Seeing Red Read Online Free PDF

naturally, he’s been ordered to have no contact with the victim’s—with your family.”
    Greg’s stomach wanted to expel the coffee he’d consumed. “So it’s too late to send the bastard back to prison?”
    “Unless he violates parole, sir.”
    Greg scoffed. “And somebody catches him.”
    “As with all law enforcement, I’m afraid the probation department is understaffed. I’ll give you his parole officer’s name and number in case you have a complaint.”
    With the number of offenders out there and with the understaffing problem, a parole officer keeping a real eye on Hollis Alexander would be like a man trying to watch one fiddler crab in a marsh full of them.
    Greg shifted gears. “So why weren’t we informed about his parole hearing? We’re registered. We’ve been given thirty days’ advance notice in the past. If we’d been there, he wouldn’t have gone free.”
    “Mr. Reinhardt, he isn’t free—”
    “Let’s not get into a semantics discussion. He’s out. He has a life after he robbed my daughter of hers. We should have been able to present our case at the hearing.”
    “Let me go back and check something.” More keyboard clickety-clacks followed. “Hmmm, that doesn’t make sense.”
    “What?”
    “According to my records, you’ve been removed from the notification list.”
    “That’s impossible. If you’re trying to cover up incompetence—”
    “Oh, no, Mr. Reinhardt. This was taken out of the system before I transferred here. Besides”—her voice grew slightly testy—“our service is a courtesy to victims and their families. We have no reason to hide our mistakes.”
    “When was it removed?”
    “Umm, looks like September before last. It’s marked as requested by the next of kin.”
    “I
did not
request it.”
    “Perhaps your wife, then?”
    With a muttered curse, Greg slammed down the phone.
    It was eight-forty a.m. when Ellis heard footsteps coming up the outside staircase that led to her front door. Her gaze darted to the alarm control panel. The reassuring red “armed” light gazed back. She snatched up the cordless phone and tiptoed to the door. Just as she leaned close to look out the peephole, a soft knock sounded.
    “Ellis? It’s Dad.”
    As she disarmed the security system, she felt as foolish as a preacher caught in a lie. She had to get some perspective on this. If Alexander was freshly paroled, she doubted he would jeopardize his freedom so quickly. And if he
was
coming after her, he wouldn’t very likely do it in the light of day—or with a knock at her front door.
    She unlocked the door, then smiled over her shoulder at her dad as she headed to the kitchen. “You still like your coffee so it’ll walk to the table on its own?” Putting on a brave face was an important component in managing fear.
    “Only when your mother isn’t in sight. She’s got me on watered down decaf. Might as well drink dishwater,” he said glumly. “But however you take yours will be fine.” Somehow he made the statement sound both resigned and hopeful.
    As she prepared coffee, her dad went to the fridge. “Do you have any of those refrigerator cinnamon rolls, you know, the ones that have that doughboy on them?” He leaned into the refrigerator. “Criminy, you don’t have anything in here. What do you live on?”
    “I can make you some oatmeal.”
    “If I’d wanted oatmeal, I’d have eaten at home and gotten my brownie points for it.”
    Ellis turned around and leaned against the counter. “Does Mom know about Alexander?”
    He nodded. “She went over to tell your aunt Jodi in person.”
    “What did Uncle Greg say when you called him?” Her aunt and uncle had divorced thirteen years ago; Ellis’s mother had said it was because they dealt with their grief in such different ways.
    “He’s mad as a wildcat in a waterfall. I’m sure he was all over those people at Victim Services the minute they showed up to work.” Her dad opened the pantry door and