Seven Wonders Read Online Free PDF Page B

a hostage. Mr Ballard refused to cooperate and the Cowl was going to kill a third civilian himself when…"
      Sam paused, hesitating.
      "When what, detective?"
      "When the Cowl was attacked by one of the civilians. It was impossible to see clearly, sir, it happened so fast. But the man charged the Cowl and carried him straight through the doors, and out into the city."
      "And the mercenaries?"
      "They must have been acting on standing orders. They immediately abandoned their hostages and their leader used some device. There was a flash… and I woke up on the floor. They were gone, along with Mr Ballard, the manager."
      "Uh-huh." The chief turned his back on Sam and Joe, and walked a few steps around the front of the car, towards the bank. Almost the entire stretch of the plate-glass frontage had been shattered by the impact of the Cowl and whoever it was who ran him out of the building. On the right and left, in almost perfect symmetry, were the abandoned black SUVs. Police tape had been stretched around them, but they had been left otherwise untouched for the forensic team which was on its way.
      Sam knew from past experience that the vehicles would not be booby-trapped, but she also knew that they wouldn't provide any data. The Cowl rarely left anything behind, but when he did, it was scrubbed clean. Just another couple of pieces of expensive non-evidence to take up space in a police storage warehouse.
      Gillespie walked over to the first SUV, peered into the windows, then beckoned Sam and Joe over, away from the other police.
      "If they had some kind of teleport facility, why did they make such a show of arriving in these things, waving guns around? Why didn't they just zap straight into the vault, take what they wanted, and zap out again. Why the theatrics?"
      Detective Joe Milano considered for a moment. "Because the Cowl is an asshole, sir?" Sam sighed, but amazingly the chief allowed himself a small chuckle. Joe folded his arms and continued.
      "It's part of his modus operandi; it's how he controls this city – with fear."
      Gillespie's reflection loomed large in the SUV's tinted window.
      "So what did the Cowl want here anyway? What's in the vault?"
      But Sam was already shaking her head before the chief even finished. "Nothing of interest, sir. Cash, customer records, nothing else. But the Cowl didn't want the vault, he wanted Mr Ballard. The Seven Wonders had entrusted him with something. That's why they took him."
      Gillespie turned from the vehicle and popped another cigarette into his mouth. "The Seven Assholes."
      Joe nodded. "Yeah, the Seven Wonders. Since when do they go undercover? Their identities are secret, they make damn sure of that. We've got CCTV angles covering the whole branch, so we should have a good record of the guy that took out the Cowl and dumped him in the ocean. But… could it really have been Linear, on his day off, or something? We'll have his face on the tape, but he would have known his actions would reveal his identity. I don't see a member of the Seven Wonders pulling a stunt like that. They'd just sit tight and let people die before revealing their real faces. They've never acted like this before."
      Sam laid a hand on Joe's arm, a dangerous thought sparking in her mind. "What, you're saying we have another superhero in San Ventura?"
      Joe nodded. "Could be. The secrecy of their identities is paramount. Linear wouldn't perform on camera, even in the middle of one of the Cowl's schemes."
      The chief sighed, a deep, hollow sound like wind rushing through an underground cave. "That, detectives, is all we need. Now, go. Ponder on what you are going to put on your reports. I don't want to see you until tomorrow. Let uniforms clear this mess up. I'll get them to send you the bill."
      Dumping his unfinished cigarette to the sidewalk, Gillespie scuffed his shoes as he turned and headed back to his car. Joe unfolded his arms and