Excerpt of Included!

More documents

Recommendations

Info

CHAPTER36They buried Miriam on an unseasonably cool day. I went to the funeral andstood with Robin at my side. My father was there with Janice, both of themlooking sleepless, weathered, and bleak. Dolf stood between them like a rock.Or a wall. They did not look at each other, and I knew that grief and blamewere chewing them down. Jamie lingered on the fringe, sunken, with splotchesof red on his cheeks. He was drunk and angry, with no forgiveness in his facewhen he looked at my father.I listened to the same preacher who buried my mother, buried Danny. Hewore the snowy vestment and spoke similar words, but they brought me nocomfort. Miriam knew little peace in life, and I feared that her soul mightshare the same predilection. She died a killer, unrepentant, and I hoped thatshe’d found a better place.I looked across her grave.I prayed for mercy on her wounded soul.When the preacher finished, my stepmother folded herself against the coffin321
JOHN HARTand shook like a leaf in high wind. George Tallman stared into nothing as tearsslipped off his chin to stain his dress blues dark.I moved away from the small gathering and my father joined me. We stoodalone under a distant sun. “Tell me what to do,” he said.I looked at what remained of my family, and thought of Miriam’s propheticwords. The family had torn itself apart.Cracks all over the place.“You haven’t called the police.” I was speaking of the postcard.“I burned it.” He looked down and repeated himself. “I burned it.”Then he, too, began to tremble.And I walked away.322
Page 1 and 2:
Excerpt ofTHE LAST CHILDIncluded!
Page 3 and 4:
ALSO BY JOHN HARTThe King of Lies
Page 5 and 6:
This is a work of fiction. All of t
Page 7 and 8:
This page intentionally left blank
Page 9 and 10:
ACKNOWLEDGMENTSadvocate and collabo
Page 11 and 12:
This page intentionally left blank
Page 13 and 14:
JOHN HARTthe wheel, Manhattan a sin
Page 15 and 16:
JOHN HARTgreen. The needle touched
Page 17 and 18:
JOHN HARTHe looked me over again.
Page 19 and 20:
JOHN HARTyears ago you were the cro
Page 21 and 22:
JOHN HARTfeet of solid metal with a
Page 23 and 24:
JOHN HARTThe doors slipped shut beh
Page 25 and 26:
JOHN HART“Robin—”“Never min
Page 27 and 28:
JOHN HARTof it was my fault. “Wha
Page 29 and 30:
JOHN HARTI rubbed my hands over my
Page 31 and 32:
JOHN HART“No rest for the wicked,
Page 33 and 34:
JOHN HARTAnd then he’d kissed her
Page 35 and 36:
JOHN HARTseeing it; but it must hav
Page 37 and 38:
JOHN HARTA: He is my stepson. His f
Page 39 and 40:
JOHN HARThalfway in the river. The
Page 41 and 42:
JOHN HARTsen to miss, that in the l
Page 43 and 44:
JOHN HARTit.” He squeezed my shou
Page 45 and 46:
JOHN HARTof it. I was feeling the p
Page 47 and 48:
JOHN HARTsleep with you under any c
Page 49 and 50:
JOHN HART“Do you have a wife?”
Page 51 and 52:
JOHN HART“What doesn’t?”She u
Page 53 and 54:
JOHN HARTback there, that was five
Page 55 and 56:
JOHN HARTWe stared at each other. S
Page 57 and 58:
CHAPTER6It was a short drive. I pas
Page 59 and 60:
JOHN HARTIt was happening again.“
Page 61 and 62:
JOHN HART“You were with her. You
Page 63 and 64:
JOHN HART“I want you to give him
Page 65 and 66:
JOHN HART“I never knew the boy th
Page 67 and 68:
JOHN HARThe looked at the caller ID
Page 69 and 70:
JOHN HART“Can we see her yet?”T
