Beyond the Reflection’s Edge Read Online Free PDF

underwear fished out of a police charity bin, he felt comfortable, almost strangely so, especially considering the calamities that had crashed down on his life just hours before.
    Now able to rest and think, the ghastly image of his parents’ lifeless forms pulsed in his brain. The police had found no coffins in the prop room, so the bodies had to be in Mictar’s clutches. Why would that creep want them anyway? What else could he do that Dr. Simon hadn’t already done? The thoughts sizzled through his brain like electric shockwaves. He had to concentrate on something else or he’d go crazy.
    Leaning his head back, he cast a glance at Clara. Dressed in a purple jumper and matching shirt from the charity bin, she looked serene, far more peaceful than he expected. He couldn’t resist grinning at her outfit. It reminded him of aVoodoo priestess he had once seen as he passed by an alley in Port-au-Prince. She had fixed her dark eyes on him and chanted mysterious Creole verses into the midst of a boiling cauldron. Her brew suddenly spewed a plume of hot gasses and smoke. When it cleared, she was gone.
    Nathan shuddered. Too many mysterious things had happened in his life, and the mirror’s strange behavior seemed to top them all.
    Clara gazed out the windshield of the Jeep Cherokee they had rented “on credit,” as the sympathetic rental agent had termed their deal. After spending the night on a bench in the police station, she seemed wide awake, her eyes brimming with speculation. “Do you remember the field trip for our introduction to England class back when I first became your tutor?”
    Nathan squirmed in his blanket and stared out the side window, but with dawn just beginning to break, it was too dark to see much, only the silhouette of the retreating Chicago skyline framed by a rising orange glow. “Yeah. At Scotland Yard.”
    “Do you remember what a safe house is?”
    “I think so. A place where no one can find someone, like in a witness protection program.”
    “Exactly. I don’t know what your father learned about Mictar and Dr. Simon, but it’s obvious it led to his and your mother’s deaths, and you’re their next target.”
    “But I don’t know anything. Dad never told me much about his assignments.”
    “He kept them to himself to protect you, but the murderers don’t seem to care about that.” Clara pushed a button, turning off the Jeep’s global positioning system. “I’d better not leave any clues that might give away our destination.”
    Her last word throbbed in Nathan’s ears. Destination. It sounded final, like perdition, a place to stay away from. How bad could it be? An old spinster’s log cabin, squirreled away in a remote forest? There’d probably be nothing to do but play cribbagewith her and listen to her complain about aching bunions while country music squawked on scratchy vinyl records. Or maybe it would be even worse.
    He shook his head. It would be better not to ask. Clara would tell him soon enough. He thought about suggesting Dr. Malenkov’s house, but that would be too obvious. Mom’s stepfather’s home would be the first place they would look.
    “I’ll have to leave you at the safe house,” Clara continued, “and attend to some important details.”
    “Can I go with you? Nobody will be tailing you, will they?”
    “We can’t take any chances. Your father left me instructions in case something like this happened, and it’s my duty to follow his directives to the letter. After we make one stop on the way, I’ll get you settled at the house. But then I have to leave immediately to meet with your father’s lawyer to receive your parents’ estate for you. After that, I’ll return with some clothes for you and a replacement violin.”
    As new warmth flowed into Nathan’s cheeks, he pulled the blanket lower and dipped his chin close to his chest. He couldn’t believe it. His parents were dead and now he had to hole up in some stranger’s house. Not only