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.
“Back in the day or as a PI? And we all got enemies, you know that. But I don’t know one who would go through all this shit just to get at me.”
“Could you try to make a list anyway?” Hurley asks.
“Fuck, man, can you make a list? I wouldn’t know where to begin, all the people I locked up. This here is something else.”
“What?” Millhoff asks.
“I didn’t say that like I knew what the fuck it is, Timmy. None of this makes sense to me.”
“This case is getting pretty damn interesting,” Millhoff says.
“Wish it weren’t. I like simple,” I say.
Thirty-Four
Thirty-Four
After they leave all I wanna do is hit the bottle and the blow. Bottle’s not something I worry about. I have to hit the brakes for the other, though, show some control. It’s not like I can go to the corner to re-up. That hustler gets busted, gives me up, and I get sent up the river.
I pour myself a bit of Jameson. Down it in one swig.
Doorbell rings, and I nearly drop the glass.
Who the fuck now?
I get to the door and look through the peephole.
It’s Linda. Aunt Linda. Fuck.
I hesitate to open it, I’ll admit. Look through the peephole again like I need to make sure.
It’s her; she’s alone.
I rush back to the living room, take my gun from the end table, slip it under the sofa cushion, then cap the bottle of Jameson, put it on a shelf in the dining room.
I quickly make my way back, look through the peephole again, and after a couple of deep breaths, I open the door.
She’s standing there. A slight smile. Her face is puffy, with bags under heavy reddened eyes. She looks so much older than her midsixties. Or is it just the stress?
“Aunt Linda,” I almost mumble.
“Hello, Frankie.”
“Please come in.”
Her eyes look past me toward the interior of my house, then back to me. She loses her smile. “I can’t come in.”
I realize why but don’t say anything. I step on the porch, close the door behind me so it’s only slightly ajar.
I should hug her, right?
She wraps her thin arms around my waist before I can decide, begins to sob.
“I’m so sorry, Aunt Linda. I’m so sorry” is all I can think to say.
Never apologize.
Fuck that. I am sorry.
I don’t know how long we hold each other, but we do so until she tenderly pulls away.
She sighs and wipes her eyes. “I parked down the street. I had to use my GPS to get here. It’s been so long.” She looks at the exterior of my house. “It looks like you’ve done some good work.”