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Back The Night Bird
Chapters (60)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Page
  3. Dedication
  4. CONTENTS
  5. Start Reading
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. 32
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. 37
  43. 38
  44. 39
  45. 40
  46. 41
  47. 42
  48. 43
  49. 44
  50. 45
  51. 46
  52. 47
  53. 48
  54. 49
  55. 50
  56. 51
  57. 52
  58. FROM THE AUTHOR
  59. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  60. ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Frankie remembered seeing Darren not long after he was vindicated. She expected him to be angry about his ordeal. Instead, she saw a twisted triumph hiding in his smile. She knew the truth. He was guilty. He’d raped and murdered Merrilyn Somers. And somehow, he’d gotten away with it by framing another man.

She didn’t tell him what she thought, but he had a way of reading her mind.

“You still think I did it, don’t you?” Darren asked as he was leaving her office that last time. “That’s just crazy, Frankie. I mean, think about it. For me to be guilty, you’d have to assume that I knew that Leon’s DNA was in the state database. Not much point planting evidence on a guy who will never be found, right? Of course, maybe the guy who owns the apartment building is a college buddy of mine. So I guess I could have scoped out the background checks on new tenants and found somebody with a criminal record. Then I’d need to make sure that whoever it was didn’t have an alibi on the night of the murder. That’s even tougher. Well, unless I stopped by for a drink with Leon that night and spiked his beer with Rohypnol. I guess I could have poured out a couple dozen cans while he was sleeping it off, so he’d come out of his blackout thinking he drank himself into a coma. Do you think that would work? Maybe it would. But wow, Frankie, the semen they found on Merrilyn’s bed. No way I could pull that off. I mean, what are you suggesting? That I paid a hooker to come on to him and give him a hand job in the men’s room at some bar? And then she gave me a sample of his swimmers that I could plant near Merrilyn’s body? You must think I’m some kind of evil genius to do something like that. Besides, do you think I wouldn’t freak out knowing that this hooker might spot my face in the paper and go to the cops? I’d probably have to get rid of her, too, Frankie. Of course, that would be the easiest part of the plan. Nobody misses hookers.”

He laughed. His face had the look of the devil.

“Anyway, that’s what you’d have to believe to think I’m really guilty, Frankie. See how crazy that sounds?”

She knew that Darren was right.

It was crazy.

What chilled Frankie to the bone was knowing that he had told her exactly what he’d really done.

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