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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

She led me to the third building and unlocked the door. The unit was nice, two stories, white, clean walls, new carpet. I opened the window. It looked out onto the woods behind the condos.

“There’s three bedrooms, plenty of space for you and . . . the missus?”

“Not married.”

She smiled. “Oh. So what brings you to our little town?”

I glanced into the kitchen and the living room. The entire place was, maybe, the size of the master bedroom in my Miami house. “You know, honestly, I have no idea.” I exhaled. “I’ll take it.”

“This one is only for purchase, unfortunately.”

“Sure. Whatever. Real estate is never a bad investment, right?”

“Oh, wow. Okay, um, well, we can head back to my office and draw up the paperwork. For the financing, do you have a preferred lender? If not—”

“I’ll just put it on my credit card.”

She was silent a second. “The entire purchase price?”

“Yeah.”

Her mouth fell open.

I returned to the window and stared out into the woods. The trees, half-bare from the intense desert heat, were swaying in a breeze. “I, um, gotta visit somebody really quick. Just have everything drafted up, and I’ll be by afterward to sign.”

10

10

As I drove along Main Street, I saw several signs that said, HORACE WEBB FOR COUNTY ATTORNEY: RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT. I saw a couple of lawn signs for Gates, but there were more for Horace. It seemed like there were only two billboards in town, and Horace had them both. One of them said, A RETURN TO GOVERNMENT FOR AMERICANS BY AMERICANS. Not sure what foreign power was pulling the strings in a place where a second Walmart was the talk of the town, but all right, whatever floats your boat.

I parked in front of my father’s house and sat in the driveway for a while.

The house looked smaller and more run down than I remembered. Funny that things from childhood always looked smaller when you went back as an adult. Was it just that you’d been smaller then, or was it that the world had seemed like a much bigger, more mysterious place?

You seen your dad yet? Roscoe had said. I didn’t think I’d talked about my father since I moved to Miami. Maggie, Sarah, and everyone else I dated had rarely asked about my parents, and I had responded vaguely and changed the subject when they did.