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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 grinned and folded her arms. I watched her close her eyes and say a blessing for the food, thanking God for it and for the other blessings in her life.

I took a bite. The chili was hot and melted in my mouth like warm cake. It was sweet and spicy at the same time.

“Wow, that’s good.”

“Glad you like it.”

“Your father made this?”

She nodded as she ate. “He learned it from my grandfather. My granddad left the ranch for a while when he was a teenager—this must’ve been in the thirties—against his father’s wishes and worked cattle drives in New Mexico. Out there all they had was whatever they could carry that wasn’t perishable.” She grinned. “He told me all of them were constipated on the drive, so he learned to make a chili that would take care of the problem.”

“Oh. Delicious and will clean me out. Consider me sold.”

“You know I like to be practical.”

A silence passed between us then, and I said, “Gates, when I left, while you were in the hospital—”

“No, don’t.”

“I want to explain.”

“There’s no reason. You were nineteen, a kid. It doesn’t matter now, and I don’t want to ruin a perfectly good dinner with talk of things neither of us can change.” She took a bite of the chili. “Will told me about Patty’s stalker. How do you suppose Howard and Vail missed that?”

“I can tell you exactly how: they don’t care. It’s open and shut to them, and they want it done and to go back to their stolen-candy-bar cases. Murders are hard work. Doesn’t mean Anderson and Steven didn’t do it, but I’m not getting up in that court and convicting two innocent men or taking the chance that two guilty men walk. We gotta find this guy and rule him out.”

She grinned. “I’m sure you will. Somehow I don’t think you fail much.”

I watched her. The way her eyes reflected the light, her milk-white skin burned just a little from working the ranch, the way her hair danced on her shoulders. Up behind her near the front door I saw a large blown-up photo of her and her father hugging out in the fields, her father’s sun-beaten face like leather and his meaty arm around her thin shoulders. “You miss your dad a lot, don’t you?”

“Every day.” A sigh escaped her lips, though I didn’t think she meant it to. “Don’t take it for granted that they’re always going to be around, Tatum. They won’t, and by the time they’re gone, it’s too late to do anything about it.”