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DOWN RIVERbarrel and shove in two thick, red shells. “What is this place?” he asked, and Iknew what he saw. The gray light was unforgiving, and the road in was a hard,fast slide to the bottom rung of the human experience.“Just a place,” I said.He looked around. “Ass end of nowhere.”I breathed in the stagnant water smell. “Not everybody was born lucky.”“You preaching at me now?”“Faith has a trailer just around that bend. If I’m wrong about you, I’ll apologizeand I’ll mean it. Meantime, let’s just do this.”He came around the car. “What’s the plan?”I closed the gun with a metallic click. “No plan,” I said, and started walking.He fell in behind me, stiff-legged and clumsy. We came to the bend, thegranite shoulder cold and damp under my fingers. We couldn’t see it yet, butdawn bulged on some far horizon. Birds trilled from the deep woods, and colorrose in the earth as the cold gray began to die.I rounded the corner and the low drone of the diesel generator rolled overme. Lights burned in the trailer, weak yellow and a television flicker. A mudstainedJeep was parked near the front door. Jamie stumbled behind me, noddedonce, and I sidled up to the back of the Jeep. Gasoline cans lined the floorbehind the front seats. I pointed with my chin, made sure that Jamie saw them.He raised his eyebrows as if to say, I told you so. But I wasn’t sold yet. Could bediesel for the generator.Metal slipped across my hip as I moved. Dried mud crumbled to rubbleand fell in the grass. I laid my hand on the hood and found that it still heldsome engine heat. Jamie felt it, too. I nodded and pointed to the front porch.We crossed the last of the clearing and knelt beneath the windows. Jamie waseager, and started for the steps. I stopped him, remembering how the woodhad sagged. We had almost five hundred pounds between the two of us, and Idid not want the porch to collapse. “Slowly,” I whispered.I went first, stock of the gun against my hip, twin barrels angled in front ofme. A night sweat slicked the steps. The generator put a vibration into thestructure, so that it thrummed at a cellular level. Rust scaled the siding next tomy face. From inside came a dull and rhythmic thump that felt wrong. It wastoo regular, too hollow.261
JOHN HARTThe door stood open a crack, screen door closed behind it. Up close, thethumping sound grew louder. I thought that if I put my hand on the wall, I’dprobably feel it. We knelt beside the door.I stood, looked in the window.Zebulon Faith was sprawled across the floor, his back propped against oneof the decomposing chairs. Mud darkened his jeans, shoes in a corner. A burnon his forearm glowed with cherry heat. His left hand held a near empty bottleof vodka stuffed with lime wedges. He raised it, wrapped his lips around theneck, and swallowed three huge slugs, choking. Thin tears pushed out fromunder tight-squeezed lids and he slammed the bottle back down. He openedhis mouth and shook his head. The television stained the room with a twilightzone flicker.The gun was in his right hand, a black, thick-barreled revolver, probablythe same one he’d tried to kill me with at the river. The fingers held it looselyuntil he shook off the vodka chug and opened his eyes. Then the fingers closedand he started pounding the butt of the pistol against the trailer floor. Up anddown, lift and slam, once every five seconds. The thumping sound. Wood andmetal on a sagging floor.The room looked the same. Trash, strewn paper, the overwhelming sense ofneglect and decay. Faith fit right in. Vomit stained the front of his shirt.He stopped pounding the gun on the floor, looked at it, tilted it, then begantapping it against his head. He smoothed it over his cheek, a look of sensualawareness captured in the lines of his open mouth. Then he struck harder,against the temple, strong enough to twist his head sideways. He chuggedmore vodka and lifted the gun, stared into the muzzle, and then, in a most disturbingmanner, reached out a tongue to taste it.I ducked down.“He’s alone?” Jamie whispered.“And fucked-up. Stay behind me.”I got my feet under me, clicked the safety off the 12, and went through thedoor smooth and fast. He didn’t even notice. One second I was on the porchand then I was on the vinyl floor of his kitchen, maybe ten feet between us. Ihad the gun up and he was still oblivious. I watched the revolver. His eyes werewrinkled shut, the television pure snow.262
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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
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JOHN HARTHe studied the group, and
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JOHN HART“I didn’t mean it, you
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CHAPTER16Idrove to the farm, took t
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JOHN HART“She looks bad.”An eye
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JOHN HARTMy father looked at Dolf.
