Unseen by Karin Slaughter Page A

this. A different woman held her Glock. A different woman stared down this murderer, this child rapist. “Put the gun down.”
    Keith let out a sob. He whispered, “Please …”
    Waller turned the Sig on Lena. “I’ll kill you, then. How about that?”
    She glanced into the dark nothingness of the muzzle. “See if you make it up those stairs.”
    “Back the fuck up!” Waller screamed, spit flying from his mouth. “I’ll do it!”
    “Do it.” Lena was less than two feet away.
    “I will!”
    “Do it!” she screamed. “Pull the trigger, you fucking pussy!”
    Waller’s hand moved quickly. There wasn’t even a blur. One second, the Sig was pointed at Lena, the next it was pressed to hishead. His finger jerked. There was a flash, and the side of his head exploded.
    “Jesus Christ!” Keith slapped at the pieces of skull and brain that had sprayed his neck. “Christ!” He scrambled to get away, his feet sliding on the wet carpet.
    Lena braced her hand against the wall. All the buzz left her body. “Check on Mitch.”
    “Fuck!” Keith pushed himself up, stumbled from the room.
    “Jesus!”
    “Lee?” Paul trampled down the stairs, his voice filled with panic.
    “Get the paramedics!” she shouted back. Lena knelt down beside Mitch, made sure he knew she was there. “Take it easy,” she managed. “We’re getting help.”
    Mitch coughed. His chest heaved from the effort. His eyes were as wild as Keith’s.
    “What the—” Paul took in the scene with visible shock. “What—” He didn’t say anything else, just kicked the gun out of Waller’s hand like a guy with half his head missing was still a threat.
    DeShawn’s voice came from the other side of the basement. “Y’all okay?”
    “We’re okay. Stay where you are.” Lena sat back on her heels, slid her Glock back into the holster. She told Paul, “Waller shot himself in the head.”
    “No shit,” Paul said. “Mitch? Are you—”
    “Get me outta here.” Mitch reached up, touched his fingers to the bare bone of his skull. He stared at Lena. She couldn’t read his expression. Either he was terrified or impressed. She still wasn’t sure when he told her, “You gotta fuckin’ death wish.”
    “Come on.” Paul folded Mitch’s scalp back into place like it was a piece of cloth. “Can you stand up?”
    Mitch tried, but Paul did most of the lifting, telling Lena, “Branson’s five minutes out.”
    Lena felt something tickle her neck. She put her fingers to the spot and rubbed away the grit of Sid Waller’s brain. Flashlight beams came from the other end of the basement. Lena guessed most of the team had come down the stairs when they heard the gunshot.
    She shouted, “Jesus Christ, get out of here! Why do I have to keep reminding everybody that this is an active crime scene?”
    There were grumbles of protest, but no one challenged the order.
    Paul told her, “IA is gonna be all over this.”
    Lena didn’t answer. She was no stranger to Internal Affairs.
    “I’ll talk to Keith, make sure he’s on board.” Paul looped Mitch’s arm around his shoulders. He asked Lena, “You got your story straight?”
    “Just get Mitch upstairs.”
    Paul practically lifted Mitch’s feet off the ground as they staggered toward the basement stairs. The climb was cumbersome, but a couple of men had obviously disobeyed Lena’s orders and stuck around to help Paul carry Mitch out. She heard them walk clumsily through the kitchen, then they were finally gone.
    The house was silent. The wood creaked and flexed as the temperature started to change. The sun was coming up fast. There was a hint of white light seeping around the edges of the boarded-up windows.
    All of Lena’s energy had drained. Her vision was still hazy. The room felt off-kilter. A sense of separateness took hold. The aloneness turned lonely. She wanted Jared. She wanted him to rush into the room and put his arms around her. If she thought about it hard enough, she could almost