Читать книгу Don’t Look Twice - Andrew Gross, Andrew Gross - Страница 8

CHAPTER THREE

“Jess!”

It may have only been an instant—the same terrifying instant in which he begged his lifeless legs to move.

But in the freeze-frame of that moment, Hauck was hurtled back.

To Jessie—only six. In a Teletubby T-shirt, cross-legged on the grass outside their two-family home in Woodside, Queens. Curled up there, she looked as clear to him then as she did now.

All they heard was her shriek. “Mommy! Daddy!”

He and Beth, rushing to the kitchen window. Knowing immediately that something was wrong, seeing only their white van as it bounced silently down the embankment and came to a stop in the quiet street.

Jess—too scared to even point or move. Just frozen there. His and Beth’s eyes falling on the tiny yellow tugboat that their younger daughter, Norah, had been playing with only moments before. The truth taking hold of them. Petrifying them. Beth’s eyes already filled with terror and fleeing hope.

Oh, Ty, please, they said, don’t let this be happening. Please…

Now Hauck fixed on Jessie and ran over to her across the glass-strewn floor.

His daughter lay motionless, crimson matted on her sweatshirt. He lifted her by the shoulders. Blood spatter was all over her cheeks and chest. Frantically, Hauck searched her limp body for a wound.

Oh, Jesus, Jessie, no. He peeled back his daughter’s matted brown hair. This can’t be happening again!

Like an answer to his prayers, he felt her stir.

Just the slightest murmur. She blinked and slit open her dazed brown eyes.

“Daddy?”

“Yes, baby, yes…!” Hauck’s chest exploded in a spasm of joyful relief. “Oh yes, honey. Jessie, it’s me.”

Fright flared up in her. “Are they gone?”

“Yes, honey, they’re gone! It’s over. It’s going to be okay.” Hauck shut his eyes and felt tears stinging. Every bone in his body seemed to rattle in a joyful exhale. He drew his daughter up to him, squeezing her. He brushed the specks of blood off her cheek. “They’re gone.”

Behind him, Sunil slowly rose from behind the counter.

Hauck looked up at him. “Are you okay?”

The manager nodded, his dark brown skin blanched almost pale. “I think so.” Sweat glistened on his forehead.

“Call 911. Tell them there’s been a shooting. Tell them I’m here and we need immediate medical support.”

“Yes, Lieutenant, okay.” With eyes as white as moons, he scanned around the store. “Gracious God in heaven…”

Hauck lowered Jessie back down. “You just lay there, honey…let me look. Where are you hurt?” He carefully checked over her clothing but couldn’t find any wound. No signs of fresh blood seeping out.

“I don’t know, Daddy.”

“It doesn’t matter. You just stay there. Help will be here soon.”

He flipped open his cell phone and punched in the 431 line to the station that signaled Emergency.

The duty officer answered.

“This is Lieutenant Hauck. I’m at the Exxon station on Putnam and Holden. There’s been a shooting. The manager here just called in a 911. We have wounded. We need immediate medical response. Cars on the scene, EMTs, everything…”

“This is Reyes, sir. We’re already on it. We should have cars there any second…”

“Listen to me, Sergeant, I want you to put out an interagency APB on a red F250 pickup, Connecticut plates, ADJ…9…That’s all I could make out. Raised chassis, chrome rims. Shooter may be Hispanic and may be wearing a red bandana. When it left here it was headed south on Putnam. You get that out immediately, Sergeant, you hear?”

“I’m all on it, sir.”

Hauck hung up. He yanked off his fleece pullover and bunched it like a pillow underneath Jessie’s head. “You just sit tight, baby. Help’ll be here soon.”

She nodded hazily. “Okay…”

He checked her again. Miraculously, he couldn’t locate any direct wounds. Where the hell was all the blood coming from? Slowly, he felt his heart crawl back into his chest.

As a droplet of blood fell onto her sweatshirt.

Scared, Jessie looked up. “Daddy, you’re bleeding!”

Hauck felt for his neck, which was suddenly throbbing. A sticky red ooze came off in his hand. He felt his stomach turn.

“Daddy, you’re hurt!” Jessie said, lifting onto her elbows.

“Don’t worry,” Hauck said. But suddenly he wasn’t sure. “Sunil…”

The manager, who was now on the phone with his family, ran around the counter. “Yes, Lieutenant?”

“Go and see if anyone needs medical assistance out there…Tell them ambulances should be here in a second…”

“Yes, sir.” Sunil was about to run out, making a last broad sweep around the store. Suddenly he stopped. “Merciful God…” he muttered, gazing over Hauck’s shoulder.

Hauck stood up, following the manager’s crestfallen gaze. “Oh no…”

Suddenly it became clear where all the blood on Jessie had originated from. The man in the green down vest—who had smiled at them by the cooler and stepped up behind them in line…

He was on the floor, covered by toppled racks of magazines and candy, eyes like glass, his tortoiseshell frames thrown to the side.

In the center of his chest, dotting his brown Shetland sweater, were two dark red holes.