The Adventures of Lazarus Gray Read Online Free PDF Page B

were Vince and Coley and they were little more than vicious
dogs on two legs. They would have worked for Pemberley for free as
long as he kept providing violent entertainment.
    Vince’s voice carried a bit
more and his words were what had led to Pemberley’s decision to use
stealth. "That girl needs to be put down. Did you see what she did
to Jake? The guy looked like a prune when he died. It was like
every bit of water in the guy had been drained out!"
    Coley shifted his weight
from foot to foot. He was a good bit shorter than Vince and a lot
stockier. "The Doc says she can’t really control it so it ain’t her
fault."
    "A rabid animal attacks and
attacks ‘cause it’s sick in the brain," Vince retorted. "It ain’t
really its fault, right? But you still gotta kill it or it’s just
gonna hurt more people. Same with this dame."
    "The Doc says--"
    "I know what Pemberley
says! But the man’s got a screw loose and everybody knows it! I
like the guy ‘cause he keeps us busy, you know? But maybe this is
one time he ain’t thinking straight."
    "Gentlemen."
    Vince and Coley both froze
in place, their heads turning in unison toward Pemberley. He stood
very close to Vince, his hands pushed deep into the pockets of his
lab coat.
    "Boss," Vince said,
sounding a bit shaky. Though he was far larger than Pemberley,
there was no denying the fear that shone in his eyes. "I want to
explain."
    "There’s no need,"
Pemberley replied. "I understand completely."
    Vince sighed, looking
relieved. "You do? That’s great. I was just saying that I thought
maybe you were wrong on this one. Nobody’s perfect,
right?"
    "Certainly. I obviously
made a mistake when I hired you." Pemberley’s right hand slid from
his pocket, a scalpel held in his palm. The hallway light flashed
off its polished surface. Doc Pemberley swung the weapon with
practiced ease, expertly slicing through Vince’s throat in such a
way that there would be no hope of saving him. He was going to
bleed out right there in the hallway.
    Vince’s eyes widened and he
reached up with both hands to clutch at his throat. He staggered
away, bumping into Coley, who was watching him with a face bleached
of all color. Vince tumbled into the railing, his momentum causing
him to flip right over it. He fell to the first floor, landing with
a sickening thud.
    Pemberley reached out and
cleaned his scalpel on Coley’s lapel. "Is there anything you’d like
to say to me, Mr. Coley?"
    Coley blinked, swallowing
hard. "I’m sorry?"
    "Good enough for now. I
don’t brook insubordination. It makes me feel like I can’t trust
you. And we should all trust one another, shouldn’t we?"
    "You bet, boss."
    "Good. Now go clean up the
mess downstairs while I check in on Miss Nero."
    Coley hurried away,
grateful that he wasn’t sharing his partner’s fate. Not today, at
least.
     
    ***
     
    Samantha Grace walked
slowly toward the brownstone, her heels clicking on the
cobblestones. Morgan Watts was right behind her, his eyes glued to
the swaying motion of her hips. Though they engaged in constant
bantering, there was nothing particularly romantic about their
relationship. Morgan would certainly have been open to such a thing
but Samantha kept herself at a distance from most men and Morgan
wondered if she wasn’t secretly carrying a torch for Lazarus. He
hoped not, because he had a feeling that it would only lead to
heartache for the pretty girl.
    The Chief had dispatched
the two of them out here for reasons mostly unknown to Morgan. Gray
had simply said that he needed them to check in on the place and
that he had reason to suspect that Doc Pemberley or his associates
might be making use of the residence. Morgan was familiar with the
doctor, having bumped into him on many occasions back in his
criminal days. Pemberley had been a strange sort and Morgan had
made sure to never spend too much time alone with the
man.
    "Should we just give a
knock?" Samantha asked, standing outside the front door.
    "How