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Back Less than Dead Save as PDF
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

Nick rapped on the door frame of the pastor’s study. Gunner looked up from a copy of The Bondage of the Will and slid his glasses down to the tip of his nose.

“Got a minute?” Nick asked.

“For you, always. What’s up?”

Nick sat down on the edge of an old leather chair. “We’ve got a problem.”

“Alena?”

Nick reached into his pocket and pulled out the faded and weathered buckeye. He held it up. “Do you know what this is?”

Gunner held out his hand and Nick tossed it to him. “Sure—it’s a clicker. Did you get this from Alena?”

“No—I got it from her dad.”

It took a moment before the meaning sank in. “When? Where?”

“A couple of hours ago—at an old graveyard down by Dogleg Lake. I found his body in a double grave, Gunner—just like the ones at the Patriot Center.”

“You found him? Then Alena—”

“She doesn’t know yet. That’s why I’m here. I’m going up there, and I’d like you to be there when I tell her. I don’t know how she’ll take it.”

“I do,” he said, “and you’re right—I should be there. Just give me a minute to call Rose.”

“Make it quick,” Nick said. “Her father’s murderer is still out there— and he knows where Alena lives.”

29

29

He dropped from the chain-link fence into the low grass, then turned and pointed his flashlight into the woods ahead. A fragile mist was already beginning to collect on the ground, lying like a veil around the trees and brush, as cicadas and wood crickets chanted their midnight lament.

So this is where she lives, he thought.

He started forward into the woods, pointing the beam ahead of him, but it was swallowed up by the darkness around him.

How long did they think they could keep it a secret? The woman who really found all those graves—the one they call the witch—the one they say has the power to raise the dead. How long did they think they could keep it a secret from me?

He stuck to the clearings as much as possible, picking his way through the brush when necessary. He felt a thin filament of spiderweb stretch across his face and the skitter of tiny legs on his cheek; he brushed it off and kept moving.

I have to find this woman. I have to get to her before the others do. We’ll see what powers she really has.