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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?

I thought I heard a floorboard squeak overhead. I froze, listening. Was Amanda up with Henry? Had she noticed I was gone?

But no other noises came. So I turned back to the computer, even though I didn’t know what to do. I had a pretty good knowledge of computers and phones, but I wasn’t an IT guy. We had people at work who did those things and solved those problems for us. Sure, I could have gotten in touch with one of them, but it was the middle of the night. And how would I explain to them why I was trying to search through information from a complete stranger’s phone?

I did what anyone would have done. I Googled, searching for an answer. It didn’t take long to learn that software existed—many different kinds of software—that made it much easier to read and search through the information downloaded from a phone. Some of it was used by law enforcement. I picked a program that looked reasonably easy to use and purchased it.

While I waited for it to download, I checked my own social media accounts. Everything people shared suddenly looked strange and alien. Pictures of dogs and kids, pictures of food and clothes. Everyone else had gone about their day, posting the most inconsequential moments of their lives for all the world to see, while I had gone into a house and found the woman who lived there dead on the floor.

But just that day, hours before I ran into Blake at the Pig, I’d done the same thing. I’d taken and posted the photo of Amanda and Henry, sharing it with the world as though I believed everyone wanted and needed to see what my wife and child looked like on an ordinary Thursday. And even after the events of that night, I felt a little rush, seeing so many likes and comments, so much appreciation for how beautiful my family was. Some part of me believed that every interaction increased my value as a human being.

I closed the window.

The software finished downloading, and I was ready to wade through the contents of Jennifer’s phone, knowing I’d start with the messages between her and Blake.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

I scrolled past the most recent messages Jennifer and Blake had exchanged, the ones in which he said he was coming over to see her just that morning.

It’s a free country

Had he gone? And if he had, what happened when he showed up?