Chapters (95)
- Title Page
- Copyright
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Forty-Eight
- Forty-Nine
- Fifty
- Fifty-One
- Fifty-Two
- Fifty-Three
- Fifty-Four
- Fifty-Five
- Fifty-Six
- Fifty-Seven
- Fifty-Eight
- Fifty-Nine
- Sixty
- Sixty-One
- Sixty-Two
- Sixty-Three
- Sixty-Four
- Sixty-Five
- Sixty-Six
- Sixty-Seven
- Sixty-Eight
- Sixty-Nine
- Seventy
- Seventy-One
- Seventy-Two
- Seventy-Three
- Seventy-Four
- Seventy-Five
- Seventy-Six
- Seventy-Seven
- Seventy-Eight
- Seventy-Nine
- Eighty
- Eighty-One
- Eighty-Two
- Eighty-Three
- Eighty-Four
- Eighty-Five
- Eighty-Six
- Eighty-Seven
- Acknowledgements
- About the Author
- Also by David Swinson
- Thank you for buying this ebook, published by Hachette Digital.
I drop the nearly blood-soaked rag in the bucket, peel off the latex gloves, and toss them in the garbage bag. I grab my gun from the kitchen counter.
Gun tucked to my side, I peek through the peephole. It’s dark out, but my porch light is on. It’s Leslie and Luna. I open the door.
Leslie is still in her work clothes, light gray pantsuit with flared cuffs. That usually means she was in court. Luna is dressed down, probably straight from work, too.
“What the hell, Frankie?” Luna belts out.
“Are you okay?” Leslie asks. “We’ve been calling all day. I finally called Al, and we met up here.”
“I’m sorry. Come in.”
I close the door behind them, dead-bolt it.
They see me holding the gun.
“You okay?”
I can only stare back at them.
“Saw your house on the news,” Luna says. “I drove here earlier, but they wouldn’t let me in.”
“It’s a mess in here. I need a drink,” I say. “Can I get you something?”
“I’ll have some of what you’re going to have.” Luna nods his head to the dining room.
“Have a seat,” I tell them, then set my gun on the end table and walk into the dining room to find a couple of glasses. I pour more than a double in each.
Leslie is sitting on the middle of the sofa and Luna on the armchair. I hand him his drink, then sit next to Leslie.
“Obviously Detective Millhoff didn’t talk to you yet.”
“Millhoff? Why would he want to talk to me?” Leslie asks.
“Shouldn’t have even said anything, but when he asked if I talked to anyone about a case I was working, I told him you. He’s going to call to confirm information is all.”
“What case?”
“The one involving my cousin at GW.”
“Does he have something to do with this?” she asks with concern.
“He was found dead on my kitchen floor. Shot.”
“Oh, my God. What happened?”
“I don’t have a clue. It doesn’t make any sense.”
“Frankie, I’m so sorry,” Leslie says.
She places her hand gently on my knee.
“I’m at my wit’s end here. Seems like a burglary gone bad, but I just don’t know. I followed him over the course of several days, sometimes for hours. I don’t believe in coincidence, especially when the odds are a million to one. There has to be a connection. I’m fucking losing my mind trying to figure this out.”
I know how it looks.
“I know this doesn’t look good for me,” I say.
“It’s some fucked-up shit, but Millhoff’s good people. He’ll work it through,” Luna says.