Blind Justice Read Online Free PDF

new odor, a nauseating, putrid smell. The room seemed altered, strange.
    With considerable effort, she pushed herself to her feet, then congratulated herself on this supreme accomplishment. And then she saw his body sprawled on the floor, just a few feet away. Who was that— Tony? She kneeled beside him and put her hand over his. It was still warm.
    It was then she noticed his head, or more accurately, the place where his head should have been. She tried to suppress her gag reflex; she had to stay in control, to find out what had happened. A large star-shaped crater replaced the right side of his head; she could almost see straight through. A puddle of blood formed a grotesque halo around what was left; bits of skull and brain tissue were splattered on the floor.
    She saw a gun nearby. She picked it and held it close to her face. It was still warm, too, or so she imagined.
    The sound of the door slamming open was like a thunderbolt crashing in her head. She jumped, startled, and screamed. The gun fell to the floor.
    Several men rushed into the room. Was it three? Four? It was too hard to focus, too hard to see.
    “Freeze!” one of the men shouted. “Put your hands in the air.”
    What? Everything seemed shadowy, unreal. What is going on? Why are they pointing at me? I can’t under stand you.…
    “I said, put your hands in the air,” the man yelled, even louder than before. “Jim. Go.”
    A second man rushed forward. He forced his hands under her shoulders, pressing the heel of his palms against her breasts. He jerked her to her feet and slammed her face first against the wall.
    She began to cry. She felt his hands slapping her body. Why is he hurting me? Why is he here? Why can’t I understand anything?
    “My God,” she heard the man say, “look at this!” There was a short silence, and then the man was back, pressing his face next to hers. “You killed him!”
    She stared at him, barely comprehending. “I killed him.…”
    “God Almighty!” the man shouted. She could feel the spray of his spittle against her face. “What kind of monster are you?”
    He grabbed her long hair at the neck and shoved her across the room. But I can’t go yet, she thought. I’m not finished here; I’m not finished! But the man kept on pushing. It was no use. It was too late. It was much too late.

5
    B EN AWOKE TO AN unusual sensation—scratchy and suffocating and… furry! His eyes opened. And all he could see was a vast expanse of cat hair.
    He shot upright in his bed, coughing and sputtering and wiping cat hair out of his mouth. It was Giselle, snuggling against his face. She jumped into his lap and purred, obviously glad he was finally awake.
    “Look, Giselle,” Ben said, “we’re going to have a few rules around here. Number one, my bed is off limits.” He picked her up and tossed her out the door. After a quick stop in the bathroom, he went into the kitchen and hunted for the cat food he’d bought the night before. She hadn’t eaten any of it last night, but he figured by now she would be hungry enough to come down off her pedestal and eat ordinary food like the rest of the household.
    He poured the food onto a plate on the floor. Giselle scampered up to it, sniffed for a moment, then stalked away with a sour expression on her face.
    “Look, cat,” Ben said, “I’m not giving in here. If I start giving you that expensive gourmet food, you’ll want it for the rest of your life.”
    She pattered into the living room, not deigning to look back at him.
    “You might as well give it up now, Giselle. I’m not going to let some cat run my life. This food is every bit as tasty as that expensive stuff, and much better for you.”
    Giselle settled into Ben’s only easy chair without so much as looking back at him. If it was possible to get the cold shoulder treatment from a cat, Ben suspected this was pretty much what it would be like.
    Fine. He wasn’t going hungry just because his cat wouldn’t eat. He opened