BooksBarbecue
Back The Outside Man Save as PDF
Chapters (42)
  1. Cover Page
  2. EARLY BIRD BOOKS
  3. Praise for the Writing of Richard North Patterson
  4. Title Page
  5. Dedication
  6. Epigraph
  7. One
  8. Two
  9. Three
  10. Four
  11. Five
  12. Six
  13. Seven
  14. Eight
  15. Nine
  16. Ten
  17. Eleven
  18. Twelve
  19. Thirteen
  20. Fourteen
  21. Fifteen
  22. Sixteen
  23. Seventeen
  24. Eighteen
  25. Nineteen
  26. Twenty
  27. Twenty-one
  28. Twenty-two
  29. Twenty-three
  30. Twenty-four
  31. Twenty-five
  32. Twenty-six
  33. Twenty-seven
  34. Twenty-eight
  35. Twenty-nine
  36. Thirty
  37. Thirty-one
  38. Thirty-two
  39. Thirty-three
  40. Thirty-four
  41. Thirty-five
  42. About the Author

“I started sensing the connections. You’ve hated me ever since Kris Ann brought me home. At first I tried believing you were a protective father. I didn’t want to face the fact that we were rivals. The job offer, the house, the talks with me—all these were ways of keeping Kris Ann for yourself. She knew that, inside. I didn’t, or didn’t want to.” I turned to Kris Ann. “I never wanted to be a lawyer, so how I did it never really mattered. Maybe I was dazzled by things I’d never had. All the time you wanted me to take you away from him. You sensed how unhealthy it was. Instead I used you as an excuse and kept you here. God help me, it was you I wanted, not the rest.”

Her face was blank and wounded. She shook her head, over and over. “But look at what you’ve done—”

“Please, Krissy, understand what he did. Roland meant to destroy our marriage. Over time he planned to cut me down in front of you and then wean you with money until you didn’t respect or need me. But he invested badly. Another man would have given up. Your father is a different sort of man. He learned Napoleon was in trouble and promised them financing in return for a share in your name. He didn’t have that kind of money himself. But Henry had the bank’s money and Lydia’s, and Roland knew that he was homosexual. My guess is that he put detectives on Henry until he found his lover. Then he threatened to expose the other man unless Henry arranged a loan. The details aren’t important. What I have to know is why you took that partnership.”

“It was a present from Daddy,” she burst out bitterly.

I shook my head. “Why didn’t you just tell me?”

“It was between me and Daddy. I thought maybe it would hurt your pride. I didn’t know about Henry—”

“It was ours,” Cade cut in. “You don’t need to explain anything.”

I turned. “Then you can, Roland. You can tell her about Jason.”

Cade turned to her, face suffused with blood. I went on. “Ask him, Krissy. Ask him if you have a brother.”

They faced each other in terrible silence. Then Cade nodded mutely, and reached toward her. She recoiled, crying out, “Why, Adam? Why do this now?”