Had a Great Fall (An Olivia Thompson Mystery) Read Online Free PDF Page B

the dark.
    No one responded.
    Her vision finally started to pick up subtle outlines in the dark. She also discovered that while her left hand was tied to something, her right hand was free. When she reached beneath her to move the sharp object that was stabbing her, she learned that she was actually lying on a mattress. It was a hard mattress with springs poking her, but it was a mattress all the same.
    The room that she was in was small, with concrete walls on three sides and bars on the forth. It was best described as a prison cell. Only in this cell, she didn’t have to share bunk beds with anyone. She was alone.
    After she was able to adjust herself so that the springs weren’t completely making her miserable, she started groping at what was binding her left arm. It felt like some sort of large shackle, not something she could remove on her own in the dark. There was nothing she could do, no amount of struggling that would free her. She just had to wait.
    As she waited, Dani plotted her revenge on the person that had abducted her.
    It must’ve been hours later. The room was slowly filling with light from a small barred window near the ceiling. A door opened somewhere in the distance and loud footsteps came closer until the hulking figure stood just on the other side of the bars.
     

CHAPTER FIVE
    “You have been distracted all day, man.” Vince glanced over, taking his eyes off the road for just a second. “Trouble in paradise?”
    “I’m concentrating on the case,” Nate said, easily sidestepping his partner’s implication. “You should be concentrating on the road.”
    Vince laughed. “Further proving my point. You never let me drive.”
    “I’m feeling generous today.” Nate quickly checked his phone just in case he had missed a message from Olivia. It was her first day back at work since her abduction and injury. Even though Nate knew her attacker was in a coma in a hospital bed, he still felt uneasy about her resuming her normal life. It was part of why he had been so distracted. “Melanie’s friends weren’t very helpful. Let’s hope the other contacts have more to offer.”
    “They’re just college kids, Tucker. They are focused on classes and parties and getting laid. They aren’t paying attention to suspicious strangers that might abduct their friends.” Vince pulled his car into a spot in front of one of the dorm buildings. “Try not to make them cry this time.”
    Nate glared at him. It hadn’t entirely been his fault that the girls at the last stop had all become hysterical. They had already been upset because their sorority sister was dead. Nate’s questions were just bad timing. “Teenage girls have never been my biggest fans.”
    “I find that hard to believe.” Vince turned off the engine and opened his door. “Just try not to be a dick.”
    “Sure. And you should try not to be such a pushover. We need to get some answers soon.” Nate wasn’t interested in babying people that might have information. “Is this it?”
    “It is.” Vince looked up at the building. “Dani’s room is on the eighth floor. Her roommate should be home. When I called, she said she would wait for us.”
    They found their way inside and followed a group of laughing girls onto an elevator. Nate did his best to avoid eye contact, but they struck up a conversation anyway.
    “What’s with the suits?” The girl closest to Vince asked. She was clearly the pack leader.
    “Our capes are at the cleaners,” he replied with a smile. Vince was always too nice for his own good.
    The girls all giggled. The short one said, “I would’ve thought you were more of a shining armor kind of guy.”
    “Not since I gave up my horse,” Vince said.
    The elevator stopped on the eighth floor and Nate hurried out. The overwhelming smell of hair product and perfume was making his head swim.
    “Take care, ladies,” Vince said, shooting them one last smile.
    “Really?” Nate said after the door shut. “They are