BooksBarbecue
Back The Hallows
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

“Please. Who else would be texting you? She was broken when you left. Her dad told me she cried for days. Wouldn’t come out of her room. You could’ve at least said goodbye to her. I know it shook you to see her in the hospital all broken up like that, but you could’ve said goodbye.”

“Well, hindsight’s twenty-twenty, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” he said quietly. “Unfortunately.”

66

66

After dinner, Gates and I walked around her property. We stopped at a fence overlooking a small valley, and I could see several cows huddled around a calf. The evening sun was dimming, and it gave everything a soft orange glow. Clumps of dandelions swayed with a light breeze. It was quiet. The type of quiet you can never get in a city.

“I forget how loud it is in cities until I’m out of them,” I said. “I’m not sure we were meant to live in proximity like that. There’s some argument that we’re actually not the dominant species on the planet. Wheat is. That wheat forced us to abandon our hunter-gatherer lifestyle and to cultivate it in huge quantities over most of the earth and to make sure it’s the main part of our diet so we’ll always have it around. And the worst part is it’s forced us to live in close proximity so we’ll be better at cultivating it.”

She chuckled. “You’re so morose. I love it. It’s like being around a depressed teenager all the time.”

“I’m not morose. I’m a realist. There’s a big difference.”

She leaned on the fence and stared at the cows. “You know what convinced me to stay here? That one right there. I call her Dallas. She was a calf when I was preparing this place for sale. I was out here one night making a repair to the fence, and she came up to me. She put her nose through the fence and wouldn’t leave until I rubbed it. We sat there like that for a long time. Just . . . connecting. I texted the buyer right then and told him I wouldn’t be selling.”

“That’s what changed the trajectory of your life? A cow?”

“Never know how angels show up in your life to lead you down the right path, do you?”

I scoffed and leaned on the fence with my forearms. “Well, tell whoever my angel is to show up and give me a hand with this case.”

“I reviewed it this morning. Things seem to be going fine. You’ve got Steven after the medical examiner and Cecily Gilbert after Lyle. Seems like a good case to me.”