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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

Back at the offices, I got an update that a forensic team was coming down but wouldn’t get here until the next morning. Jia and Will had also interviewed Cecily. She denied everything at first, and then admitted that Patty had, indeed, been escorting for Farah. Apparently her dad’s mechanic shop had been failing and money had been getting tighter, and she’d thought it was a way she could help out the family. She’d never given her dad money—it would have raised too many questions. Instead, she’d paid bills behind his back or stocked the fridge with groceries when he wasn’t around. Hank had no idea what his daughter was doing.

Unfortunately, Patty had refused to tell Cecily much about that part of her life, so she had no idea if Patty’d had a stalker or not. Patty, it seemed, had been living two lives and had wanted them kept as separate as possible.

I leaned back in a chair in the conference room, which apparently was my office for now, and put my feet up on the table. I stared at a painting on the wall of a cowboy sitting on a horse, its head dipped in a stream. The cowboy was looking off at the horizon. The painting had struck me as tacky the first time I saw it, but staring at it, I felt there was something haunting there. A man alone in a desert with nothing but his animal.

A knock on the door snapped me out of it. The secretary stood there and said, “Phone call for you.”

I rose and followed her to the lobby. The secretary was working on a crossword puzzle, and she put her glasses on and went right back to it.

“This is Tatum.”

“Mr. Graham,” a male voice said. I’d recognize that raspy little weasel’s voice out of a hundred voices.

“Russell. How nice of you to call. Are you congratulating me for putting your client away? Little early for that, isn’t it?”

“Oh no, I wouldn’t quite bank on that yet. Just wanted to touch base and make sure there wasn’t any discovery I should be receiving.”

“As I’m sure you’re aware, I have no obligation to give you anything until the preliminary hearing. Be grateful you got what you got.”

“The prelim’s in a few days. You’ll have to hand it all over then. And the fact that you haven’t feels to me like something nice and exculpatory is in there.”

“Yeah, well, feelings can be deceiving. What the hell are you doing out here anyway? I thought you stuck to the coasts.”