No Cry For Help Read Online Free PDF

ones swallow worms like baby birds. It was no wonder he joined the red jackets.
    “Now come on,” Crow growled impatiently. “Tell me.”
    Marvin relented.
    “The detachment received a call from a concerned neighbor,” he said. “The caller said a cat was howling at Wallace’s door. It sounded like the thing was dying, so this neighbor went over to check. While he was there, he saw the front door slightly ajar and smeared blood on the handle. That’s when he called us.”
    Crow frowned. There wasn’t supposed to be anybody at home. The whole family had gone down to the States for the weekend.
    “Is anybody hurt?” he asked.
    “We don’t know,” said Marvin. “That’s the weird part. Inside, we found evidence of more blood on the floors. A lot of it. It appears someone made an attempt to clean it up. We found the mop in the garage.”
    Crow shook his head in disbelief. There was no way. Not Wallace. They had worked together for fifteen years. He was godfather to Crow’s two girls; Crow was godfather to his sons. Wallace was a goddamned hero. The mayor awarded him a special medal. He didn’t have an enemy in the world.
    “There’s been a mistake,” said Crow.
    “It’s not just the blood,” said Marvin.
    “Oh, Christ!”
    Crow felt his head spin and his stomach churn. Don’t let it be the boys . Please . Don’t .
    “There are no bodies,” said Marvin as though he was reading Crow’s mind, “but all of Alicia’s things are missing. Same with the boys. All their clothes, toys, toothbrushes, makeup, shoes, everything. There are no school photos or drawings on the fridge. It’s like they were never here.”
    Crow couldn’t comprehend what he was hearing.
    “How is that possible?” he asked.
    “Wallace’s stuff hasn’t been touched,” Marvin continued. “His clothes are hanging in the closet, his toothbrush is by the sink. All perfectly normal . . . if he was a bachelor. Add that to the blood on the floor and you’ve got a real messy situation.”
    The color drained from Crow’s face and his mind reeled at the unimaginable possibilities.
    “Wait a minute,” he said. “You’re saying Wallace did . . . did what? You think he killed his family?”
    “Killed them, dumped the bodies and erased all signs of them living here.”
    Crow snapped his teeth together. “No! That’s bullshit. Wallace lives for those boys and he would never harm a hair on Alicia’s head. He loves her, loves them . He wouldn’t just snap. No way. They’re his goddamn life.”
    “When did you see him last?” asked Marvin.
    “Yesterday. We were both working. Same shift.”
    “He seem okay?”
    “Yeah, he was fine. Crackin’ his usual lousy jokes, you know?”
    Crow remembered Wallace talking about going to Bellingham with the family for the weekend. The boys were stoked because the hotel had a swimming pool, and Alicia was looking forward to finding some bargains at the mall.
    “And you haven’t noticed anything odd in his behavior,” said Marvin. “Depression, anger, hitting the bottle, anything like that?”
    “Nothing.” Crow snapped his answer, not liking the question. It felt like he was being grilled and . . . when had Marvin grown a pair?
    “When was the last time you saw Alicia and the boys?” asked Marvin.
    Crow hesitated. Tried to think. Delilah saw Alicia all the time. They talked just about every day.
    “Last weekend,” said Crow.
    “You sure?”
    “Yeah, we all went to the park. The boys were kicking a soccer ball around. The girls played on the swings.”
    “Huh.”
    Crow cringed. He hated that type of vague response. It was so . . . cop like.
    “Wallace just has the one vehicle, right?” Marvin asked.
    “Yeah, the minivan. Is it around?”
    “No, it’s missing.”
    “Huh.” Give him a taste of his own medicine.
    “So why were you coming to see him? It’s late.”
    Marvin’s tone had changed and Crow knew he was no longer talking to his cousin. He was talking to a cop.
    “I