Chapters (110)
- Cover
- ALSO BY J. TODD SCOTT
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- PROLOGUE
- I
- II
- PART ONE
- ONE
- TWO
- THREE
- FOUR
- FIVE
- SIX
- SEVEN
- EIGHT
- NINE
- TEN
- ELEVEN
- TWELVE
- PART TWO
- THIRTEEN
- FOURTEEN
- FIFTEEN
- SIXTEEN
- SEVENTEEN
- EIGHTEEN
- NINETEEN
- TWENTY
- TWENTY-ONE
- TWENTY-TWO
- TWENTY-THREE
- TWENTY-FOUR
- TWENTY-FIVE
- TWENTY-SIX
- TWENTY-SEVEN
- TWENTY-EIGHT
- TWENTY-NINE
- THIRTY
- THIRTY-ONE
- THIRTY-TWO
- THIRTY-THREE
- THIRTY-FOUR
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- THIRTY-NINE
- PART THREE
- FORTY
- FORTY-ONE
- FORTY-TWO
- FORTY-THREE
- FORTY-FOUR
- FORTY-FIVE
- FORTY-SIX
- FORTY-SEVEN
- FORTY-EIGHT
- FORTY-NINE
- FIFTY
- FIFTY-ONE
- FIFTY-TWO
- FIFTY-THREE
- FIFTY-FOUR
- FIFTY-FIVE
- FIFTY-SIX
- FIFTY-SEVEN
- FIFTY-EIGHT
- FIFTY-NINE
- SIXTY
- SIXTY-ONE
- PART FOUR
- SIXTY-TWO
- SIXTY-THREE
- SIXTY-FOUR
- SIXTY-FIVE
- SIXTY-SIX
- SIXTY-SEVEN
- SIXTY-EIGHT
- SIXTY-NINE
- SEVENTY
- SEVENTY-ONE
- SEVENTY-TWO
- SEVENTY-THREE
- SEVENTY-FOUR
- SEVENTY-FIVE
- SEVENTY-SIX
- SEVENTY-SEVEN
- SEVENTY-EIGHT
- SEVENTY-NINE
- EIGHTY
- EIGHTY-ONE
- EIGHTY-TWO
- EIGHTY-THREE
- EIGHTY-FOUR
- EPILOGUE
- I
- II
- III
- IV
- V
- VI
- VII
- AUTHOR’S NOTE
- ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
- Excerpt from LOST RIVER
- LITTLE PARIS
- DILLON
- ABOUT THE AUTHOR
- What’s next onyour reading list?
It had to do with the unanswered calls she’d made to her mama in Camargo.
It had to do with the old man and the young girl still there waiting for her, waiting to see what she’d do next.
She couldn’t help wondering what the hell Ben would say to her about that now.
—
SHE WAS PICKING UP THE LAST of her brass when Danny walked up. He stood about ten feet away, watching her, with his Bullhide hat pulled low. He’d started wearing the vaquero hat like the other deputies, like Sheriff Ross, but still didn’t seem comfortable in it. He was always taking it on and off, leaving it in his truck or on his desk. She’d find it all over her apartment, tossed aside. He held it as much as he wore it, but she appreciated as well as anyone that desire to fit in, to disappear in some ways and not call attention to yourself. That had been her once, a long time ago, but that girl had left Murfee and never returned. Danny’s hat reminded her of the dark one her brother had sometimes worn when he was crossing over the river for a night at the bars in Ojinaga. He’d worn it low over his eyes to make him look older, tougher. Danny’s shaded his face the same way now, so she couldn’t see the angry expression that she knew was there.
“I figured you’d come out here, the way you blasted out after our talk with Eddy. I think you hurt Santino’s feelings. He doesn’t like dealing with me.”
“He’ll survive. Is Sheriff Cherry back yet from Nathan?”
“No, but he’s on his way. He radioed in and wants to meet with us. He wants to follow up from that call I had with him this morning.” Danny pulled off the hat for a moment, turned it around once and looked at it, before putting it back on his head. “You drove out here for nothing, Amé. Now you gotta turn around and go right back.”
“And so do you,” she said, walking over to put the brass bucket in the back of her truck. He trailed three steps behind her. “And it wasn’t for nothing. I didn’t ask you to follow me here. There was a reason for that.”
If that stung him, he didn’t show it. “Hell, if I waited for you to ask me to do much of anything, I’d still be sitting in that hospital alone.” He walked up next to her and took the bucket out of her hand and set it on the ground between them. “I know you don’t want to talk about this, but we’re going to. We’re going to talk about that man still sitting in your kitchen right now, not to mention that little girl.”