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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 nodded, looking at a picture of several children in a laminated photo hanging from the car’s rearview mirror.

“I have to ask you for something, Hank, and it’s not pretty.”

“What?”

“Probably didn’t know, but I’m a criminal defense attorney and I’m jumping sides for this one case. I’ve decided to help Gates with the prosecution of those boys that killed Patty. We’ve got to rework the case from the beginning. Start from the ground up. The detectives on this case are inexperienced. They didn’t do a lot of the things they would’ve done if they’d been working homicides awhile. The defense attorney Anderson Ficco hired is one of the best in the world. He probably charged upward of a million dollars for this case. He’s the guy you hire when you got the money and you do not want to go to prison.”

He nodded, continuing to wipe his hands, though the grease was already off. He leaned against the car and stared at the ground. “What do you need from me?”

I hesitated. “I need to exhume Patty’s body.”

He shook his head. “Isn’t there another way?”

“Afraid not. I need the forensic techs and a medical examiner from the crime lab to go over the body and see if there’s anything the coroner missed. Can’t do it without Patty.” I stepped closer to him. “Hank, these boys might very well get away with this. You need to put your personal views aside and do whatever you can to make sure they don’t do this to anyone else’s daughter.”

He stared at me a second and then nodded. “Okay.”

We got an exhumation order drafted, and the judge signed off on it. I knew the judge: Beatrice Allred. She had been the district court judge in this county since I was a kid, and I pegged her age now at midseventies. Judges didn’t have to retire unless they wanted to, and it sounded like she was going to be a lifer. And why not? You just sit there and say yes or no to lawyers all day. Mostly no.