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Back Legacy of Lies
Chapters (88)
  1. TITLE PAGE
  2. COPYRIGHT PAGE
  3. DEDICATION
  4. CONTENTS
  5. PART ONE
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. PART TWO
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. PART THREE
  46. 39
  47. 40
  48. 41
  49. 42
  50. 43
  51. 44
  52. 45
  53. 46
  54. 47
  55. 48
  56. 49
  57. 50
  58. 51
  59. 52
  60. 53
  61. 54
  62. 55
  63. 56
  64. 57
  65. 58
  66. 59
  67. PART FOUR
  68. 60
  69. 61
  70. 62
  71. 63
  72. 64
  73. 65
  74. 66
  75. 67
  76. 68
  77. 69
  78. 70
  79. 71
  80. 72
  81. 73
  82. 74
  83. 75
  84. 76
  85. 77
  86. EPILOGUE
  87. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  88. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Bo felt a pang of guilt in his chest. When was the last time he’d spoken to his cousin? Six months? A year? At Jazz’s funeral? He sighed and took another pull from the bottle. The beer tasted sour and wasn’t mixing all that well with the Krystal he’d just downed on the way home, but he drank it anyway.

“No?” Helen pressed.

“No,” Bo said. “I haven’t heard anything from him. Didn’t even realize he was hurting for money.” He paused. “What bank foreclosed on him?”

“Z Bank,” Helen said, almost spitting the words out.

“Never heard of it,” Bo said. “I would have thought Booker T. was dealing with FNB.”

“He obviously should have. Z Bank is new. Opened last year by Michael Zannick. They’ve been giving a lot of folks short-term loans that the borrowers can’t pay off and then foreclosing. I don’t like it, but there’s nothing I can do about it.”

“Zannick,” Bo said, snapping his fingers. “Didn’t you mention him when I called last week to tell you I couldn’t make Ennis’s parole hearing?”

Helen nodded, and despite the darkness in the covered area, her face looked even paler than normal. “I did. Zannick’s rape trial was supposed to start today.”

Bo cocked his head. “Rape?”

“I charged him with the statutory and forcible rape of Amanda Burks, a fifteen-year-old student at Giles County High.”

“That’s right,” Bo said, remembering. “You said supposed to start. Was the trial put off?”

Helen blinked up at Bo and then stood and walked to the edge of the carport. She knelt and stroked Lee Roy’s back, and the dog’s tail began to shake again. Then she straightened. “Yes,” she finally said, her voice sounding farther away than where she was standing.

Bo took a last sip of beer and flung the bottle in the trash can next to the storage bin. Then he approached her. “General, mind telling me what’s going on?” He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, looking at the time. “It’s eleven at night, and you’re here at my house. You didn’t call ahead, and I know you didn’t come all the way to Hazel Green to tell me that Ennis Petrie was granted parole.” He touched her shoulder. “What’s up?”

When she didn’t answer, Bo gently turned her around to face him. “General?”

This close, he saw that Helen’s eyes were puffy from crying and that her makeup had smeared from tears. He’d never seen the head prosecutor of Giles County, Tennessee, look so vulnerable.