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DOWN RIVER“Me. This. All of this.” New force moved into his words, a conviction.“Don’t try to save me. Don’t start digging. Don’t get your teeth into it.” He releasedmy arm and I rocked back. “Just let it go.”Then Dolf rose to his feet and took quick strides to the two-way mirror. Helooked back with still bright eyes and a voice that broke. “And take care ofGrace.” Sudden tears appeared in the seams of his face. “She needs you.”He rapped on the glass, and turned away, tilted his face to the floor. I foundmy feet, reaching for words and failing. The door opened with clang. The sheriffcame in; deputies filled the space behind him. I held up my hand. “Wait asecond,” I said.Some emotion moved in the sheriff. Color flooded his face. Grantham appearedover his shoulder, paler, more distant.“That’s it,” the sheriff said. “Time to go.”I studied Dolf: the straight back and the bent neck; a sudden, rackingcough and his arm in that orange sleeve wiping across his mouth. He spreadhis fingers on the mirror and lifted his head so that he could see my reflection.His lips moved, and I could barely hear him.“Just go,” he said.“Come on, Chase.” The sheriff reached out with his hand, as if he couldpull me from the room.Too many questions, no answers; and Dolf ’s plea a clatter inside my head.I heard a plastic rattle, and two deputies rolled in a video recorder on a tripod.“What’s going on?” I asked.The sheriff took my arm, pulled me through the door. The pressure easedwhen the door clanged shut; I shrugged my arm out of his grip. He let mewatch through the narrow glass as deputies aimed the camera. Dolf moved tothe table, looked once in my direction, and sat. He lifted his face to the cameraas the sheriff turned the key and dropped the bolt.“What is this?’ I asked.He waited until I looked at him. “A confession,” the sheriff said.“No.”“For the murder of Danny Faith.” The sheriff paused for full effect. “And allI had to do was let him talk to you.”177
JOHN HARTI stared.“That was his one condition.”I understood. The sheriff knew how much Dolf meant to me and he wantedme to see it: the camera, the old man in front of it, the sudden complacence inhis collapsed frame. Parks had been right.“You fucking bastard,” I said.The sheriff smiled, stepped closer. “Welcome back to Rowan County, youmurdering piece of shit.”178
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Excerpt ofTHE LAST CHILDIncluded!
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ALSO BY JOHN HARTThe King of Lies
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This is a work of fiction. All of t
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTSadvocate and collabo
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JOHN HARTthe wheel, Manhattan a sin
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JOHN HARTgreen. The needle touched
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JOHN HARTHe looked me over again.
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JOHN HARTyears ago you were the cro
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JOHN HARTfeet of solid metal with a
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JOHN HARTThe doors slipped shut beh
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JOHN HART“Robin—”“Never min
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JOHN HARTof it was my fault. “Wha
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JOHN HARTI rubbed my hands over my
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JOHN HART“No rest for the wicked,
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JOHN HARTAnd then he’d kissed her
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JOHN HARTseeing it; but it must hav
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JOHN HARTA: He is my stepson. His f
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JOHN HARThalfway in the river. The
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JOHN HARTsen to miss, that in the l
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JOHN HARTit.” He squeezed my shou
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JOHN HARTof it. I was feeling the p
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JOHN HARTsleep with you under any c
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JOHN HART“Do you have a wife?”
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JOHN HART“What doesn’t?”She u
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JOHN HARTback there, that was five
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JOHN HARTWe stared at each other. S
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CHAPTER6It was a short drive. I pas
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JOHN HARTIt was happening again.“
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JOHN HART“You were with her. You
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JOHN HART“I want you to give him
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JOHN HART“I never knew the boy th
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JOHN HARThe looked at the caller ID
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JOHN HART“Can we see her yet?”T
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JOHN HARTThe cops got nothing.Back
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CHAPTER8Ilooked for Jamie as we hit
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JOHN HARTGeorge hesitated. “The h
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JOHN HART“Adam?”“You found a
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JOHN HARTI slammed my open palm aga
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JOHN HARTMy friend.He ducked low an
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CHAPTER9They stuffed me in the back
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JOHN HART“Talking a bit.”I nodd
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JOHN HARTupon her shoulders like a
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JOHN HARTthe time. Then something c
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JOHN HARTIt was a good offer. He me
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JOHN HART“Maybe a good thing you
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JOHN HART“Because she’s going t
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JOHN HART“What kind of mythology?
