Deadfall by Robert Liparulo Page A

going to have to join Matchmaker. com. If you have that up here in Hicksville.”
    Every muscle in Laura’s body tensed; she wanted to scream, to cry, to fight, to do so many things.This man had provided confirmation of Dillon’s conviction and her fears. Keeping them all in her head would drive her crazy, so she pushed them all aside, except one: fight. She felt as though she could fly at him—just fly without benefit of using her legs to spring—and crush him by the sheer power of her hatred. But she sat, her sleeping son’s head in her lap, unable to do anything.
    The right side of Declan’s mouth edged up, but his eyes remained black and cold, reflecting, she was certain, the state of his soul.
    â€œNow here’s the problem,” he said. “I killed your husband, nice guy that he was.You’re the wife of a cop.” He caught himself. “Excuse me, you’re the wife of a dead cop. Probably pretty tough yourself. Know a thing or two about weapons. And I’m hearing from these good folks”—he pointed a thumb out the door toward the large community room beyond the offices, where he was holding many of her friends and neighbors against their wills—“that you’re a feisty one.” His smile grew broader. “Now, don’t get me wrong, I like my ladies feisty. But there’s a time and a place for everything, and this ain’t it for any heroics from you.”
    She stared and conjured the image of breaking his arms and legs. She didn’t know how she’d do it. She surprised herself even thinking it, but it had come to her, the way an appetite suddenly does when you smell fresh-baked cookies.
    â€œNothing personal against your hubby. Like I said, he seemed like a nice guy. But I needed to squash any thoughts of resistance in these folks before they thought them. I explained it all to Tom, and he was down with it.” He winked. “We don’t need anyone trying to fill his shoes.”
    The man behind her laughed at that.The teen snorted, suppressing the laughter inside. Declan glanced over her head and then at the teen.
    â€œInside joke,” he explained. “I hope you can appreciate the difficult situation I’m in. How much show of force does one need to control a town of two hundred and forty-two people?”
    The man behind her corrected him, “Two hundred forty.” He snickered.
    â€œOh yeah.Two-forty. How much power to break their fighting spirit but not drive them to rebellion? See, there’s a fine line between scaring people and making them angry. You’re more angry than scared, and that can mean trouble. So what do I do to change the equation? I can kill you next . . . or your son.”
    She put her hand over Dillon’s chest.
    Declan shook his head dismissively. “People tend to get weird when whole families are murdered, and I don’t want anyone getting weird . . . yet. Besides, as a lifelong resident of this fine town and wife of the sheriff, you probably know things I might find useful. So I’d rather keep you around.” He paused. “I could take your son, hold him somewhere. Keep you in line. But that could get messy and more work than I want to put into this.We might forget to feed him . . . and we’d be right back at your breaking point between scared and angry.”
    He stood and nodded at the man standing in the shadows. She felt hands on her arms, yanking her up. Before Dillon’s head hit the ground, the teen stepped forward and grabbed him with both hands by the shirt. He pulled the boy to his feet.
    â€œWhat?” Laura said. She twisted her shoulders, pumped her arms. The man’s grip was solid. She tried to kick him, but he was fast as well. He dragged her several steps backward.
    Dillon was instantly awake. Confusion etched his face. His sore eyes blinked. “Mom?” he said.
    She stopped fighting. “It’s okay,