Heartbreaker Read Online Free PDF Page A

them, succeeding pretty well. He did not know whether Krey had any idea about where that woman was leading them, but he knew for sure he didn't.
    Eventually they came in view of a large and short building standing in a quite deserted area of the Twilight Zone, that peculiar part of the city which acted as a borderline between the center – with its offices and shops, mostly inhabited during the day – and the suburbs, mostly made up of houses to which people went back at night. It was easy to understand they were there, due to the clear contrast between the two urban areas delimiting it, hard to miss. Understanding which were the precise coordinates, though, was quite harder.
    «What's that?» Shim asked, expecting an answer from Vivienne. It was Krey who gave it instead. «A disco.»
    Shim turned to look at his officer even though all he could see in the scarcely lit space in front of the building was a red stain on the black background of the night, slightly brighter in the face and dimmer where his clothes retained his body heat.
    «Did you know it already?» he asked.
    «No, it's written above the door.»
    Knowing that he wouldn't even be able to see the door if he tried, he didn't waste his time.
    «In the past it was a discotheque» Vivienne confirmed. «It was closed a long time ago, and at the time being it is used for a different purpose. You will see. But before going in, detective, I wish that you have a clear mind about the terms of our agreement. Nothing of what you will see or hear does concern you this night, with the exception of what is related to your investigation.»
    Shim sighed. «I will remember. And I also remember that you told me I won’t see any crime being committed tonight.»
    «I do not know anyone who would hold a promise like that, detective. All that I can assure you is that what I want you to see does not directly contravene any law. If you should see anyone doing criminal acts, I will not ask you to pretend you have not seen it. I only ask you to act only if you are sure of what you have seen.»
    «We are tough-headed, not hot-headed», Shim replied, not talking about himself and the officer with him, rather about the race he belonged to. Vivienne seemed to appreciate the answer, as she moved on to the door and knocked in a way that was just too random not to be extremely prepared. Someone opened just enough to look outside, then the door was opened all the way and the three could enter the place.

    The inside was darker than the outside. Shim wasn't able to understand who or what had opened the door, he just passed by a figure radiating nothing more than a faint heat, almost impossible for his eyes to see, and completely impossible for him to make a sense of. Vivienne looked like a small pinkish ball floating in the air in front of him, the cloak shielded all the rest of her, making it invisible for the dwarf but surely not for his companion, who indeed was already following her. Shim stopped him brushing his arm with one hand, and gestured for him to slow down. He wanted to be as careful as possible, even though the situation didn't allow for too much prudence.
    Soon they were able to see a trembling light, toward which they were going. Then the woman turned around a corner and following her was almost a shock for both of them, as they suddenly found themselves in a lit room. The light was not too strong actually, and came only from a large quantity of candles burning slowly, filling the air with the typical smell of hot wax, but the contrast with the darkness before made it look amplified, and Krey had to shield his eyes with one hand not to be blinded by it.
    What once must have been the main room of the disco had been completely emptied, painted something that could be a matte black or a very dark gray – it was unlikely to be its original color – and refurnished, at least if an apparently endless series of tall dark iron chandeliers could be called furniture. There weren't any