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Chapters (73)
  1. Goodbye to the Dead
  2. Also By Brian Freeman
  3. Title
  4. Copyright
  5. Dedication
  6. Epigraph
  7. CONTENTS
  8. PROLOGUE
  9. THEN
  10. 1
  11. 2
  12. 3
  13. 4
  14. 5
  15. 6
  16. 7
  17. 8
  18. 9
  19. 10
  20. 11
  21. 12
  22. 13
  23. 14
  24. 15
  25. 16
  26. 17
  27. 18
  28. 19
  29. 20
  30. 21
  31. 22
  32. 23
  33. 24
  34. 25
  35. 26
  36. 27
  37. 28
  38. 29
  39. 30
  40. 31
  41. 32
  42. 33
  43. 34
  44. 35
  45. NOW
  46. 36
  47. 37
  48. 38
  49. 39
  50. 40
  51. 41
  52. 42
  53. 43
  54. 44
  55. 45
  56. 46
  57. 47
  58. 48
  59. 49
  60. 50
  61. 51
  62. 52
  63. 53
  64. 54
  65. 55
  66. 56
  67. 57
  68. 58
  69. 59
  70. 60
  71. 61
  72. FROM THE AUTHOR
  73. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

He studied the man and understood the aura of repressed violence that Cindy talked about. Maybe it was bravado, maybe it wasn’t. He focused on the people around the man and spotted a heavy-set redheaded woman seated on a bench no more than ten feet from the lamp post. She wore a lanyard and fluorescent vest that marked her as race security, but her face was turned away from the camera.

‘Did you find him in other photos?’ he asked.

‘Two more,’ Cindy said. ‘I haven’t printed them, but I can pull them up on the screen.’

She used the laptop touch screen and pushed the computer across the table to Stride. He zoomed in on the photograph, and he could see the man in camouflage in his original spot. The redheaded woman had stood up and was brushing shoulders with him. They were talking, and they didn’t look like strangers. Her face was clearly visible. He didn’t recognize her, but the marathon brought in plenty of private security on race day.

‘What do you think?’ Cindy asked. ‘Will these pictures help you find him?’

‘I don’t know about him, but we should definitely be able to find her.’ He stabbed a finger at the security guard in the photograph. ‘I’ll put Maggie on it in the morning.’

‘Good,’ Cindy replied, sounding relieved.

He watched a small smile of triumph bloom on his wife’s face. She got up from the table and stretched her arms over her head. Her white nightgown climbed up her thighs. He knew she’d had a long day, but he didn’t remember when he’d seen her so tired. He reached for her hand and squeezed it.

‘Are you okay?’ he asked.

‘Sure. Never better.’

‘This was smart of you,’ he said. ‘Nice work.’

She didn’t say anything, but he knew she appreciated the compliment.

‘You coming to bed?’ she asked him.

‘Soon.’

‘I’ll probably be asleep.’

‘That’s okay.’ He added: ‘You know I took you seriously about this guy, right?’

‘No, I wasn’t sure of that, but it’s nice to hear.’

He kept holding her hand.

‘The trial’s winding down,’ he said. ‘Dan rested the prosecution case today. Unless Janine testifies, they’ll probably wrap up the case tomorrow.’

‘Do you think she’ll testify?’

Stride shook his head. ‘No, Dan doesn’t think Gale will give him a shot at cross-examining her.’

‘And then?’

‘And then we wait for the jury.’

Cindy frowned. Her eyes were on the man at the marathon. ‘I wish you could find this guy first.’

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