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
He’d also wander some of the other divisions of the publishing empire he was part of, grab a few advance copies for Annie to enjoy. A Grisham that didn’t come out for another five months, or another novel from actor Tom Hanks. Some books for Charlie, too, who Finnegan knew to be a reader.
His motives were not entirely altruistic. He could use a break from the city. It had been a hot, humid week and there wasn’t much relief unless you wanted to run through a city-run splash pool with a bunch of grade-schoolers. So he decided to get his twenty-year-old Porsche Boxster out of the garage and give it a good run.
He had packed an overnight bag and booked a bed-and-breakfast for two nights not far from where Annie and Charlie were living so he could make a weekend of it. Finnegan did not have a partner—it was just him. He’d had a few boyfriends over the years, but there’d never been a relationship serious enough that he wanted to share accommodation, and he was okay with that.
He set out in the morning, after the worst of the rush hour was over, although rush hour was never really over in New York. But by eleven he was clear of the city and hitting the open road with the top down and AC blowing out of the vents.
The Porsche had no navigation system, but he had his phone hanging from a bracket on the dash to assist him with directions. Stopped along the way twice for coffee and bathroom breaks, and by midafternoon, he was closing in on the place.
It occurred to him Annie and Charlie might not be there when he arrived, and if that happened, what was he to do? Especially considering he was bringing some food that would need to come out of the cooler and go into a fridge. He put in a call to Candace, with whom he had arranged things, and asked whether she could leave a key in the mailbox for him if Annie and Charlie were out. He explained he wanted to surprise them.
She said she would be happy to oblige.
So when Finnegan arrived, and did not see Annie’s SUV in the driveway, he was glad he had planned ahead. He parked out front, then walked back down to the road to the mailbox, where he found a key inside an envelope.
Just to be sure Annie wasn’t home, he rapped hard on the door several times. When there was no response, he unlocked the door and opened it wide.
“Wow,” he said under his breath. “Do I have excellent taste, or what?”