The Evil That Men Do Read Online Free PDF Page B

rang. He answered and quickly said, “Yeah, you can tell ’em. And get the tunnels and bridges open.”
    He closed the phone and said, “We know things we can’t let on. We know this isn’t Al Qaeda or any of those organizations. They would have taken credit. So now we have to interview suspects.”
    “Are you saying I’m a suspect?”
    Draxton spread his hands. “I’m saying you probably know something.”
    “I don’t.”
    Now the agent nodded. “I’m sure you don’t. Let me ask you something. Are there people out there who dislike you?”
    “I’m sure there are people who aren’t happy with me. I’m sure someone didn’t like a dish that was served there. Customers are unhappy all the time.”
    “You know that’s not what I mean.”
    “What would you like me to say? I haven’t a clue what’s going on. I’m fucking tired and I want to go home to see my wife.”
    “Have you been in competition with any other restaurants?”
    “There’s always competition.”
    “Friendly?”
    “Yes. When we opened, the Chicken Roost owners came down to eat at our restaurant. Brought a bottle of wine, spent a fortune, tipped our waitress great. But then they asked us to come eat there. I never went. We’ve been rivals ever since. But nothing like this would come of it.”
    Carter shifted in his seat. The damned Starbucks stools were the least comfortable chairs he’d ever sat in. They should have gone for the couches. But Carter was pretty sure Draxton wanted them to sit in these seats for some reason.
    “When can I go home?” Carter asked.
    “We’ll get someone to drive you home now,” Draxton said. “Just one more question.”
    “What’s that?”
    “Do we have any reason to be worried about your Montclair restaurant?”
    Carter shifted again. What should he tell them? There was every reason to be worried about it. But if he said yes, the feds would want to know
why
he was worried. And he couldn’t tell them that.
    He took a deep breath.
    “No,” he said. “There is absolutely no reason to be concerned. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to let my wife know I’ll be home soon.”
     
CHAPTER 8
     
    HIS MOTHER WAS AWAKE WHEN DONNE VISITED her the next morning. She was still lying in the bed, but her eyes were focused as she took him in. Her mouth opened to speak, and he braced himself.
    “Jackson?” she said with a hoarse voice.
    He reached over to a cup of water and helped her sip some.
    “Yeah, Mom. It’s me.” Today she didn’t think he was her father. Progress.
    “I want to go home,” she said, her voice loosening up a little. Donne wondered when she last spoke. Was it yesterday when he was visiting?
    “I know,” he said. “Maybe soon.”
    “Thank you. I miss my house.”
    She sipped some more water.
    Outside the room, Donne could hear a woman screaming. She wanted to go home too. She just announced it more forcefully.
    “I miss you too, Jackson,” she said.
    Donne didn’t know how much time he had before his mother’s focus faded into oblivion. He wanted her to know what happened. But it could completely mess her up, set her back.
    She put her hand in his.
    His mother should know. She was still human, she was still alive. She should know about her own brother.
    “Mom, I have some bad news.”
    His mother didn’t speak. She blinked.
    “Aunt Faye and Uncle George died yesterday. Someone shot them.”
    Outside the screaming woman stopped. In the hallway, the only sounds were the beeping of medical machines. His mother leaned back in the bed and shut her eyes. Donne wondered if she understood.
    “Daddy,” she said.
    He squeezed her hand, sure he’d lost her focus. The news was too much for her to handle. He had sent her back into the abyss that her life had been swimming in. A small tear trickled from the corner of her left eye. She returned the squeeze.
    “This is all your fault, Daddy,” she said.
    “What?” he asked. “Mom, what did you say?”
    Behind him one of the