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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

“So you got what you wanted,” Jason said.

Frankie stared out her office window. She could see the crowds in Union Square ten stories below her. “Yes, he could have told me he loved me, and it wouldn’t have meant as much as him being proud of me.”

He heard her hesitation. “So what’s wrong?”

“I don’t know. I just—I don’t know.”

“It hasn’t even been four months, Frankie. That’s not long when you lose a parent. Don’t rush yourself.”

“You’re right.” Frankie shook her head and added, “Pam missed out.”

“If she’d been there, it wouldn’t have been the same,” Jason reminded her. “Marvin treated her differently.”

“I know.”

“Maybe you got the closure you needed because it was just the two of you,” he pointed out.

“I’ve thought about that, but it makes me feel guilty.”

“You had no way of knowing what was going to happen.”

“No.”

On New Year’s Day, her father had awakened early, at sunrise, which was typical. He made coffee and took a hike along the bluff trails of Point Reyes. He told Frankie to stay behind, which was a surprise. Normally, he made her and Pam get up and join him on his early walks. It didn’t matter how late they’d been up the night before. He hiked north of Arch Rock where the cliffs dropped sharply to the rocks and beach. It had rained overnight. The earth of the headlands was soft and yielding.

Hours later, when he still hadn’t returned, Frankie alerted the rangers. They found Marvin Stein’s body at the base of the cliff.

Jason checked his watch. “I have to get back to work. Are you and Pam going to Zingari tonight?”

“Probably. Do you want us to wait for you for dinner?”

“No, I might be late.”

“Okay.”

Her husband got up, and his sharp eyes examined her face. “Are you still feeling off?”

“Yes, I don’t know exactly what it is.” She stared out the window again, and without looking at Jason, she said, “Do you think that he—?”

Jason waited, but Frankie didn’t go on. He answered her question without her asking it, because she couldn’t form the words.

“No, I don’t think that Marvin killed himself,” Jason said. “He’s not the kind of man who would take his own life. It was an accident. The cliffs are dangerous. He fell.”

7

7

Frost heard Lucy Hagen’s footsteps inside as she hurried to answer the door at the apartment she shared with Brynn Lansing.

“Oh, hi, Frost,” she said, her face flushing happily when she saw him. Then she corrected herself: “Sorry—Inspector.”

He returned the greeting with his own friendly, crooked smile. “Frost is fine.”

“Come on in.”