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.
She smiles and takes a delicate sip. I smile back, grab my backpack from the floor, and head to the kitchen to tie up that trash bag and clean up what I can.
I’m used to seeing all my vinyl and CDs stacked together as I walk out of the living room. Damn. This fucking crime-infested city. I’m gonna catch the fuck who killed Jeffrey, maybe get my shit back in the process. Fucking crackhead burglars. Murderers.
Eleven
Eleven
I hate sitting outside when it’s so hot and humid. Doesn’t bother Leslie a bit.
“You sure you can handle it?” she asks beside me on her front stoop.
“I’ll suffer for you.”
A glass of wine or two will be fine out here, but certainly not hot Chinese food. I might pass the fuck out.
“Millhoff is treating me like a suspect,” I say outta nowhere.
“You’re not guilty of anything, so you don’t have to worry.”
“Leslie. Come on. You know how these things can play.”
“You can’t believe that, Frankie, and you know I’m here if you need me.”
“I know you are.”
“You need to call your Aunt Linda, try to talk to her again.”
“Yeah, I know. But like I said, it didn’t go so well the first time.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Aunt Linda. She’s much younger than my mom was. Had to be something like nineteen when my mom died, but she was always there for me. Stayed at my stepdad’s house here in DC for a while. Looked after me.”
I turn to Leslie, not that I expect her to say anything. I just look. She smiles, but it’s not just a smile. It’s like radiating warmth for my insides.
“I was about five. Linda married much later in life. Funny—when she got divorced Jeffrey was around five. I was there for him, too. Watched over him. I don’t want her to think what she must be thinking. That I’m responsible—or worse.”
“She’s grieving, but it sounds like there’s a lot of love between the two of you. Good history, too.”
“I don’t know why I lost touch.”
Yes, I do.
“Give her time. It’s a difficult situation for her. For you.”
“And I can’t make sense of it. My fucking brain’s all tangled up.”
“Are you sure he didn’t know where you lived?”
“Yes. No, actually. Even if he did, it still wouldn’t make sense. I mean, he just happened to walk into a burglary in progress? What are the chances of that?”
She scoots closer and wraps her arm around me. I put my hand on her thigh, gently caress it.
Jeffrey’s face suddenly pops into my head. For some reason, I see him when he had a black eye and I was the one who gave it to him.
“What?” Leslie asks.