Page 71 and 72:
JOHN HARTThe cops got nothing.Back
Page 73 and 74:
CHAPTER8Ilooked for Jamie as we hit
Page 75 and 76:
JOHN HARTGeorge hesitated. “The h
Page 77 and 78:
JOHN HART“Adam?”“You found a
Page 79 and 80:
JOHN HARTI slammed my open palm aga
Page 81 and 82:
JOHN HARTMy friend.He ducked low an
Page 83 and 84:
CHAPTER9They stuffed me in the back
Page 85 and 86:
JOHN HART“Talking a bit.”I nodd
Page 87 and 88:
JOHN HARTupon her shoulders like a
Page 89 and 90:
JOHN HARTthe time. Then something c
Page 91 and 92:
JOHN HARTIt was a good offer. He me
Page 93 and 94:
JOHN HART“Maybe a good thing you
Page 95 and 96:
JOHN HART“Because she’s going t
Page 97 and 98:
JOHN HART“What kind of mythology?
Page 99 and 100:
JOHN HART“If this had been in the
Page 101 and 102:
JOHN HARTmy father, sensing this, t
Page 103 and 104:
JOHN HART“Mom wants you,” she s
Page 105 and 106:
JOHN HART“I did what I felt I had
Page 107 and 108:
JOHN HARTMy father’s face went wh
Page 109 and 110:
JOHN HARTraised a hand and said som
Page 111 and 112:
JOHN HARTwas in trouble, but he nev
Page 113 and 114:
JOHN HART“That’s about what I f
Page 115 and 116:
JOHN HARTlooking for arrowheads. Th
Page 117 and 118:
JOHN HARTAnd there was something el
Page 119 and 120:
JOHN HARTme. She’d chosen her mom
Page 121 and 122:
CHAPTER13We drank bourbon in the st
Page 123 and 124:
JOHN HART“On what grounds?” Dol
Page 125 and 126:
JOHN HART“I thought that this was
Page 127 and 128:
JOHN HART“I’m asking,” Granth
Page 129 and 130:
CHAPTER15Iwoke at five and saw ligh
Page 131 and 132:
JOHN HARTI searched for something t
Page 133 and 134:
JOHN HART“Get some rest,” I tol
Page 135 and 136:
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 and 188:
JOHN HART“You need him.”Dolf wa
Page 189 and 190:
JOHN HARTI stared.“That was his o
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
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 and 272:
JOHN HARTdrinking day and night, su
Page 273 and 274:
JOHN HARTThe door stood open a crac
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
Page 323 and 324: JOHN HARTI placed the card on the e
Page 325 and 326: JOHN HART“Maybe tomorrow.”I tho
Page 327 and 328: JOHN HART“I’ll make it.”“Da
Page 329 and 330: JOHN HARTIt was Dolf who finally ex
Page 331: JOHN HARTtrees spread above the nei
Page 335 and 336: JOHN HARTwill. Jamie still had his
Page 337 and 338: An excerpt fromTHELAST CHILDbyJOHN
Page 339 and 340: John Hartsales type in a wrinkled s
Page 341 and 342: John HartThe boy spit chewing gum i
Page 344 and 345: Chapter OneJohnny learned early. If
Page 346 and 347: THE LAST CHILDJohnny studied the do
Page 348 and 349: THE LAST CHILDA hundred bucks.Food
Page 350 and 351: THE LAST CHILDhe was supposed to pi
Page 352 and 353: THE LAST CHILDHe waited.Johnny trie
Page 354 and 355: THE LAST CHILDHe put the car in gea
Page 356 and 357: THE LAST CHILDened her still had it
Page 358 and 359: THE LAST CHILDthat curved between t
Page 360 and 361: THE LAST CHILDdid not help neighbor
Page 362 and 363: THE LAST CHILD“Uncle Steve.”“
Page 364 and 365: THE LAST CHILDand level. He had thi
Page 366 and 367: THE LAST CHILDday she disappeared:
Page 368 and 369: THE LAST CHILDsaw recognition snap
Page 370 and 371: THE LAST CHILD“Johnny—”“The
show all

Excerpt of Included!

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?