Savage Echoes (The Nickie Savage Series, Short Story Prequel) Read Online Free PDF

her, she saw she'd missed two calls. Duncan.
    "Nickie Savage," she said when she answered.
    He offered no sarcastic retort to her formal address. "I'm a few blocks from Tom Bradley's." His voice was chilled ice.
    Her eyes widened. It was him? It was the sex offender? She knew better than to question Duncan and didn't have the time. What the hell was she going to do with Lynx? "You step one foot on that property," she growled into the phone, "and I'll personally see to your booking. I'm on my way." Did she call the captain and tell him she needed a warrant because her boyfriend thought Tom Bradley abducted Serena Flats? Shit, shit, shit. She stepped out of her car.
    "Let's hit this guy in the morning," she said to Eddy. There was no time for explanations.
    "Was that pretty boy on the phone? Are you out past your curfew?"
    And she had no time for junior high taunting. Ignoring him, she got back in her car and did her best not to spin her tires.
    * * *
    Duncan leaned against his Barracuda. Streetlights lit nearly every house on the block. Tom Bradley's place wasn't one of them. Keeping it in his sight, he parked three doors down. He pulled up his sleeve and checked his watch.
    He wasn't a cop. The thought kept ringing in his ears.
    He could get a closer look without stepping one foot on the property . Checking that his Beretta was snug in the back of his pants, he pushed away from his car. The streets were bare. It was too cold to be out. The small houses were still mostly active. Late night neighborhood. Bradley's home wasn't an exception. Blinds drawn, a faint glow lit nearly every room. All Duncan could feel was the need to question Bradley.
    He maneuvered around the outside perimeter of the property to the back. Nothing ornate, but everything meticulous. Blinds drawn back here, too. He pictured each room as he circled. Something didn't sit right with him.
    He saw movement. It looked like one person. Not that Serena Flats would be walking around if she were in there. By the time he reached the other side of the house, he found his feet on the three wooden steps leading to the front door. His shoes were soft-soled and he hadn't knocked, but the door opened anyway.

 
     
     
    Chapter 5

     
    "We haven't been properly introduced." Bradley held out a hand. His long, thin fingers matched the elongated features of his face.
    Duncan should have been startled, but since nothing had startled him since he was eight years old, he shook Bradley's hand instead. "Duncan. Duncan Reed."
    Bradley stepped out of the way. "Not Officer Reed? Or Detective Reed? Interesting. Since you've seen the entire outside of my home, Duncan—I can call you Duncan, I presume—why don't you come in?"
    What was Bradley thinking? He wasn't thinking. Or maybe he was thinking too much. Duncan wiped his feet and stepped over the threshold. He wasn't a cop.
    He listened carefully for the sounds of movement, a voice... anything. Looking around, Duncan saw nothing out of place. Not a damned thing had been moved, added or removed from the last time he and Nickie were there. Nickie. She wouldn't be too happy about this.
    His phone rang in the pocket of his jacket.
    "Go ahead and tell her you're here, Duncan. Would you like something to drink? Brandy perhaps?"
    "I'm in," he said to the phone as he dipped his head into a side room on his way back to the kitchen. The feeling that something didn't sit right with him grew with each step. He couldn't hear anything; everything looked to be in order.
    A long line of curses reverberated through his mind.
    Leaning his head close to the hallway pantry, he listened as Bradley came out holding a tray with three glasses. Each had two fingers of brandy.
    "Tell her to come in. I told you I have nothing to hide." Bradley passed Duncan in the hallway and walked out to the front room. "I'm sure you've read my file, Duncan." He set the tray down and turned to face him. His small eyes squinted. "Or have you?"
    He hadn't and was kicking