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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 was there when Nathan Ficco was arrested a week later. The audio recording I had of Howard spilling his guts, and the transfers Jia had established from an offshore account owned by Nathan Ficco’s construction company into Howard’s account, were more than enough for a conviction. He tried to hire Pritcher, but Pritcher said, rightly, that because he had defended Anderson, it would be a conflict for him to represent Nathan as well. He couldn’t care less about conflicts, I’m sure, but Judge Allred would’ve thrown a fit, and I had a feeling he’d had enough of River Falls.

Pritcher stood with me outside Nathan’s house as a deputy with the sheriff’s office helped Nathan out. Nathan’s hands were cuffed behind his back and a news van was there, the cameraman slowly striding along with him until he was put in a police cruiser.

Thanks to Jia’s brilliant digging around in everyone’s bank accounts, we’d also been able to connect withdrawals of $2,000 in cash from half a dozen men in town that lined up with deposits of $1,000 in Patty’s account the next day. I guessed that the other $1,000 went straight into Farah’s pocket.

Horace Webb, Gates’s opponent for county attorney, and good friend of both the mayor and Nathan Ficco, had actually been stupid enough to write Patty a check and put “services rendered” in the “memo” line. The story was statewide and had even gotten some national press on the cable news networks. That kind of publicity would be enough to win the election for Gates.

I’d also made a call to the Attorney General’s Office about a little bar in Las Vegas that was engaging in the trafficking of underage girls. Too bad. Despite the horror of what she was doing, I’d liked Farah.

I had Steven Brown charged with perjury but would be cutting a deal for probation with him. Turned out the stalking injunction Patty had supposedly filed against him had been faked by Howard.

“You do know,” Pritcher said, “that Anderson was an unwilling accomplice in all this. His father and Howard were the ones that pressured him to, allegedly, help in the killing and burial of Patty. And he certainly, again assuming he was actually there, did not kill her himself.”