Chapters (73)
- Cover
- Dedication
- Prologue
- Part IAnnie
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Part IIHarry
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Part IIIAnnie
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Part IVHarry
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Forty-Eight
- Part VAnnie
- Forty-Nine
- Fifty
- Fifty-One
- Fifty-Two
- Fifty-Three
- Fifty-Four
- Fifty-Five
- Fifty-Six
- Fifty-Seven
- Fifty-Eight
- Fifty-Nine
- Sixty
- Sixty-One
- Acknowledgments
- About the Author
- Also by Linwood Barclay
- About the Publisher
Dylan’s head went up and down. “Couple of times. He was okay. Auden said his dad drank a lot. Is that what happened? Was he drunk when he was using the barbecue?”
“I don’t know. But I wouldn’t go around repeating a story like that because there might not be anything to it. Anyway, Auden’s going to need his friends in the days and weeks to come. Pretty hard, losing your dad.”
Dylan bit his upper lip. “I worry about that a lot.”
“About?”
“About you. Being the chief.”
“I’m okay. I’m careful.”
Dylan cast an eye at their own barbecue. “We shouldn’t use that anymore.”
“Tell you what. I’ll get it all checked out before we throw any more burgers on the grill. Check the gas connections and everything.”
Dylan nodded slowly. “Okay.” A pause, and then, “Is there anything else?”
Harry shook his head. “If you want to talk about it later, you know, we can.”
The boy nodded and went back into the house as Janice was coming out. She sat. “How’d he take it?”
“I don’t know what I was expecting. I thought he might burst into tears or something, but he seemed okay.”
“It’s a lot to process.”
They were both quiet until Harry finally asked, “So, how was your day?”
Janice worked in the offices of Lucknow Power and Light, which supplied electricity to the town and the surrounding region. “SSDD,” she said, short for same shit, different day. “They had the crew out again trying to track down that drain on the system.”
“Have you told me about this? When I ask what drain on the system, are you going to give me that you-never-listen look?”
“I’m doing it now,” she said, glaring at him.
“So tell me again.”
“You know how last year around downtown, we replaced all the old low-pressure sodium lights in the streetlamps with induction bulbs? That use forty percent less energy?”
“If you say so.”
“We were able to measure a drop in demand, which saves the town money, but in the last few days we’ve seen an uptick. Something drawing more power. So the new bulbs may work for a while, then they start sucking up more juice . . . and your eyes are glazing over.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Tell me what you were sitting out here pondering. I’m guessing it’s more than what happened to Dylan’s friend’s dad.”
Harry took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
“I might be in over my head, Jan.”
“What are you talking about?”
“This . . . what’s been happening. Something’s not right.”
“No kidding. Someone killed Angus Tanner. That other guy is still missing. I know that’s on your mind.”