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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

Someone in the woods watching her… Loften’s face on the TV news, then his hands all over her… “I’ll be watching you. I’m going to come back and fuck you”… Jeff’s face laced with scratches, his hair mussed, his shirt torn after beating Loften… Vida Warren’s face. Jeff’s lies…

Floating and floating, time moving and moving.

…nine years old coming home from Tiffany’s birthday party with her friend Stacey…in the back seat of the car… Stacey’s dad driving and drinking from a can, playing the radio loud… Stacey playing with her…pushing the button… “Don’t push the button, Stacey!”… But Stacey won’t stop pushing the button…

Time was a river, and Lisa was floating along, watching scenes flowing by on the mist-shrouded banks.

Nell with the knife… “You know what monsters men can be…all marriages have their secrets and complications”… “Do you know this woman murdered in Cleveland?”… Nell in the morgue cutting into a corpse swiftly, surgically… Joy waving with her kids…happy, waving…no, Joy’s face is a mask of worry…waving, frantically waving…a warning?

A shadow in the bedroom…a figure cloaked in the hazy darkness of the corner…“what monsters men can be”… “Loften has escaped”… Now the figure moves in cloud mist toward her bed…a massive search for Loften… “I’m going to come back”… She’s asleep, dreaming… He’s next to her, touching her… Jeff…oh, Jeff…rubbing her shoulders and back so softly.

We should try for a baby.

His hand moves down along her body. It’s so nice. Massaging her breasts tenderly, her stomach. So nice, moving lower, lower until he’s caressing her with long, lovely pleasurable motions that become a sensual tingling between her legs, the stroking becoming firmer, more arousing, again and again until she moans, signaling that she’s ready, please, oh please, now. She feels him, feels his warm hardness as he enters her, pushing in slowly, powerfully, as he lies upon her, crushing her breasts against his chest, then raising himself while rhythmically driving into her, pumping wonderfully into her, deep into her as if he might go through her, again and again and again and again…

It’s so good, so good.

When it ends, she smiles.

Oh, Jeff, such a beautiful, heavenly dream.

48

The next morning Lisa stirred from sleep.

A moment passed before she sluggishly surfaced to consciousness, blinked awake and turned in the bed.

Jeff was gone.

Her head felt a little light and achy. She kneaded her temples, and it all came back to her: dinner at the Dillards, drinking too much, feeling dizzy.

Loften’s escape.

She sat up.

The room spun a little, but she was okay. Thirsty, but all right, except that her body felt funny. Then she remembered her bizarre sex dream.

Weird.