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JOHN HART“If this had been in the
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JOHN HARTmy father, sensing this, t
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JOHN HART“Mom wants you,” she s
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JOHN HART“I did what I felt I had
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JOHN HARTMy father’s face went wh
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JOHN HARTraised a hand and said som
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JOHN HARTwas in trouble, but he nev
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JOHN HART“That’s about what I f
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JOHN HARTlooking for arrowheads. Th
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JOHN HARTAnd there was something el
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JOHN HARTme. She’d chosen her mom
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CHAPTER13We drank bourbon in the st
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JOHN HART“On what grounds?” Dol
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JOHN HART“I thought that this was
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JOHN HART“I’m asking,” Granth
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CHAPTER15Iwoke at five and saw ligh
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JOHN HARTI searched for something t
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JOHN HART“Get some rest,” I tol
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JOHN HART“Your stepmother was slo
Page 137 and 138: JOHN HARTHe studied the group, and
Page 139 and 140: JOHN HART“I didn’t mean it, you
Page 141 and 142: CHAPTER16Idrove to the farm, took t
Page 143 and 144: JOHN HART“She looks bad.”An eye
Page 145 and 146: JOHN HARTMy father looked at Dolf.
Page 147 and 148: JOHN HART“Any message?” I asked
Page 149 and 150: JOHN HARTlooked like river bottom.
Page 151 and 152: JOHN HARTto her.” There was laugh
Page 153 and 154: CHAPTER17She left me without anothe
Page 155 and 156: JOHN HART“How so?”“Grantham w
Page 157 and 158: JOHN HART“Why?”“Nothing could
Page 159 and 160: JOHN HARTThe disquiet slid off Dolf
Page 161 and 162: JOHN HARTthought he was in Florida.
Page 163 and 164: JOHN HARTto look up. “The police
Page 165 and 166: JOHN HART“If I share my informati
Page 167 and 168: JOHN HARTa second. I opened my arms
Page 169 and 170: JOHN HART“It won’t happen like
Page 171 and 172: JOHN HARTWhen my father came out of
Page 173 and 174: JOHN HART“A warrant for whose arr
Page 175 and 176: JOHN HARTshattered. He kept an arm
Page 177 and 178: JOHN HART“I appreciate the though
Page 179 and 180: JOHN HARTDolf ’s name, and the ba
Page 181 and 182: JOHN HARTParks stood out in his imm
Page 183 and 184: JOHN HART“I’ll make some calls,
Page 185 and 186: JOHN HARTyou’re being overheard,
Page 187: JOHN HART“You need him.”Dolf wa
Page 191 and 192: JOHN HARTI heard Dolf ’s voice in
Page 193 and 194: JOHN HART“It was a strange thing,
Page 195 and 196: JOHN HART“I’ve got to go,” I
Page 197 and 198: JOHN HART“Let me get dressed.”S
Page 199 and 200: JOHN HARTtruck was gone. He was sti
Page 201 and 202: JOHN HART“Somehow, I don’t thin
Page 203 and 204: JOHN HART“And Dad doesn’t know?
