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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

He moved toward the bedrooms, his light poking into every darkened corner, when he was stopped dead by a fearful, hysterical scream. It was his wife.

“Lisa!” he yelled.

Her cry had come from the far side of the house—the safe room.

Jeff ran as fast as he could.

Hearing Jeff’s shouting, Dillard flew to the console. Examining the controls, he switched the cameras to thermal imaging.

“Jeff!” Lisa screamed.

Dillard studied the video monitor and saw Jeff approaching.

He pulled on night-vision goggles, unholstered his gun and left the room, disappearing into the darkness.

“Jeff!” Lisa screamed. “Roland’s coming! He has a gun!”

From his cover position among shrubs near the floor-to-ceiling windows leading to the pool, Sergeant Andy Valdez saw muzzle flashes and heard several rounds of gunfire.

“Shots fired! Inside!” Valdez reported on his radio.

The commander’s response came back for the team.

“Green light! Go! Go!”

Windows of the house shattered as flash grenades shot through them with deafening, disorienting fiery explosions and smoke. Heavily armed SRT members rushed into the house, the beams of their red lasers raking the billowing clouds.

“Police!”

Scouring every inch of the residence, they first came upon a man facedown on the floor. A cluster of laser dots danced on his back.

“Put your hands on your head now!”

They saw a handgun near him and removed it from his reach. They came to a second man, facedown, bleeding profusely. He was not moving, but they handcuffed him as a precaution.

As the smoke dissipated, team members came upon a woman, sitting on the floor, her back against the blood-smeared wall. She was bleeding from a gunshot wound in her chest. The handgun on the floor next to her was removed.

The woman was conscious and speaking softly as they handcuffed her. “I told him, I knew. I said, ‘It ends here, Roland.’”

Moving farther inside the house, the team came to the safe room, where they found a second woman, handcuffed to a chair.

She was in shock, hysterical and sobbing.

“Please help… He’s a monster… Please help us…”

Awed by the sight, team members surveyed the console, control panels and the banks of video cameras. Radios crackled, the house was cleared, and within minutes, Morrow and Cruz arrived to comfort the woman as bolt cutters were brought in to free her.

“It’s going to be all right, Lisa,” Cruz said.

Morrow studied the monitors, and her breathing quickened. Some of the older recorded images playing on one of them were familiar, featuring faces of women she recognized. As she stepped closer, she felt the rising, sickening realization that The Collector had made videos of all his killings.

To enjoy over and over. This is his trophy room.

Morrow shut her eyes tight before opening them again.