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JOHN HART“Any message?” I asked
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JOHN HARTlooked like river bottom.
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JOHN HARTto her.” There was laugh
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CHAPTER17She left me without anothe
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JOHN HART“How so?”“Grantham w
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JOHN HART“Why?”“Nothing could
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JOHN HARTThe disquiet slid off Dolf
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JOHN HARTthought he was in Florida.
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JOHN HARTto look up. “The police
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JOHN HART“If I share my informati
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JOHN HARTa second. I opened my arms
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JOHN HART“It won’t happen like
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JOHN HARTWhen my father came out of
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JOHN HART“A warrant for whose arr
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JOHN HARTshattered. He kept an arm
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JOHN HART“I appreciate the though
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JOHN HARTDolf ’s name, and the ba
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JOHN HARTParks stood out in his imm
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JOHN HART“I’ll make some calls,
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JOHN HARTyou’re being overheard,
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JOHN HART“You need him.”Dolf wa
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JOHN HARTI stared.“That was his o
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JOHN HARTI heard Dolf ’s voice in
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JOHN HART“It was a strange thing,
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JOHN HART“I’ve got to go,” I
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JOHN HART“Let me get dressed.”S
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JOHN HARTtruck was gone. He was sti
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JOHN HART“Somehow, I don’t thin
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JOHN HART“And Dad doesn’t know?
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JOHN HARTShe withdrew further over
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JOHN HARTslipped the scrap of paper
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JOHN HART“You can have one minute
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CHAPTER23My father was drunk. He wa
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JOHN HARTHe waved a hand. “I can
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JOHN HARTsmiled broadly, hands on h
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JOHN HARTHe gave me the same unforg
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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
Page 239 and 240: JOHN HARTHe was clearly shaken, and
Page 241 and 242: JOHN HARTShe pulled up when we were
Page 243 and 244: JOHN HARTup. “I always knew he ha
Page 245 and 246: JOHN HART“I checked with the util
Page 247 and 248: JOHN HART“Grantham’s smart. I
Page 249 and 250: CHAPTER26Icalled Jamie and got his
Page 251 and 252: JOHN HART“He owns the Laundromat
Page 253 and 254: JOHN HART“Look, there’s not muc
Page 255 and 256: JOHN HART“Three hundred thousand.
Page 257 and 258: CHAPTER27The address for Zeb Faith
Page 259 and 260: JOHN HARTand stole the doll off the
Page 261 and 262: JOHN HARThouse. I pulled in behind
Page 263 and 264: JOHN HARTHe turned the key. I stood
Page 265 and 266: JOHN HART“You dated him?”“We
Page 267 and 268: CHAPTER28Isat up fast. Dead-of-nigh
Page 269 and 270: JOHN HARTbitter swell of it in the
Page 271: JOHN HARTdrinking day and night, su
Page 275 and 276: JOHN HART“The gambling is my prob
Page 277 and 278: CHAPTER29We spent the next six hour
Page 279 and 280: JOHN HARTHe walked straight up to m
Page 281 and 282: JOHN HART“I was in New York.”Hi
Page 283 and 284: JOHN HART“Did he kill his own son
Page 285 and 286: JOHN HART“Yes,” I said.“All r
Page 287 and 288: CHAPTER30Dinner was painful. I foug
Page 289 and 290: JOHN HART“What time did you have
Page 291 and 292: JOHN HARTShe levered herself out of
Page 293 and 294: JOHN HARThere, canoe at the dock. I
Page 295 and 296: JOHN HARTShe measured me, debating
Page 297 and 298: JOHN HARTHe moved to stand beside m
Page 299 and 300: JOHN HARTdread overtook me. I thoug
Page 301 and 302: JOHN HARTjaws two inches apart. The
Page 303 and 304: JOHN HART“I’m sorry,” she sai
Page 305 and 306: JOHN HARTThe pistol wavered. Miriam
Page 307 and 308: JOHN HARTfrom the truth of what Mir
Page 309 and 310: JOHN HARTyou to do something for me
Page 311 and 312: JOHN HART“You’re missing the on
Page 313 and 314: CHAPTER33Icalled George Tallman at
Page 315 and 316: JOHN HARTI tried to stay calm, but
Page 317 and 318: JOHN HART“I told her,” he said.
Page 319 and 320: JOHN HART“Get Janice,” I said.
Page 321 and 322: 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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