Cold Vengeance Read online

  Melvin Crew stopped, blinking in the bright sunlight.

  The shots rang out, so close together they sounded like firecrackers, and his father was abruptly punched back into the darkness of the doorway.

  “Dad!” screamed Gideon, leaping over the barrier and running across the hot asphalt of the parking lot. “Dad!”

  Shouts erupted behind him, cries of “Who’s that kid?” and “Hold fire!”

  He leapt the curb and cut across the lawn toward the entrance. Figures raced forward to intercept him.

  “Jesus Christ, stop him!”

  He slipped on the grass, fell to his hands and knees, rose again. He could see only his father’s two feet, sticking out of the dark doorway into the sunlight, shoes pointed skyward, scuffed soles turned up for all to see, one with a hole in it. It was a dream, a dream—and then the last thing he saw before he was tackled to the ground was the feet move, jerking twice.

  “Dad!” he screamed into the grass, trying to claw back to his feet as the weight of the world piled up on his shoulders; but he’d seen those feet move, his father was alive, he would wake up and all would be well.

  Dear Friend and Reader,

  About a dozen times a year we send a short, entertaining note to a select group of our readers. It brings you information available nowhere else. We call it The Pendergast File Each missive includes a surprise or shock: an outlandish bit of Pendergast history, a marvelous giveaway, a contest, hidden clues to buried treasure, a sampling of horrible reviews, upcoming book signings, snide and nasty comments about reviewers we dislike, and other amusing tidbits.

  In short, The Pendergast File is not your ordinary “newsletter.”

  If you would like to sign up for The Pendergast File, please go to our website, www.prestonchild.com, and click on the sign-up button. You can opt out at any time.

  With warm regards,

  Doug & Linc

  P.S.: We will never, ever, under any circumstances, share your e-mail address or information.

  By Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

  Gideon’s Corpse

  Gideon’s Sword

  Fever Dream

  Cemetery Dance

  The Wheel of Darkness

  The Book of the Dead

  Dance of Death

  Brimstone

  Still Life with Crows

  The Cabinet of Curiosities

  The Ice Limit

  Thunderhead

  Riptide

  Reliquary

  Mount Dragon

  Relic

  In answer to a frequently asked reader question: The above titles are listed in descending order of publication, though almost all of them are stand-alone novels that need not be read in order. However, the pairs Relic/Reliquary, Dance of Death/The Book of the Dead, and Fever Dream/Cold Vengeance are ideally read in sequence.

  By Douglas Preston

  Impact

  The Monster of Florence (with Mario Spezi)

  Blasphemy

  Tyrannosaur Canyon

  The Codex

  Ribbons of Time

  The Royal Road

  Talking to the Ground

  Jennie

  Cities of Gold

  Dinosaurs in the Attic

  By Lincoln Child

  Terminal Freeze

  Deep Storm

  Death Match

  Utopia

  Tales of the Dark 1–3

  Dark Banquet

  Dark Company

  #1 BESTSELLING FOR:

  New York Times • Wall Street Journal • Entertainment

  Weekly • Chicago Sun-Times • Publishers Weekly

  • Baltimore Sun • Chicago Tribune • Denver Post

  • Arizona Republic • Buffalo News • Orlando Sentinel

  • St. Louis Post-Dispatch • Newsday • New Jersey

  Star-Ledger • Detroit Free Press

  READERS ARE HOT FOR

  COLD VENGEANCE!

  “I’ve just finished reading the book, and as usual, it was not possible to put it down for longer than two minutes without getting itchy fingers. Another fabulous read which leaves more questions than answers, but what a ride to the end. Keep up the good work!”

  —Paul Bevan, Basildon, UK

  “Well, gentlemen, I just finished COLD VENGEANCE. I would like to say that the book is marvelous and perfect. While I abhor the cliffhanger, I love it at the same time. I congratulate you on your latest work, and cannot wait until your next book!”

  —Adam D. Ferguson, Indianapolis, IN

  “I read COLD VENGEANCE in twelve hours. I was up till 3:30 a.m. reading, had to be at work at 6:30 a.m. I am so tired today but your book was worth the time. So many words could describe how good your book is, all I can say is ‘mind-blowing.’ I loved it! Thank you for the excellent read and I look forward to the next.”

  —Joshua Hudson, Pensacola, FL

  “What a page-turner! I couldn’t put it down, even called in and canceled several appointments because I just had to keep reading. Seriously, I want to thank you both for the outstanding writing that you do. Really looking forward to see what unfolds in the follow-up to COLD VENGEANCE.”

  —Andreia Morrison, City Island, NY

  “Just finished COLD VENGEANCE and per usual it delivered twists, turns, and thrills! And also left this reader eager for the next Agent Pendergast novel. Your writing so captivates me that I get absolutely nothing else done until I finish a book! Thanks and appreciation, gentlemen, for such wonderful and inventive entertainment!”

