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Back The Hallows Save as PDF
Chapters (89)
  1. TITLE PAGE
  2. COPYRIGHT PAGE
  3. DEDICATION
  4. CONTENTS
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. 22
  27. 23
  28. 24
  29. 25
  30. 26
  31. 27
  32. 28
  33. 29
  34. 30
  35. 31
  36. 32
  37. 33
  38. 34
  39. 35
  40. 36
  41. 37
  42. 38
  43. 39
  44. 40
  45. 41
  46. 42
  47. 43
  48. 44
  49. 45
  50. 46
  51. 47
  52. 48
  53. 49
  54. 50
  55. 51
  56. 52
  57. 53
  58. 54
  59. 55
  60. 56
  61. 57
  62. 58
  63. 59
  64. 60
  65. 61
  66. 62
  67. 63
  68. 64
  69. 65
  70. 66
  71. 67
  72. 68
  73. 69
  74. 70
  75. 71
  76. 72
  77. 73
  78. 74
  79. 75
  80. 76
  81. 77
  82. 78
  83. 79
  84. 80
  85. 81
  86. 82
  87. 83
  88. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  89. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

We sat with two of Maggie’s friends, Dale and Cynthia something or other. Dale was telling some witty story I was reasonably certain never happened, and Maggie and Cynthia were laughing, and at one point Maggie lightly touched Dale’s hand and I realized that they were probably sleeping together as well. I sighed and leaned back, looked around. The restaurant could’ve been ripped out of the most opulent of king’s palaces. Growing up as a kid in River Falls, Utah, a town of three thousand people, I never even dreamed places like this existed. Much less that I would eat at them one day.

“Gotta use the bathroom, excuse me.” I rose and circled around to the bathroom. An attendant was there. I washed my hands and noticed that his tip jar was empty.

“Nothing, huh?” I said.

He shrugged. “Some nights are more generous than others.”

“You know, I used to wait tables when I first came out here, and I once worked this party of a hundred—some company on an outing. I mean, worked. I was dripping sweat. It took like the whole night, and I couldn’t work any other tables, so these guys were basically the money I was going to make for that shift. And they stiffed me. Not because I did a bad job, because I didn’t, but because they just didn’t care. They thought they were so important that I was invisible to them.”

He shook his head. “If that doesn’t describe this city, I don’t know what does.”

I dried my hands. “Before they left, I got the CEO’s keys from the valet and parked his car across town. Heard it took him like two days to find it.”

He laughed.

I took out a couple of hundred-dollar bills and put them into his tip jar and told him to have a good night. I stood outside the door a second and decided I wasn’t ready to go back to the table yet, so I circled around to the bar, but Maggie saw me and waved me over. I’d resigned myself to heading back when my phone rang. It was my after-hours office line.

“This is Tatum.”

“Sir, it’s Julie. We have a bit of a client emergency.”

“What’s up?”

“You better get down to Mr. Green’s house right away.”

“Green who?”

“Marcus Green. He’s been arrested again.”

5

5

Marcus Green lived on Fisher Island, which meant a ferry ride over for me. The island had the highest median income in the country. Marcus owned a line of luxury car and yacht dealerships and had bought up properties here in the eighties like it was going out of style. He managed, during my time defending him, to work in that he was worth three commas: i.e., a billion dollars. Three commas. Clever.