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Back The Lying House Save as PDF
Chapters (103)
  1. Cover
  2. Back Cover Text
  3. Praise
  4. Booklist
  5. Dedication
  6. Epigraph
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. 39
  46. 40
  47. 41
  48. 42
  49. 43
  50. 44
  51. 45
  52. 46
  53. 47
  54. 48
  55. 49
  56. 50
  57. 51
  58. 52
  59. 53
  60. 54
  61. 55
  62. 56
  63. 57
  64. 58
  65. 59
  66. 60
  67. 61
  68. 62
  69. 63
  70. 64
  71. 65
  72. 66
  73. 67
  74. 68
  75. 69
  76. 70
  77. 71
  78. 72
  79. 73
  80. 74
  81. 75
  82. 76
  83. 77
  84. 78
  85. 79
  86. 80
  87. 81
  88. 82
  89. 83
  90. 84
  91. 85
  92. 86
  93. 87
  94. 88
  95. 89
  96. 90
  97. 91
  98. 92
  99. 93
  100. 94
  101. Epilogue
  102. Acknowledgments and a Personal Note
  103. Excerpt

“No one would hire me, Lisa. Word would get around, my career would be over and I’d never be able to earn the same. We owe so much as it is.”

“We could declare bankruptcy, start over—”

“Just stop. I don’t ever want to hear talk like that again.”

They both took a moment.

“All right,” she said, “but sooner or later it has to end.”

“I’m working on ending it.”

They looked at each other in silence, each reading the fear in the other’s face, each uncertain of what they could trust or believe in anymore. After several moments, the tension eased with an unspoken truce.

“You better get ready,” Lisa said. “We need to be at the Dillards’ in about forty-five minutes. I got some wine we can bring.”

Lisa accepted Jeff’s peace-offering peck on the cheek before he went upstairs to shower.

He checked his phone on the way. Still nothing from Vida.

Before he undressed, he closed the bathroom door and called her cell phone. It rang through to her voice mail.

This was not good.

The moment he set his phone down, Lisa knocked on the door, and he opened it. She was holding her phone.

“Detective Reddick is on the line. He wants to talk to both of us now.”

44

Jeff and Lisa went to their bedroom.

She switched her phone to speaker, set it on the dresser where they stood in front of it.

“Okay, Detective,” Lisa said, “we’re both here.”

“Good,” Reddick said. “First, I want to assure you that everything’s okay. This is a routine check, all right?”

Lisa glanced at Jeff.

“Sure,” Jeff said. “Is this about the extra patrols?”

“No, we’ve taken care of that. This is something else. We’re going to send you some photos.”

“Okay,” Jeff said.

“Hold on,” Reddick said something to Cruz, then Lisa’s phone pinged. “There,” Reddick said. “Now, earlier, you both told us that you didn’t know Clete Loften, have any dealings with him or anyone who might know him, correct?”

Lisa turned to Jeff, jerking her head to the phone, her expression insisting that this was the time to tell the investigators about Vida. He shook his head.

“That’s correct,” Jeff said. “We don’t know Loften or anyone who might know him.”

“Okay. Now, we want you to look at the photos. Did you get them?”

Lisa picked up her phone, tapped, scrolled and swiped through photos of a smiling woman in her midtwenties. She was pretty.

“Are you looking at them?” Reddick said. “Does this woman look familiar to you?”

“No,” Lisa said, then turned to Jeff who was still staring at the images, taking a moment longer than needed to decide.

“How about you, Jeff?” Reddick said.

“No. I don’t know her. Who is she, and why are you asking us?”

“Her name is Maylene Marie Siler. She was twenty-six years old.”

“Was?” Lisa said.