shadows of salem 01 - shadow born Read Online Free PDF Page A

a lot like our guy.
    “Hey, Baxter…I think that’s Vox.”
    “Oh, yeah?” Baxter followed my gaze, and a smile curled his lips. “Sure looks like it. Let’s see if we can flag him down.”
    I arched an eyebrow as Baxter immediately began heading up the street. “You’re going to have to move a little faster than that if you want to catch up to him.”
    Baxter snorted. “I’m not an idiot, Chandler,” he said irritably. “I’m not in the habit of accosting citizens on the sidewalk. We’ll follow him to wherever he’s headed, then take him aside for a quick conversation.”
    My lips curled into a smile despite myself. “All right, if you say—”
    A muffled shriek cut my words off, and I jerked my head to the left just in time to see a guy in a ski mask burst out of the CVS, clutching a knife in one hand and a bulging paper bag in the other that I was willing to bet wasn’t filled with Slim Jims and Cheetos.
    “Dammit.” Baxter snarled under his breath as I rushed forward, probably because we were letting our drug-dealing accountant get away. But there was no way I was letting this guy rob a store right in front of our eyes.
    “Stop!” I shouted as my flats slapped against the cobblestones. Shit, that was uncomfortable. I was going to need to wear better shoes next time if I planned on making a habit of this. “Stop, police!”
    The guy briefly glanced over his shoulder, eyes wide with fear, which turned out to be a mistake. The epitome of grace, he tripped on one of the cobblestones and crashed face-first into the hard ground. The paper bag flew from his hand, and I grinned triumphantly as cash spilled onto the street.
    “Oh, no you don’t!” I shouted as he began to get onto his knees. I tackled him, then grabbed and twisted the wrist of the hand still clutching the knife. Yelping, his grip loosened, and the knife clattered to the ground, safely out of reach.
    “Police brutality!” he yelled as I yanked both his wrists behind his back, digging my knee into his sacrum to ensure he didn’t get up.
    “Yeah, yeah,” I muttered as I cuffed his wrists. “Tell it to someone who cares.”
    “I guess you didn’t need my help.” Baxter’s voice came from my right, and I looked up to see him standing there, both his eyebrows raised approvingly. The sight almost mollified me, until I remembered that he was a liar and was keeping secrets from me about my fiancé.
    “Yeah, well, just because I did the hard part doesn’t mean you get to put up your feet.” I yanked the perp to standing, then shoved him toward Baxter. “Read him his rights and take care of the paperwork. I’ll see if I can catch up with Vox.”
    “Wait!” Baxter called as I spun away. “You can’t just go walking off! You don’t have jurisdiction!”
    I ignored him, pushing through the crowd of gawkers and headed after our suspect before Baxter could say another word. Maybe I didn’t have jurisdiction, but I didn’t trust him, and I was better off working without him. Vox might not have anything to do with Tom’s death, but I had a sudden urge to go after him, and I didn’t need Baxter to take a single guy like him down.

CHAPTER 4
    K nowing that Baxter couldn’t very well stop me with his hands full of criminal, I hurried onward. I couldn’t tell you why, but something urged me to catch up with our original suspect despite the fact I hadn’t wanted to take this case in the first place. Call it Detective’s Intuition.
    As I walked, I touched lamp posts and shop windows, catching little glimpses of him here and there to make sure I was on the right track. These little visions had me take two right turns and then a left, and then I caught sight of Vox turning the corner. His disappearance from my view once again galvanized me into action, and I stepped off the sidewalk and onto the street so I could hurry after him without having to push through the crowded sidewalk.
    I rounded another corner just as Vox stepped into the