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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

Howard rose and got within a few inches of me. “Who the hell do you think you are?”

“Mark Howard, right, lead on the Winchester investigation? Well, I’m the guy that’s trying to save your ass.” I stared him right in the pupils, my gaze hard. “Those boys are going to get away with rape and murder because of you. So drop the macho act, take responsibility for your shit investigation, and let’s figure out a way to get this done.”

Vail laughed. “Get out of our station.”

“Sure, no problem. I’ll go to the sheriff’s office right now and tell him how many reporters are going to be at the motion to dismiss and how his detectives are going to look like bumbling idiots, and how two murderers, whose blood the voters are screaming for, are going to walk free. Isn’t there an election coming up?”

They looked at each other. They weren’t laughing now.

“What do you want?” Howard said.

I leaned against the wall. “Give me what you got.”

“It’s all in our reports.”

“Don’t con me. There’s always things you guys leave out of the reports. What’d you leave out?”

They glanced at each other and Howard said, “Nothing.”

Jia stepped in and said, “If you guys are hiding something, now’s the time to tell us. Because even if we don’t know, the defense attorney will, and he’s going to bring it out at the worst time for us.”

They glanced at each other again and Howard sighed. He looked at me and said, “There’s a couple of things.”

“I’m all ears.”

“Patty was . . . I mean, everyone loved Patty because everyone knows and loves Hank.” He looked to Vail and then said, “There were some things we didn’t include in the reports and asked the coroner not to include. Just for Hank’s sake.”

“Well? Like what?”

“Patty had cigarette burns all over her body. Like all over.”

“Cigarette burns,” I said, glancing at Will.

Jia said, “Are you kidding me? You left that out of your reports and told the coroner to leave it out? You didn’t think that’d come out in court? What about the photos?”

“We kept the photos showing the burns out of the file. We thought . . . I mean, we just didn’t want Hank to know. It was bad enough what he had to learn. See her all busted up and bloody like that. We thought the case would be pled out early on.”

Vail now said, “There’s more. She, um . . . they cut her up pretty bad. Cuts all over the body.” He swallowed and looked away. “Like someone wanted to hurt her for a while or something. We couldn’t hide the bruising or broken bones, obviously, but we did what we could for Hank.”