The Stranger Beside Me Read Online Free PDF Page A

what?”
    “Who? What? Where? When? Why? You don’t know much, do you? Look,” she said
    growing frustrated, “it would be easier if you just told me what you know.”
    Could she trust this girl with her story? She wondered. No, she thought, she couldn’t; but she had nothing to lose. So, Jo told her everything. Starting at the lake and skipping over her intimate encounter with John, she relayed her story to this young girl.
    “That’s it,” Jo said. “That’s all I remember.”
    “Hmm, that was pretty detailed. I mean, you’re clever enough to come up with a good cover story, but not that clever.”
    Jo ignored the insult. “You knew me before?”
    “Again, with the questions. Yeah, I knew you.” The girl hesitated. “We used to work together.”
    Jo didn’t know what to say to that. She had a feeling the girl was locked up because of something she’d done. “Tell me about our work.”
    “Work… well, work was fun- for a while. We made lots of money, got rid of a few douche bags, made more money, then…” She trailed off. “Why don’t you answer some of my questions for a change?” she said, changing the subject. “Tell me about that guy you were with.”
    “He’s just a guy I met.”
    “Mm-hmm. You know how I know you’re lying? Because every bit of your story was painfully detailed, except for the part about your mystery man.”
    The girl might have been young, but she was perceptive.
    “We used to work together, apparently.”
    “I didn’t recognize him.”
    “You saw him? Where?” Jo grew excited; John was still alive.
    “Earlier, they carried him past my little cage here.”
    “Carried? Was he dead?”
    She heard the girl sigh. “No, he was alive. You seriously care about this guy, don’t you?”
    “Yes.” The ease with which her answer came surprised her. Jo did care about him, even if they had a history.
    “So the two of you have been sleeping together for a while, eh?”
    “I don’t think that’s any of your business,” Jo said.
    “Spare me the prudish act Alison. I’ve heard all I need to hear.”
    A loud banging reverberated through the room. “Hey!” the girl shouted. “Let me out!”
    The banging sound continued as the girl pounded on the heavy door of her cell.
    Jo laughed. “You really think it’s that simple? I thought you were a smart girl. You really think they’re just going to walk down here and free you, because you asked?”
    “I thought you were a smart girl,” she answered mockingly. “They agreed to free me, if and when I found out what your story was and well… I got it. One point for Madison, zero for Alison.”
    Jo pulled at her restraints. She wanted to grab Madison and strangle her. Anger boiled up inside her. It was as if a spring of rage was stewing beneath the surface, dying to be set free.
    Jo had experienced a moment of release once when the man had attacked her. Now, she felt a similar impulse. She grabbed a spring on the bed and pulled. She gritted her teeth.
    Footsteps echoed down the hall. Someone was coming to free Madison. She felt like this was her chance for escape.
    Jo pulled hard, ripping free a sharp, rusty spring. She jammed the jagged edge into the cloth binding, ripping it. She freed one hand, then the next. She jumped out of bed and tiptoed to the door, the spring still in her hand.
    Metal bars lined the top of the door. On the bottom was a small slit, big enough to slide a food tray through.
    “You took your sweet time,” Madison said to the man in that hall as he opened her cell.
    “Take me to Nick. I’ve got what he wants.”
    “Yeah, we’ll see,” the man muttered.
    He pulled the door open wide and stepped back towards Jo’s door. She reached through the bars. Her arm barely fit. She grabbed the man’s collar and pulled him against the door. She drove the spring through the small opening at the bottom and stabbed the man in the back. She felt resistance as the sharp edge met his flesh. Jo pulled hard and