Page 205 and 206: JOHN HARTShe withdrew further over
Page 207 and 208: JOHN HARTslipped the scrap of paper
Page 209 and 210: JOHN HART“You can have one minute
Page 211 and 212: CHAPTER23My father was drunk. He wa
Page 213 and 214: JOHN HARTHe waved a hand. “I can
Page 215 and 216: JOHN HARTsmiled broadly, hands on h
Page 217 and 218: JOHN HARTHe gave me the same unforg
Page 219 and 220: JOHN HARTThen he turned and was gon
Page 221 and 222: JOHN HARTThe facts on Danny’s dea
Page 223 and 224: JOHN HARTsomething to do.” She pa
Page 225 and 226: JOHN HARTmay be a bigger player tha
Page 227 and 228: JOHN HARTtimes before voice mail ki
Page 229 and 230: JOHN HARTfrom his shirt collar. Swe
Page 231 and 232: JOHN HARTmen smelling of smoke and
Page 233 and 234: JOHN HARTShe raised her hand to the
Page 235 and 236: JOHN HARTI crossed the Salisbury li
Page 237 and 238: CHAPTER25It was still dark when Rob
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JOHN HARTHe was clearly shaken, and
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JOHN HARTShe pulled up when we were
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JOHN HARTup. “I always knew he ha
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JOHN HART“I checked with the util
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JOHN HART“Grantham’s smart. I
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CHAPTER26Icalled Jamie and got his
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JOHN HART“He owns the Laundromat
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JOHN HART“Look, there’s not muc
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JOHN HART“Three hundred thousand.
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CHAPTER27The address for Zeb Faith
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JOHN HARTand stole the doll off the
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JOHN HARThouse. I pulled in behind
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JOHN HARTHe turned the key. I stood
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JOHN HART“You dated him?”“We
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CHAPTER28Isat up fast. Dead-of-nigh
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JOHN HARTbitter swell of it in the
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JOHN HARTdrinking day and night, su
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JOHN HARTThe door stood open a crac
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JOHN HART“The gambling is my prob
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CHAPTER29We spent the next six hour
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JOHN HARTHe walked straight up to m
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JOHN HART“I was in New York.”Hi
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JOHN HART“Did he kill his own son
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JOHN HART“Yes,” I said.“All r
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CHAPTER30Dinner was painful. I foug
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JOHN HART“What time did you have
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JOHN HARTShe levered herself out of
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JOHN HARThere, canoe at the dock. I
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JOHN HARTShe measured me, debating
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JOHN HARTHe moved to stand beside m
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JOHN HARTdread overtook me. I thoug
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JOHN HARTjaws two inches apart. The
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JOHN HART“I’m sorry,” she sai
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JOHN HARTThe pistol wavered. Miriam
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JOHN HARTfrom the truth of what Mir
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JOHN HARTyou to do something for me
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JOHN HART“You’re missing the on
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CHAPTER33Icalled George Tallman at
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JOHN HARTI tried to stay calm, but
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JOHN HART“I told her,” he said.
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JOHN HART“Get Janice,” I said.
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JOHN HARTMy father.My stepmother.Sh
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JOHN HARTI placed the card on the e
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JOHN HART“Maybe tomorrow.”I tho
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JOHN HART“I’ll make it.”“Da
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JOHN HARTIt was Dolf who finally ex
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JOHN HARTtrees spread above the nei
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JOHN HARTand shook like a leaf in h
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JOHN HARTwill. Jamie still had his
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An excerpt fromTHELAST CHILDbyJOHN
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John Hartsales type in a wrinkled s
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John HartThe boy spit chewing gum i
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Chapter OneJohnny learned early. If
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THE LAST CHILDJohnny studied the do
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THE LAST CHILDA hundred bucks.Food
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THE LAST CHILDhe was supposed to pi
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THE LAST CHILDHe waited.Johnny trie
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THE LAST CHILDHe put the car in gea
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THE LAST CHILDened her still had it
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THE LAST CHILDthat curved between t
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THE LAST CHILDdid not help neighbor
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THE LAST CHILD“Uncle Steve.”“
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THE LAST CHILDand level. He had thi
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THE LAST CHILDday she disappeared:
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THE LAST CHILDsaw recognition snap
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THE LAST CHILD“Johnny—”“The
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