    “Awesome! Thanks a lot.” The man’s lips drew back in a wide grin. He opened the front passenger door and got in the Ford Explorer.
    “What’s your name?” Sam asked, pressing the gas pedal.
    “Edgar.”
    “I’m Sam. And this is Jeff. He’s my uncle.”
    Edgar turned to Jeff and said, “Nice to meet you, Jeff.”
    “Nice to meet you.” Jeff shook Edgar’s hand.
    Seeing that the hitchhiker hadn’t fastened his seat belt, Sam said, “Buckle up, bro.”
    This suggestion was supposed to make Edgar believe