Kill Switch Read Online Free PDF Page A

on the cheek. Girl stuck her tongue right down my throat.”
    â€œDid you enjoy it?”
    Quimby flashed the grin. “You’d like me to say yes, wouldn’t you? So you can tell all your buddies over a couple of beers.”
    â€œI can’t tell anyone what we discuss here,” she replied, “and the only thing I want is for you to tell me the truth. This isn’t a game we’re playing. Do you understand?”
    Her stern tone was enough to make Quimby back down. The grin disappeared.
    â€œHell, I was only nine,” he said. “I backed away and whined to Dad that she put her tongue in my mouth. He just laughs, says in a coupla years I won’t be able to get enough of her tongue. Then she asks Dad if I’m too young to ‘shoot’ my own gun and Dad says, ‘For now, yeah, but the kid likes to juggle.’ Sara leans in again and says, ‘Then I’ll bet he’s good with his hands. He should come with us.’ ”
    â€œDid you?”
    â€œNope. Dad says he’s taking Sara back to the trailer to check her receipts, meaning he’s gonna bang her. Says I can’t go because if I do, who’s gonna run the booth?”
    â€œHe left you there alone?”
    â€œWhy not? It was a slow Thursday afternoon, and there were plenty of carnies around in case somebody wanted to make trouble. I done it before and he trusted me. So I just kept shooting the BB gun in between customers, when all of a sudden here comes Mom through the gate in her nurse’s uniform.”
    â€œWhat did she want?”
    â€œWhat she always wanted—to catch Dad in the act. The carny was in Dyersville, only half an hour from home. Usually Dad would have me wait outside the trailer if we were that close, in case she showed up. He even gave me a whistle to blow to warn him.”
    â€œDid you?”
    â€œShould’ve. She didn’t see me at first, so I pulled the whistle out of my pocket, put it around my neck, and tried to sneak out from behind the booth when the one guy shooting a Thompson hits a bull’s-eye and starts screaming, ‘Who’s gonna give me my teddy bear?’ Mom hears him, turns, sees me, and comes running. I would’ve lost her except I tripped and she caught up.”
    Quimby stopped. His lower lip quivered.
    â€œWhat is it, Todd?” Claire asked, knowing she was getting close to a breakthrough.
    â€œI think I’m done now.”
    â€œDid she hit you?”
    Nothing. He looked down, trying to hide the tears welling up in his eyes.
    â€œI know it still hurts,” Claire said as comfortingly as she could. “It’s okay. You can see it, can’t you. You can see her.”
    He looked up after a long silence. “She choked me,” he said. “My mother choked me. With the chain from the whistle. ‘Daddy’ll come right away if I blow this,’ I told her. ‘Not this time,’ she says. She slaps me across the face. ‘You’re a liar,’ she says, ‘just like your father. Well, you’re both done lying to me.’ ”
    â€œShe knew where your father was.”
    â€œShe knew where the trailers were. She just looked for the one rocking back and forth like there was an earthquake, ran ahead of me, and went in. The music from the carousel was so loud. I just stood there. I couldn’t move.”
    Claire heard thunder in the distance, but she couldn’t move. “It’s okay,” she heard Amy say to her. “Mr. Winslow works with my dad.”
    Claire blinked away the image. Help him. Help him along. “And that’s when you heard the gunshots.”
    â€œPop-pop-pop-pop-pop-pop-pop-pop-pop,” he uttered. “I knew it couldn’t be from the shooting gallery ’cause we were too far away. So I ran up to the trailer. That’s when my mother came out and I smelled the burnt popcorn.”
    But Claire was looking at Mr. Winslow.