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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

“The town house has a basement, and Anderson took Steven there. Patty was barely clinging to life. Blood was everywhere. Anderson forced Steven to help him take Patty up to the Hallows campgrounds. Patty was still alive when she was thrown into a ditch like refuse. It’s at that point that Anderson killed her. But a gun and a knife would’ve been too quick. He wanted to enjoy it. So he crawled into the ditch and wrapped his hands around her throat. He crushed her windpipe as she screamed for help, and life left her body.

“One thing they didn’t count on was anybody else being up there in the Hallows.” I held up a finger. “But there was. A family, out camping. Their ten-year-old boy was looking for a toy he had lost when he heard screaming. He came closer to where the screaming was coming from and saw two men throwing dirt on a woman. And he saw one of the men, Anderson Ficco, climb into the ditch, and heard the screaming stop.

“The next morning, an elderly couple was out for a morning stroll when they noticed part of a leg sticking up out of the dirt. It was Patty’s body.” I pointed to Anderson. “Anderson Ficco tortured a young girl to death for fun. He didn’t rob her, he didn’t extort her family for money . . . he killed her because he thought it was fun.”

I looked back toward the courtroom doors to see if Hank had come back, but he hadn’t. I inhaled deeply and looked at the jurors.

“You’re going to hear some other things in this trial that are going to be unpleasant. Patty was not perfect. She grew up poor and grew poorer as time went on. Her mother left her father with two young kids, and although Patty did her best to stay on the straight and narrow, there simply was not enough money to go around, and she couldn’t sit there and watch her family lose their home or her father lose his mechanic shop. In an effort to help her single father, she sold the only thing she truly owned: her body. She worked as an escort. She sold herself for money to help her father and kid brother. But does that mean she’s less deserving of justice than anyone else?