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Back Lying Next to Me Save as PDF
Chapters (87)
  1. TITLE PAGE
  2. COPYRIGHT
  3. DEDICATION
  4. CONTENTS
  5. START READING
  6. CHAPTER ONE
  7. CHAPTER TWO
  8. CHAPTER THREE
  9. CHAPTER FOUR
  10. CHAPTER FIVE
  11. CHAPTER SIX
  12. CHAPTER SEVEN
  13. CHAPTER EIGHT
  14. CHAPTER NINE
  15. CHAPTER TEN
  16. CHAPTER ELEVEN
  17. CHAPTER TWELVE
  18. CHAPTER THIRTEEN
  19. CHAPTER FOURTEEN
  20. CHAPTER FIFTEEN
  21. CHAPTER SIXTEEN
  22. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
  23. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
  24. CHAPTER NINETEEN
  25. CHAPTER TWENTY
  26. CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
  27. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
  28. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
  29. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
  30. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
  31. CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
  32. CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
  33. CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
  34. CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
  35. CHAPTER THIRTY
  36. CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
  37. CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
  38. CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
  39. CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
  40. CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
  41. CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
  42. CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
  43. CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
  44. CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
  45. CHAPTER FORTY
  46. CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
  47. CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
  48. CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
  49. CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
  50. CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
  51. CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
  52. CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
  53. CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
  54. CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
  55. CHAPTER FIFTY
  56. CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
  57. CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
  58. CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
  59. CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
  60. CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
  61. CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX
  62. CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
  63. CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT
  64. CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
  65. CHAPTER SIXTY
  66. CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE
  67. CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO
  68. CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE
  69. CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR
  70. CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE
  71. CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX
  72. CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEN
  73. CHAPTER SIXTY-EIGHT
  74. CHAPTER SIXTY-NINE
  75. CHAPTER SEVENTY
  76. CHAPTER SEVENTY-ONE
  77. CHAPTER SEVENTY-TWO
  78. CHAPTER SEVENTY-THREE
  79. CHAPTER SEVENTY-FOUR
  80. CHAPTER SEVENTY-FIVE
  81. CHAPTER SEVENTY-SIX
  82. CHAPTER SEVENTY-SEVEN
  83. CHAPTER SEVENTY-EIGHT
  84. CHAPTER SEVENTY-NINE
  85. CHAPTER EIGHTY
  86. EPILOGUE
  87. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

During the night, I’m convinced I feel Sophie breathing. She’s on her side facing me. Her breath comes at me in soft puffs. I can’t sleep. I lay there looking at the ceiling. I don’t know what to do. I want to tell her that I know everything and that she’s hurt me to the core, but that opens up a host of problems. I wonder as she’s lying next to me if I ever really knew her. Or if she knew me. As I peel back the years before this moment, I don’t know if I was in love with the idea of her or something as shallow as that. I thought it was her. I thought it would always be her. I remember how Frank accosted me just outside the church sanctuary just before our wedding. He was in full-on jerk mode. That was before I knew that was his normal personality.

He patted my shoulder like we were buddies. I thought he was going to wish me well.

“If you ever hurt her,” he said, “I’ll kill you.”

Whoa.

Hurt her?

What about me?

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

LEE

Friday morning, Montrose is suspiciously chipper, considering his normal morning gloom and his disappointment over Adam being ruled out as Sophie’s killer.

“Are you going to let me in on it?” I say, finally.

“Whatever do you mean?”

“God, you’re a horrible actor. Something’s happened. You’re going to make me guess?”

“You could try.”

I sigh and study him. “It’s good news?”

“Actually, great news.”

“We don’t get great news. Wrong department.” I eye him. Force myself to think. “All right. You were waiting for Jim Coyle’s employer to call you back.”

He winces just perceptibly. Pay dirt.

“So they called back. How’d it go?”

He gives up the game. “It went fucking fantastic, Lee. He’s been messing with them for years, and they’re going to cut him loose. He’s never where he’s supposed to be. And get this: they have no record of excessive absences related to any medical condition. Yeah, he’s missed work, but they think it’s because he’s a drunk.” He pauses and pretends to look at his watch, a Rolex he flashes whenever he can. I suspect it’s fake, but never call him on it. “I expect he’s getting his pink slip right now.”

“Let’s bring Coyle in,” he says.

Our phones ping at the same time.

“Nice. Search warrant for Coyle’s place,” Montrose says. “Gonna be a great day.”

“You drive,” I tell him.