Company Man Read Online Free PDF Page A

surrounded by slick white entrails. The blood was concentrated in a dark cloud around the carcass; the water got lighter, pinkish as it got farther away from the furry brown mass.
    The corpse wasn’t immediately recognizable as Barney, their old Lab/Golden Retriever. It took a second glance, a struggle with disbelief. On the bluestone not far from where Julia knelt, keening, was a blood-slick, carbon-steel Henckels knife from their kitchen set.
    Many things immediately made sense, now: the unusual police presence, the questioning, even the absence of Barney’s usual barked greeting when Nick arrived.
    A couple of policemen were busy taking pictures, talking to one another, their low conversations punctuated by static blasts from their radios. They seemed to be chatting casually, as if nothing unusual had happened. Business as usual to them. No one was expressing sympathy or concern. Nick felt a flash of rage, but the main thing now was to comfort his daughter.
    He rushed to her, sank to his knees, put a hand on her back. “Baby,” he said. “Baby.”
    She turned, flung her arms around his neck, let out a wail. Her gasping breath was hot and moist. He held her tight as if he could squeeze the trauma out of her little body, make everything normal again, make her feel safe.
    â€œOh, baby, I’m so sorry.” Her gasps were like spasms, hiccups. He held her even tighter. The copious flow of her tears pooled in the hollow of his neck. He could feel it soak his shirt.
    Â 
    Ten minutes later, when Marta had taken Julia inside, Nick spoke to Officer Manzi. He made no effort this time to contain his fury. “What the fuck are you guys going to do about this?” Nick thundered. “What the hell are you waiting for? These break-ins have been going on for months already, and you haven’t done a damned thing about it.”
    â€œExcuse me, sir,” Manzi said blandly.
    â€œYou haven’t assigned a detective to the case, you haven’t done any investigation, you haven’t gone through the lists of laid-off Stratton employees. You’ve had months to stop this fucking madman. What are you waiting for? Does this lunatic have to murder one of my kids before you take it seriously?”
    Manzi’s detachment—did Nick detect a smug sort of amusement, was that possible?—was infuriating. “Well, sir, as I said, you might want to think about upgrading your security—”
    â€œ My security? What about you guys? Isn’t this your goddamned job ?”
    â€œYou said it yourself, sir—you laid off five thousand Stratton employees. That’s going to create more enemies than we can possibly protect you against. You should really upgrade your security system.”
    â€œYeah, and what are you going to do? How are you going to protect my family?”
    â€œI’ll be honest with you, sir. Stalking cases are some of our hardest.”
    â€œMeaning you pretty much can’t do shit, is that right?”
    Manzi shrugged. “You said it. I didn’t.”

4
    After the police left, Nick tried for a long while to console his daughter. He called to cancel her piano lesson, then sat with her, talking a bit, mostly hugging. When she seemed stable, Nick left her in Marta’s care and returned to the office for a largely unproductive afternoon.
    By the time he returned home, Julia was asleep and Marta was in the family room, watching a movie about a baby who talks with Bruce Willis’s voice.
    â€œWhere’s Julia?” Nick asked.
    â€œShe’s asleep,” Marta said sadly. “She was okay by the time she went to bed. But she cried a lot, Nick.”
    Nick shook his head. “That poor baby. This is going to be hardest on her, I think. Barney was Laura’s dog, really. To Julia, Barney…” He fell silent. “Is Lucas upstairs?”
    â€œHe called from a friend’s house, said they’re working on their