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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

“Have a seat.”

I sat down across from him. The chair groaned as he sat and put his hands across his prodigious belly, a grin on his lips.

“So what can I do ya for?”

“Honestly, Mayor, I just wanted to come meet you. I figured there’d be cases we would want your input on, and I just wanted to get the meeting in first.”

“Well, I appreciate that. I’ve known your father for forty years. Good man, hard worker.”

“Yeah, thanks.”

I looked at the photos on the wall behind him. “Wife and kids?”

“Yes, yeah, four kids. You?”

“No. I can barely take care of myself.”

“I know the feeling,” he said with a chuckle.

A moment passed in awkward silence.

“So how long have you been married?”

“Going on twenty-four years.”

“Long time. Congrats. Most marriages that I’ve seen, at least in Miami where I lived before coming out here, were in shambles by then. It was typically the husbands cheating and the wives finding out and either sticking around because it was more comfortable than leaving or just not caring enough to leave.”

Another silence. The grin on his face was gone.

“Well, this isn’t Miami,” he finally said. “People out here respect their wedding vows.”

“I know. I love that about this place.” I brushed a piece of lint off my pants. “I guess you’ve been keeping up on the Patty Winchester case.”

“Who hasn’t? We haven’t had a murder here in over ten years. That one was at the Hallows, too. We should just close down that damn place. But yes, I’m familiar with Patty’s case from Gates.”

“Yeah, it’s really a shame, too. She seemed like a really pleasant girl. Beautiful, too. In fact I’d say one of the most beautiful girls I’ve ever seen.”

He looked away from me, to his computer screen. “I couldn’t tell you. I don’t judge women on their looks, being a married man. ’Nother difference between here and Miami, I guess.”

“Guess so.”

“Look, Mr. Graham, it was nice meeting you, but I’ve really got a packed—”

“Did you know her?”

“Excuse me?”

“Patty Winchester. Did you know her?”

“What is this? Why are you asking me these questions?”

Time to rattle the cage with a lie and see what shook out.

“We, um . . . look, you’re the mayor, so I wanted to bring this to you. No one else knows about this. This is just you and me as far as I’m concerned. But there’s a video of you at a bar in Las Vegas. Skid Row. I was up there talking to the owner, and she mentioned that someone had come in there and assaulted Patty, shouting about how they were the mayor. They keep all their recordings in case there’s ever any investigation for anything, and they showed it to me, Mayor.”