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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

“I read the statement you gave to the school about the injury. You said there was a pipe near the bleachers, and while he was doing laps, he slipped and hit the end of the pipe. But the doctor we spoke with suggested his eye injury was from repeated blunt force trauma. He thinks the most likely weapon was someone’s fists. Now, normally I would just talk to other players on the team about what happened, but that’s the funny thing: we did, and there weren’t any other players around to witness what happened. Just you and him after school on the field.”

He sighed. “Look, he groped one of the girls. I had him stay after and run laps as punishment.”

“That’s not in your statement.”

He shook his head. “No, no, it wouldn’t be. I . . . um . . . I didn’t tell anyone.”

“Why not?”

“He’s a little punk, but he’s the best kicker we’ve ever had, and we had a big game that Saturday. If I’d have gone to the principal with this, he would’ve been suspended. So I had him run laps.”

“You let a sexual predator off the hook so you could win a game? Nice.”

“Hey, football is all we got around here. It’s important to this town, and sacrifices have to be made.”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, it’s right up there with world peace.” I glanced at the field and saw the quarterback get sacked. “Who was the girl?”

“You wouldn’t know her. She graduated last year and went to the University of Denver.”

“I’d like her name.”

“I’d rather not give it out. I promised her I wouldn’t bring it up. She was really embarrassed.”

I stood up and faced him, blocking his view of the field. “Listen to me: I have never, not once, lost a trial. And I’m not about to start now. And the way I win is that I know everything, and I mean everything, that is going to happen in that courtroom before I step inside. No surprises. If I walk in there and there’s a surprise, you do not want to see what I’m going to do to you.”

He shook his head. “No surprises. He groped her, I kept him after, and he slipped and hit a pipe. I don’t know anything about medicine, but that doctor’s wrong. I saw him hit the pipe, and I drove him to the ER.”

I nodded. “I’ll believe you, for now. But if you’re lying to me, not going to state is going to be the least of your problems.”

I walked off the field, took out my cell phone, and dialed Will.

“Hey, what’s up?”