  —Dawn McKeone, Nashua, NH

  “I want to thank you for the years of enjoyment your novels have given me. While I have a favorite list of protagonists: Joe Pike, Jack Reacher, John Rain, and Burke, none equal Pendergast. I love this character. I can’t wait for the next novel.”

  —Murphy Nolan, Toronto, ON

  “Once again, you have left me speechless and craving more at the end of COLD VENGEANCE. Cruel and inhumane to leave us hanging like this, but understandable. I love all the plot twists. Can’t wait to see what comes next.”

  —Steve Mueckenhoff, Woodstock, IL

  Acclaim for the Novels of Preston and Child

  COLD VENGEANCE

  “Before you even open the cover of a Preston and Child book, you know you’re in for a good, if chilling, even thrilling time.”

  —Asbury Park Press

  “[Preston and Child are] still going strong… Such is the talent of our authors that we happily follow their characters… all over the globe, from the moors of Scotland to the loony bins of New York City; the recipe is mixed well with a dash of assassins here and a soupcon of Nazis there, a couple of traitors and some really fascinating secondary characters… COLD VENGEANCE is a hot hell of a fun read.”

  —Examiner.com

  “4½ stars! Top Pick! Preston and Child continue their dominance of the thriller genre with stellar writing and twists that come at a furious pace. Others may try to write like them, but no one can come close. The best in the business deliver another winner.”

  —RT Book Reviews

  “Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child have outdone themselves once again, and with COLD VENGEANCE at the #1 spot on the New York Times bestseller list, it’s proof this is without a doubt the best in the entire series. The third book can’t come soon enough.”

  —GoodReads.com

  “5 stars! This fast-paced series continues to provide the reader with many twists. What you thought you knew from prior Pendergast novels may not necessarily be true.”

  —TheMysteryReader.com

  FEVER DREAM

  “This is no dream; it’s the authors’ best book in years.”

  —Library Journal (starred review)

  “A thrill a minute.”

  —San Jose Mercury News

  “[One of the] summer’s best beach books.”

  —Newark Star-Ledger

  “Preston and Child up the emotional ante considerably in this thriller featuring brill
iant and eccentric Pendergast… Once again, the bestselling authors show they have few peers at creating taut scenes of suspense.”

  —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

  “Together [Preston and Child] reach an entirely different level, achieving a stylistic grace and thematic resonance neither has so far matched alone. This may be the best of the Pendergast novels… a definite must-read.”

  —Booklist (starred review)

  “Pendergast has never been more brilliant, eccentric, and intriguing.”

  —TucsonCitizen.com

  Contents

  Front Cover Image

  Welcome

  Dedication

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  Chapter 44

  Chapter 45

  Chapter 46

  Chapter 47

  Chapter 48

  Chapter 49

  Chapter 50

  Chapter 51

  Chapter 52

  Chapter 53

  Chapter 54

  Chapter 55

  Chapter 56

  Chapter 57

  Chapter 58

  Chapter 59

  Chapter 60

  Chapter 61

  Chapter 62

  Chapter 63

  Chapter 64

  Chapter 65

  Chapter 66

  Chapter 67

  Chapter 68

  Chapter 69

  Chapter 70

  Chapter 71

  Chapter 72

  Chapter 73

  Chapter 74

  Chapter 75

  Chapter 76

  Chapter 77

  Chapter 78

  Chapter 79

  Chapter 80

  Chapter 81

  Chapter 82

  Chapter 83

  A Preview of Two Graves

  A Preview of Gideon’s Sword

  By Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

  Readers Are Hot For Cold Vengeance!

  Acclaim for the Novels of Preston and Child

  Copyright

  Copyright

  While most towns and other locations in Cold Vengeance are imaginary, we have in a few instances employed our own version of existing places such as Scotland, New York City, New Orleans, and Baton Rouge. In such cases, we have not hesitated to alter geography, topology, history, and other details to suit the needs of the story.

  All persons, locales, police departments, corporations, institutions, museums, and governmental agencies mentioned in this novel are either fictions or used fictitiously.

  Copyright © 2011 by Splendide Mendax, Inc. and Lincoln Child

  Excerpt from Two Graves copyright © 2011 by Splendide Mendax, Inc. and Lincoln Child

  Excerpt from Gideon’s Sword copyright © 2011 by Splendide Mendax, Inc. and Lincoln Child

  All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

  Grand Central Publishing

  Hachette Book Group

  237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017

  www.hachettebookgroup.com

  www.twitter.com/grandcentralpub

  Second e-book edition: August 2011

  Grand Central Publishing is a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

  The Grand Central Publishing name and logo is a trademark of Hachette Book Group, Inc.

  The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.

  ISBN 978-0-446-57600-0