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
But, as charming as it was in Florida—the weather was, of course, much preferable to Des Moines, or the period he spent in Denver—Edwin chose not to stay that long. Less than two years. Not particularly challenging. Those folks were already in God’s Waiting Room. They’d moved down there because they knew the end was near, that the land of palm trees and hurricanes was the last place they were going to wake up in the morning until the day came that they didn’t. What kind of surprises could he really throw at them? What tragedy—big or small—would have the kind of impact he was looking for?
Philadelphia had its moments, no doubt about that. Hung out his shingle next to an ice-cream shop, which was good for bringing in the kids and their parents. But damned if he didn’t gain ten pounds in the time he was there, and ice cream wasn’t even something he’d thought he liked.
Sometimes he simply grew weary of a location; other times he felt an urgency to move on. There had been occasions when the locals started to get an inkling of what might be happening, who might be responsible. When all rational explanations had been exhausted, they considered the irrational, and that pointed them in Edwin’s direction. Then he’d pack up and slip away into the night.
So now here he was in Lucknow, which seemed to be as good a place as any. Who knew how long he might stay? He’d met the local chief of police this morning, and while it was the briefest of interactions, Edwin did not get the sense this was a man he needed to be concerned about. He knew what the chief’s current preoccupation was, and had little doubt he was out of his league when it came to solving crimes. After all, if he was any kind of policeman, why would he still be here in Podunk?
Yes, Lucknow seemed perfect to Edwin. He’d set up his own coffee machine—he’d brought a cup to that sad sack Gavin this morning—but he’d have to spend more time in that diner, not counting the few furtive visits he’d made, in and out so fast no one noticed. And he would want to get to know his fellow shopkeepers. Make himself known to the local business improvement association. Find out if there were any upcoming street fests when he could set up a display on the sidewalk. He’d heard talk about one coming up very soon.