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Back The Request Save as PDF
Chapters (104)
  1. Cover
  2. Praise for The Request
  3. ALSO BY DAVID BELL
  4. Dedication
  5. PROLOGUE
  6. CHAPTER ONE
  7. CHAPTER TWO
  8. CHAPTER THREE
  9. CHAPTER FOUR
  10. CHAPTER FIVE
  11. CHAPTER SIX
  12. CHAPTER SEVEN
  13. CHAPTER EIGHT
  14. CHAPTER NINE
  15. CHAPTER TEN
  16. CHAPTER ELEVEN
  17. CHAPTER TWELVE
  18. CHAPTER THIRTEEN
  19. CHAPTER FOURTEEN
  20. CHAPTER FIFTEEN
  21. CHAPTER SIXTEEN
  22. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
  23. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
  24. CHAPTER NINETEEN
  25. CHAPTER TWENTY
  26. CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
  27. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
  28. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
  29. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
  30. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
  31. CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
  32. CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
  33. CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
  34. CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
  35. CHAPTER THIRTY
  36. CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
  37. CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
  38. CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
  39. CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
  40. CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
  41. CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
  42. CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
  43. CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
  44. CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
  45. CHAPTER FORTY
  46. CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
  47. CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
  48. CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
  49. CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
  50. CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
  51. CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
  52. CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
  53. CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
  54. CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
  55. CHAPTER FIFTY
  56. CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
  57. CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
  58. CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
  59. CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
  60. CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
  61. CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX
  62. CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
  63. CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT
  64. CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
  65. CHAPTER SIXTY
  66. CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE
  67. CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO
  68. CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE
  69. CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR
  70. CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE
  71. CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX
  72. CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEN
  73. CHAPTER SIXTY-EIGHT
  74. CHAPTER SIXTY-NINE
  75. CHAPTER SEVENTY
  76. CHAPTER SEVENTY-ONE
  77. CHAPTER SEVENTY-TWO
  78. CHAPTER SEVENTY-THREE
  79. CHAPTER SEVENTY-FOUR
  80. CHAPTER SEVENTY-FIVE
  81. CHAPTER SEVENTY-SIX
  82. CHAPTER SEVENTY-SEVEN
  83. CHAPTER SEVENTY-EIGHT
  84. CHAPTER SEVENTY-NINE
  85. CHAPTER EIGHTY
  86. CHAPTER EIGHTY-ONE
  87. CHAPTER EIGHTY-TWO
  88. CHAPTER EIGHTY-THREE
  89. CHAPTER EIGHTY-FOUR
  90. CHAPTER EIGHTY-FIVE
  91. CHAPTER EIGHTY-SIX
  92. CHAPTER EIGHTY-SEVEN
  93. CHAPTER EIGHTY-EIGHT
  94. CHAPTER EIGHTY-NINE
  95. CHAPTER NINETY
  96. CHAPTER NINETY-ONE
  97. CHAPTER NINETY-TWO
  98. CHAPTER NINETY-THREE
  99. CHAPTER NINETY-FOUR
  100. Readers Guide
  101. Questions for Discussion
  102. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  103. About the Author
  104. What’s next onyour reading list?

Before she went in, she looked at me. “You will behave, Mr. Francis?”

“Haven’t I so far?”

“That’s up for debate,” she said, and went inside.

CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

The cops ignored me while they waited for Rountree to come back outside. They stood close together, about ten feet away from me, and held a low conversation I mostly couldn’t hear. Only scattered words reached me.

Can’t believe it . . . does she think we missed something . . . overtime . . .

Their radios crackled. The cop on the right listened and then said something back. When she clicked off, she turned to her partner and spoke in a voice I could hear.

“They’re trying to find that guy,” she said. “The one he says was here.”

“Kyle Dornan,” I said.

They both turned to look at me but didn’t respond. They went back to their conversation, speaking even lower so I couldn’t make out anything.

So I waited. I leaned back against the house, letting the sun wash over my face. It was turning into a really nice spring day. I wished I was able to enjoy it. Go to the park with Amanda and Henry. Sit outside and drink a beer in the evening. Open the windows and air out the house.

Rountree came back out. She nodded at the two officers, and one of them told her about Kyle Dornan.

“They haven’t found him yet,” she said.

“I heard,” Rountree said. “They’ll keep looking.” Then she turned to me and asked, “How did you say you knew Mr. Norton again?”

“We met in college. At Ferncroft.”

“Freshman year?”

“That’s right.”

“Would you say he’s a sentimental man?” Rountree asked.

It was such an odd question, delivered in such a casual tone. It took me a moment to understand she was serious.

“Blake? He fancies himself a romantic. I guess sentimental can go along with that.”

“Is he sentimental about your college days?”

“No. No more than anyone else.” We avoided a lot of talk about college because of the way it ended. The hazing. The accident. Like it was a healing scab, I tried not to put any pressure on it, although from time to time I bumped up against it accidentally, bringing on a new rush of pain. “Why do you ask?”

“What was Sigil and Shield?” she asked.

The sun suddenly felt warmer. The two uniformed cops had turned to watch Rountree’s questioning of me like curious bystanders. A bead of sweat trickled down my back under my shirt.

Where was she coming up with all of this?

“Why are you asking about Sigil and Shield?”