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Back Murder Past Due Save as PDF
Chapters (36)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Page
  3. Acknowledgements
  4. ONE
  5. TWO
  6. THREE
  7. FOUR
  8. FIVE
  9. SIX
  10. SEVEN
  11. EIGHT
  12. NINE
  13. TEN
  14. ELEVEN
  15. TWELVE
  16. THIRTEEN
  17. FOURTEEN
  18. FIFTEEN
  19. SIXTEEN
  20. SEVENTEEN
  21. EIGHTEEN
  22. NINETEEN
  23. TWENTY
  24. TWENTY-ONE
  25. TWENTY-TWO
  26. TWENTY-THREE
  27. TWENTY-FOUR
  28. TWENTY-FIVE
  29. TWENTY-SIX
  30. TWENTY-SEVEN
  31. TWENTY-EIGHT
  32. TWENTY-NINE
  33. THIRTY
  34. THIRTY-ONE
  35. THIRTY-TWO
  36. THIRTY-THREE

“Of course, honey,” Julia said. “Get some rest. But you haven’t had any dinner. Are you hungry?”

“I’ve got something to eat in my room,” Justin said. “Can I just go, Mama?”

“Yes, you can.” Julia stood and held out her arms. Justin approached her for a hug, but he didn’t let it last long. He pulled free from his mother and walked swiftly out of the kitchen. Moments later we heard him clumping up the stairs.

Julia and I sat at the table and watched each other for a moment. She was still unhappy with me, I could tell, but I wasn’t particularly happy with her, either. Protecting her son was one thing, but trying to pretend he was never in the hotel was completely absurd.

“How about you?” I said. “Have you had anything to eat? I haven’t.” As an olive branch, it might do.

“No, I was still at the hospital when Justin called. I got over to the hotel as quickly as I could to get him away from there.” Julia relaxed enough to lean back in her chair.

“Is Ezra still in the hospital?” I had forgotten about him until now.

“Yes.” Julia glanced away from me.

“Was he that seriously hurt?” I frowned. Something didn’t add up here. “Surely Godfrey didn’t injure him that badly.”

“He didn’t,” Julia said, her tone flat. “But being in a fight didn’t help anything.”

“What’s wrong with him?”

“He’s dying.” Julia burst into tears.

TEN

TEN

“I’m so sorry,” I said, knowing how inadequate that was. “I had no idea.”

I got up and found a box of tissues for Julia. She pulled a couple from the box and dabbed at her eyes as I sat down again.

“No one knows except Ezra and me and his doctors.” Julia’s voice was husky from the tears.

“You haven’t told Justin yet?”

“No,” Julia said. “But I have to, I know. I was putting it off until after he met Godfrey, but now . . .” Her voice trailed away.

“Is it cancer?” I asked. I had noticed, when Ezra was in my house assaulting Justin, that he looked thinner and older than I remembered.

Julia nodded. “Pancreatic cancer.”

“I’m so sorry,” I said. “My wife had it too.”

“I know,” Julia said softly.

“Where has he been going for treatment?”

“Memphis,” she said. “They wanted to send him to Houston, to that big cancer hospital, but Ezra doesn’t want to go.”

That big cancer hospital in Houston, M.D. Anderson, had done its best for Jackie, but the cancer had won.

“The survival rate is so small,” I said.

“Yes, it is.” Julia rubbed her temples as if her head ached.

“There’s not much you can do, then,” I said.