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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 turned to him, making the connection: Hank, Patty’s father. “Yeah.”

He grinned and held out his hand and we shook. “Last time I saw you, you were trying to buy beer with a fake ID over at the Gas n’ Go.”

I thought a second. That’s right. I had done that. “Hey, you were the one that convinced that jerk Larsen to let me go without calling the cops, weren’t you?”

“Yeah.”

How had I forgotten that? I’d used an ID that belonged to a fifty-year-old guy to try to buy some Budweiser. Hank had come in to get gas shortly after I’d been caught. He’d asked the owner to cut me a break.

“Wow. I completely forgot about that. You drove me home after, too.”

He nodded, a grin coming to his face. “Your dad would always tell me you were a delinquent, but that you were going to accomplish great things one day.”

“My dad said that? I think you’re confusing me with someone else.”

“No, he said it. I dropped you off, and he smacked the back of your head and told you to go upstairs. I told him to take it easy on you, that we all did stuff like that as young men, and that’s when he said that.”

My food came and I said, “How you holding up?” as I poured Tabasco over my eggs.

He lost the grin. I instantly knew I shouldn’t have asked. I didn’t have that voice in my head that other people had that told them not to say something because it might hurt someone else’s feelings.

“You, uh, heard about Patty?”

“I did. My father was talking to me about it. I’m sorry.”

He nodded. “She was seventeen and would’ve graduated a few days after . . . after it all happened. She’d applied to Dixie State and gotten in. She wanted to be a nurse.” He grinned again. “She said that people were on their worst behavior when they were sick, but that the nurse could change that. That the nurse, not the doctor, was the one that made sure people felt that someone cared about them. That was her. Always worried about other people. She volunteered after school in the children’s wing of the hospital. She’d bring them presents on their birthdays and Christmas, though I don’t know how she managed to save up the money to do it. Do you remember her at all?”

“No, she was born a few years after I’d already left.”

He nodded again as his eggs came. He stared at the plate a second and then pushed it away. He took out a ten and left it on the counter and said to the waitress, “I better run, Mary.”

“You want me to box it up for you?”

“No. I don’t feel much like eating right now.”