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Chapters (50)
  1. COVER PAGE
  2. TITLE PAGE
  3. COPYRIGHT PAGE
  4. DEDICATION
  5. CONTENTS
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. 32
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. 37
  43. 38
  44. 39
  45. 40
  46. 41
  47. 42
  48. 43
  49. 44
  50. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

“I’ll tell Danny—when the time is right.”

“And when will that be?”

“Hopefully never.”

“I mean it, Nick—I won’t keep covering for you. I know you like to work outside the box, but it’s not fair to me. No more secrets, okay?”

“Thanks for covering for me this time.” He got up from his chair.

“Nick.”

“What?”

“You’re not thinking of confronting Victoria Braden with this, are you?”

“What good would that do?”

“Then you’re really not planning to talk to her tomorrow?”

“In Endor? Fat chance—she’ll have a whole town full of people trying to talk to her already.”

23

23

“I can’t tell you all how good it feels to be home. I left the town of Endor when I was very young, and now that I’m back and I’ve seen how beautiful this town is, I feel cheated—cheated out of the opportunity to grow up here, to graduate from Endor High, and to have each and every one of you as a neighbor.”

The good people of Endor responded with grateful applause.

Home, Riddick thought. Victoria belongs in this dump the same way Bradenton belongs in a trailer park.

Riddick stood behind Victoria Braden and off to her right, allowing him an unimpeded view of the crowd. He studied their faces, looking for the disgruntled and the potentially unstable—but all he saw was adoring smiles and affirming nods. Sheep, he thought. She could tell them to hand over their wallets and the fools would probably do it. Who knows? Maybe she will. He watched their hands too; he searched for hands that moved too quickly or hands that slipped into purses or pockets—but the hands just applauded warmly or dabbed at tearful eyes. There’s one born every minute, he thought. Looks like most of them were born here.

Victoria Braden stood behind a portable lectern on the steps of a band gazebo at Endor Recreational Park. The gazebo had been constructed half a century ago with the intention of hosting summer concerts in the park, but Endor had no band and the gazebo fell into disrepair—until word was received of Mrs. Braden’s intended visit. The gazebo was quickly reshingled and freshly painted and now stood crisp and white, draped in patriotic banners and American flags.