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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

“That’s what I told her. Alena, I can’t do my job until we locate those remaining graves, and I can’t find those graves without a cadaver dog— a real one, not just one with a colorful wardrobe. If this cadaver dog of yours is trained anywhere near as well as your other dogs, then you could do this job in no time. Please, help me out here.”

She narrowed her eyes at Nick. “And why should I help you?”

“Because I came all the way up here to ask you—twice; because I brought you a pizza; because I let your dog use my neck as a chew toy; because I risked life and limb and losing my appendix to a voodoo curse—that’s why.”

She didn’t seem impressed.

“Then do it because you train dogs,” he said. “There’s a woman down there who has no idea what she’s doing, and she’s giving people like you a bad name.”

The witch considered this. “I’m sorry,” she said. “It’s just not possible.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t want people to see me.”

“No one has to see you. We can do it at night—right now if you’re available.”

“We’d have to be back before daylight.”

“Absolutely. I can drive you there and bring you back.”

“I have a truck,” she said. “I can drive myself.”

“Even better—then you can go back anytime you want. And while you’re there, you can cast a spell on the whole Patriot Center so that no one can ever find a parking space near the front door. What do you say?”

She let out a deep breath. “One hour. I’ll meet you there.”

10

10

Nick checked his watch. It was already after midnight, and he was beginning to wonder whether Alena was coming or not. Maybe she changed her mind; maybe she never planned to come at all—maybe she just told Nick what he wanted to hear to make him get off her back and go away. Strange woman, he thought, but those dogs of hers—if her cadaver dog was half as well trained as those three black behemoths, Nick just might be in luck.

The excavation site looked surreal in the brilliant moonlight. There were no colors except for blues and violets and the deep black shadows that seeped over the ground like pools of oil. The silent blades and cranes and backhoes of the excavation equipment looked like the bones of dead dinosaurs against the nighttime sky, and the four open graves seemed more ominous than they did in the daylight. What is it about a grave at night? Nick thought. It always makes your skin crawl when you can’t see the bottom.

“Let’s get started.”