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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

“Right now, the priority is to take the time you need to recover,” Shore had told him.

Forensic police in white jumpsuits dug meticulously in the Dillards’ property, sifting for possible human remains, while news helicopters hovered overhead.

In the days and weeks after the case broke, Lisa watched them from her bedroom window, touching her belly, numb with disbelief. Joy had wanted to fly to Miami to help Lisa heal. Lisa’s parents were preparing to join them in Florida, but she rejected her family’s offers. She just wasn’t ready to see anyone yet.

During his counseling sessions, Jeff fought to come to terms with what Dillard had done.

He told his therapist how one day after the incident, overcome with wrath, he’d ripped out the security system Dillard had installed. Jeff then had a new security company sweep the house for any hidden devices before installing a new system.

The therapist recognized Jeff’s action as a way to compensate for his feelings of guilt, loss and helplessness, much like what he’d endured his entire life after his father’s tragedy. The counselor then persuaded Jeff to reveal and confront what he’d kept on the flash drive that he’d labeled Pain.

It was a journal of his most secret, private thoughts he’d never shared.

Earlier, he had feared that Vida or Loften had stolen it.

He’d only hinted to Lisa what he’d written, only given her a vague idea of what he’d kept secret.

After reading it, Jeff’s therapist guided him back to that fall day when he was eleven years old and hunting in the Wisconsin woods with his dad and Charlie. As Jeff sat in his therapist’s office, staring at nothing, he remembered it all.

“The coral sky, the smell of the earth, how Dad took a duck and stepped from our cover to get it. He told me to wait. But I was so excited I couldn’t stand it. I was going to explode, I wanted to see so badly. I started running with my gun, my heart racing. Charlie called me back. Dad turned, told me to stop running with the gun—something you never do—but I was just thrilled. I—I tripped on deadfall. There was a fiery flash, a bang from my gun… Dad folded to the ground before I hit my head and dropped my gun. When I came to, I went to him. I was kneeling over him, my tears falling on him. There was so much blood, and he was gasping his last words, ‘Why, son? Why did you run? I told you never to run.’ Then I saw the life flow out of him. His death destroyed my mother—ultimately it killed her. I can never fix what I did. I can never forgive myself.”