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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

We sat silently a moment, and I sighed and looked in the bag. It was a kid’s meal with a little toy. It made me chuckle.

She smiled. “I thought you would like the toy.”

I lifted it out of the bag. A tiny doll. “I do.”

She reached over and slipped her hand into mine, and we sat there waiting for the doctor.

41

41

I woke up to the vibration of my cell phone. It was Will, and he’d sent me a text saying, Where are you?

“Oh, crap,” I said.

Gates was in the seat next to me. We were still in the waiting room of the hospital somehow, even though I thought I remembered going home to sleep. She woke up and rubbed her face, pulling her hair back over her shoulder.

“I gotta run,” I said.

She stretched. “Where you going?”

“Interviewing Steven Brown at the jail.” I kissed her cheek. “I appreciate you staying here with me.”

“I’ll keep an eye on him until you get back.”

“You don’t have to. I’m sure you’ve got fund-raising or something to do.”

“This is more important.”

The jail staff let me in without searching me, and I was led back to an attorney-client room. Steven’s attorney was a young woman, tall and black with a nice gray suit. We shook and I sat down across from them. Will stood in the corner.

Steven was huge. Much larger than he seemed in the lineup. Even sitting down I could see the bulge of muscles in his shoulders. His hands were like meaty claws, and I saw dried blood around the edges where he had picked off the skin.

“Steven, I’m Tatum Graham. I’m the prosecutor on this case. Do you know what that means?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” I glanced at his attorney. “I read the statement you gave the police, but I thought maybe I should hear in your own words what happened that night.”

The attorney said, “One second, Steven.” She looked to me and said, “We want a deal.”

“Deal for what?”

“You’re obviously here because you want to cut a deal in exchange for testimony against Anderson. Which is the right move. My client was, hypothetically for the sake of this discussion, there, but just there, and had nothing to do with the murder.”

My heart thumped against my rib cage, and I felt that familiar tingling of adrenaline. Gates had been right; we had the two jerkoffs who’d killed Patty in lockup.

“I disagree, but go ahead, Steven, I’m all ears. If you tell me something good, I’ll think about a deal.”

He put his hands together and said, “We were all just having fun at the bar. It was the same as it always was. We’d partied with Patty and Cecily before.”

“So what happened?”