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Back Legacy of Lies Save as PDF
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 rolled up his sleeves and reached inside the passenger-side window of the Sequoia for his toolbox. In the back seat, Lee Roy had collapsed on his stomach, and the tip of his tongue hung out of his mouth. Bo didn’t have the heart to wake him. Today had taken a lot out of Lee Roy, too, as he’d been in the truck for all of Bo’s adventures since his arrival in Pulaski. Bo had kept both back windows cracked all day so that Lee Roy would have plenty of cool air, but now he rolled them all the way down. It was such a pleasant April night Bo figured that he could probably fall asleep himself on the hood of the SUV.

But sleep wasn’t in the cards. He undid the latch to the tool kit and took out a pair of locking pliers and a claw hammer. Then, after scanning the four boards that crisscrossed the front door of the office and picking out the first nailhead he wanted to remove, he went to work.

He had a law firm to resurrect.

23

23

“I am the resurrection and the life.”

Ennis Petrie whispered the words by heart, but he still gripped the pocket-size Bible tight in his right hand. They came from the eleventh chapter of John, verse 25. The story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead was Ennis’s favorite of the Messiah’s miracles, and he repeated the phrase from chapter 11 often, especially when he was anxious or scared.

When you were in prison for over four years, you learned how to control your nerves or you went crazy. Survival was the only goal. Eat. Sleep. Use the bathroom. Stay alive. Day after day after day, same routine.

It was a kind of monotonous danger. Like floating down a river in a raft with a brood of cottonmouths just under the surface of the water and gators watching on the shoreline. One false move, one wrong breath, and you could get bit. Or worse . . . Ennis had seen it happen. Men attacked in the showers, where there were no cameras. Beaten, gagged, and raped. An overzealous corrections officer taking out his frustration with a baton to the shins of an inmate who didn’t know when to shut up. The man hadn’t been able to walk for a week. Sometimes Ennis had hoped he’d fall in and get overwhelmed by the vipers, but a human’s will to live was a tricky thing. Ennis had plenty of scares, especially since he was a former lawman, but he’d been smart and lucky, and he managed to make it out.

And now I’m surrounded by snakes again . . .