Witch Lights Read Online Free PDF

disappeared. Personally. And that you might know something about my ex-wife and my son. Denny believes they might still be alive.”
    Lily’s eyes dimmed. “You know what the police and the FBI have said.”
    “Yes.” And they were smug, condescending shits. They’d talked down to him like he was a dim-witted hick in spite of his glowing service record and all the jihadists he’d gotten to confess during his stints at the black sites in the Mideast and eastern Europe. He fantasized about pounding their arrogant civilian faces beneath his fists. The higher up the chain they went, the deeper their heads were buried in their own asses, and the more willing they were to send men like him to die for no good reason.
    “But you don’t buy it.” He could tell she didn’t, either.
    “No. I don’t. I think they’re still alive. I think maybe he still has them.”
    Lily licked her lips. Pulled on a strand of her thick red hair. “Steve, Ray Simon was a very troubled man. A very sick, disturbed man. He murdered a dear friend of mine—a man who meant the world to me. He shot off his best friend’s head. And that poor young girl. I don’t know if you’ve seen the pictures—”
    “I have.” He had a printed copy in his hotel room, in the bulging manila folder with all the rest of his research. Crystal, her young body disemboweled and mangled beyond recognition.
    Lily shook her head. “I know it must be horrible for you. I can’t even imagine—” She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. “And the fact that he
got away with it.
” Her eyes narrowed. “That he’s still out there. Somewhere. Doing God knows what to other innocent people.”
    Steve’s stomach tightened. “They’re still alive. Ellen. And William. I’m sure of it. I don’t know
how
I’m so sure, but I know it. I feel it—that might sound stupid, but it’s my ex-wife and son, and I know they’re not dead.”
    “I don’t think that’s stupid at all.”
    “And I’m going to find them. I
will
find them. And Denny said you…that you might be able to help me.”
    Lily sat back, her head angled as if she were studying him. She reminded him of a cat. “There is nothing in the world that would make me happier than finding that murderous psychopath and bringing him to justice. He took away the most important person in my life. Someone I loved dearly. So though I can’t possibly imagine the extent of your loss—your former wife and your only son—it seems we have quite a bit in common. We’d both love to see that piece of shit brought to justice.”
    “I want to see him dead.” He stared into her eyes. They were bright green, almost neon. And strangely large, like the cartoon eyes in William’s manga comics. “I’m going to find Ellen and William. I know they’re alive. That’s why they haven’t been found—he took them with him, wherever he’s hiding. He latched on to them, for whatever sick reason, and he’s keeping them for himself. And when I find them, he’s going to have to deal with me. And he has no idea what he’s in for.”
    Lily leaned closer. Her blouse opened, and her perfume wafted across his face. She smelled good, and his hatred began to feel weirdly erotic. She reached out and put her hand on top of his. Cold, smooth flesh. “I like you, Steve.”
    Those eyes. Christ. So big. Almost like the eyes of a bug.
    “Let me ask you something. Can I trust you? Can I trust you to keep something between us?”
    He was getting dizzy. Hot. He hadn’t eaten breakfast. Just coffee. Too much coffee, obviously. His nerves were buzzing.
    “Look. Look at me, Steve. I need to know you will keep this secret. Look. Look at me. That’s right. Open up. Good. Just like that. Open up to me.”
    —
    It’s, like, 110 degrees, maybe 115, in the fucking shitty concrete cell, reeking of shit and piss and the blood of the guys who had been here before. The shrink is there, a BSCT guy, total psycho prick. But then they were all pretty much