Out Of Control Read Online Free PDF Page A

the little
Nolan girls?
    He
watched her park her car near the concession stand, get out, and walk to the
picnic area. She stood, nearly as still as a statue, just staring around her as
if trying to visualize what had happened. How did she do what she did? Get
inside the minds of dead people and killers to find answers that eluded
everyone else.
    He
waited, wondering what she would do next. He was shocked at what he saw. She
stumbled to a tree and vomited, then dropped onto one of the picnic benches and
buried her head in her hands. From the way her shoulders shook, he knew she was
crying and they weren’t any ladylike tears. So she wasn’t such a cold fish
after all. Or was there something personal in all this? In the Marines, he’d
learned to read people fast. Sometimes his very life depended on it. And his
well-developed gut instinct told him. Something here just wasn’t adding up.
    He’d
do a little more digging on Miss Dana Moretti.
    Eventually
the tears must have dried up, because she dug a tissue out of her pocket, wiped
her eyes and blew her nose, and walked slowly back to her car. She looked up,
and for a moment, Cole thought she’d seen him. Then she climbed into the little
car, cranked the engine and tore out of the parking lot like every demon in the
world was after her.
    ****
    The
headache gestating since Dana got on the plane the day before was threatening
to emerge full blown. After the episode at the fairgrounds, she wanted only to
curl up in a fetal position and shut out the world. But she hadn’t checked out
her rental yet and she needed at least the minimum of groceries and supplies.
Freddie’s Gas and Go seemed the quickest answer.
    As
she moved through the small convenience store, she had the sense that every
pair of eyes was glued to her. Mulling over the presence of the “muckraker,” as
she’d sometimes been called, and what it was going to mean to them and the
county.
    From
what little she’d seen so far, it didn’t appear that High Ridge had experienced
a population explosion since she left, so she supposed it was just that a
strange face piqued everyone’s interest. She didn’t know if John Garrett had
mentioned to anyone what she was doing here, but she was sure Marion Jordan
had.
    Did
they react the same way Marion had? Did any of them read her books and
recognize her? Did the killer? Was he here somewhere?
    Dredging
up her best professional smile for the clerk, she paid for her purchases and
carried them to her car. By the time she found the address on the directions
Jane Milburn had given her and brought everything inside, Dana’s head felt as
if she’d stuck it in a vise. Digging two aspirin from her purse, she swallowed
them with a glass of water at the sink, closed her eyes, and willed the pain in
her head to subside.
    The
house was comfortably furnished and had obviously been recently cleaned, but it
still had the stale, closed-in feeling that suddenly made her claustrophobic.
Dana opened a couple of windows, welcoming the rush of air. She took time to
put away her groceries, knowing she should put something in her empty stomach,
but even the thought of food made her stomach heave again. What she needed
first was something to ease the mental strain gripping her body. Something
mindless to make her forget for a while why she was here.
    When
her nerves were strung this tight, physical exercise usually did it for her.
Deciding to take a run through her new neighborhood, she changed into shorts
and a T-shirt and laced up her jogging shoes. What better way to familiarize
herself with the area?
    She
glanced around as she moved from the front porch to the wide sidewalk. A nice,
neat neighborhood. Well kept. Quiet. Exactly the environment she needed.
    Taking
a deep breath, she headed off, setting her pace, lengthening her stride as her
body fell into the familiar rhythm. As her muscles stretched, she felt the
tension ease. The evening air had a fresh smell to it, and a soft breeze