Sky Zone: A Novel (The Crittendon Files) Read Online Free PDF

chuckled.
    Years ago, when Everett Lester’s personal psychic turned up murdered, he was charged for the crime. That was when Everett started getting letters from a girl in Topeka, Kansas, named Karen Bayliss. The message of her letters eventually penetrated his heart, and he became a Christian. Against all odds, he was acquitted of the psychic’s murder, ended up marrying Karen, and now used his raspy Springsteen-like voice to stir millions of fans with the gospel.
    “My wife’s not going to believe we get to hang with Everett Lester,” Jack said. “She’s going to want to know every detail.”
    “They adopted a kid, didn’t they? I wonder if he’ll be with them.”
    Jack nodded. “Cole. I think he’s like ten or twelve.”
    “You’re going to have to at least get a picture to show your wife,” Sid said.
    Jack squinted. “We’re not supposed to.”
    “Oh, phht . We’ll get you a picture.”
    “Base to Charlie, base to Charlie.” Clarissa’s voice filled Jack’s headset again. “What is your twenty, Charlie? I repeat, what is your twenty?”
    A loud buzz shrieked inside the guardhouse next to the back door, startling Jack. He watched as the gray-haired security guard popped to his feet, eyed one of the many video screens on a panel above his desk, and spoke into an intercom. The guard pressed a button, walked around the corner, and opened the back door.
    An entourage of young men and women filed in. Then a healthy-looking Everett Lester entered with a smile and a handshake for the guard, followed by his wife and a boy with curly brown hair and freckles.
    “Here we go.” Sid bounced on his toes.
    “Larger than life,” Jack said. “They’ll come through this door. You ready?”
    Jack’s earpiece flooded with static. “This is base to Charlie, base to Charlie,” Clarissa barked. “What is your twenty, Charlie? I repeat, what is your twenty? Has anybody seen Charlie Clearwater?”
    “This is Tab. Last I heard his sweep was clear through club level. Over.”
    Jack pressed the Talk button on his headset. “This is Jack to base. I saw Charlie along the railing up in the Sky Zone a few minutes ago, after he’d swept the club level. Over.”
    “Steve? Where is Steve Basheer?” Clarissa said.
    “This is Steve, over.”
    “I need you to go up to the Sky Zone and check on Charlie. He’s not answering his radio.”
    “Ten-four. I’ll let you know when I get up there. Over.”
     

6
    Shakespeare’s house, three months earlier
    Pamela tiptoed through Sheena’s jumbled homeschool room with its heavy fingerprints on the walls and followed the men’s voices to the garage. It was dark and hot. Low-hanging fluorescent lights glowed above a massive tool bench. Various storage boxes and equipment dotted the cluttered room, which was obviously not used for parking cars.
    Shakespeare and Jack were standing next to a six-foot-tall metal storage cabinet. “So we cycle these foods into the house for consumption, then buy more for storage here,” Shakespeare was saying. “Come on in, Pam.”
    The cabinet was packed with containers of peanut butter, salt, coffee, spaghetti sauce, pepper rings, salsa, olive oil, tuna, evaporated milk, jam, soup, and more.
    “Over here we have our three-gallon bins.” Shakespeare opened a white plastic container. “We’ve got our beans, black-eyed peas, rice, yeast, potatoes, pasta …” He explained that he kept dry ice in some of the containers to freeze out any bugs. He opened another, revealing cornmeal, nuts, garlic, cornstarch, and vacuum-packed dry fruits.
    Before Pamela had time to process it all, Shakespeare had moved on to an apparatus next to the tool bench that looked like a moonshine still.
    “When the water gets poisoned or stops coming, for whatever reason, this little baby gives us water to drink and cook with,” he said. “Found it at a garage sale.”
    “What is it, a purifier?” asked Jack.
    “Distiller.” Shakespeare flipped open a metal lid.