BooksBarbecue
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

She smacked his hand.

“No, seriously, Lisa. I wouldn’t do that. It’s creepy and just plain wrong. It probably was a dream brought on by all the wine.”

She gazed into her cup, contending with how she felt funny, a little different down there when she woke.

“Maybe you’re right,” she said, not believing what she was saying.

“I should get going,” he said.

Lisa went with him to the door, and they kissed.

She glanced to the street, hoping to be reassured by the sight of a patrol car. Jeff followed her gaze.

“Do me a favor,” he said. “Just to be safe, I don’t think you should go running today.”

“I wasn’t planning on it.”

After Jeff left, Lisa shut the door and leaned against it, again ruminating over feeling funny when she woke. Now, on top of all her other fears, she was afraid that she couldn’t trust her own memory.

49

The moment Jeff stepped into one of the elevators at Coral Cloud Tower, he sent his first message to Shelley Rozart, asking if she’d heard from Vida.

Time was winding down on Vida’s deadline.

If she gives Lisa and the whole world those pictures, if she tells Leland and Foster her lies about me…

I can’t let that happen. I just can’t.

By the time Jeff got off the elevator, he’d sent a second message, to Reed Kassan. He went straight to his office and shut the door.

At his desk, he immediately studied every Miami news site he could think of to see if Loften had been captured. All the stories he found had reported the escape but nothing about him being caught. Using Loften’s full name and keywords like inmate, escape and capture, Jeff set up a news alert to send him notifications.

He took a breath and scrolled through his emails, scanning his meetings and work for the day. But his troubles yanked his thoughts away, first to Lisa. He didn’t remember them having sex. What was that about?

And what about the Dillards?

Lisa seemed to like them, seemed to get along well with Roland. Maybe too well from what he’d seen with those little looks they’d given each other. Jeff could barely endure the evening. Thank God for alcohol.

Jeff hadn’t liked Dillard telling him that he looked stressed and that they should talk about it, like they were all buddy-buddy. Dillard was an oddball, with his questions, his storm room and his sheriff-of-the-block thing. Then there was Nell, half-crazed and staring at everybody like some mystic witch. She just creeped him out.

A chime sounded with an email notification on Jeff’s computer, a message flagged confidential. It was from Foster Shore.

The subject line read You Need to See This.

It had attachments.

Jeff’s gut lurched, thinking Vida had pulled the trigger, had delivered on her threat to destroy him.