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All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Grand Central Publishing
Hachette Book Group
237 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10017
Visit our Web site at www.HachetteBookGroup.com.
The Grand Central Publishing Books name and logo are trademarks of Hachette Book Group, Inc.
First eBook Edition: October 2007
ISBN: 978-0-446-40975-9
Contents
Copyright
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Other books by Archer Mayor
THE SECOND MOUSE
ST. ALBANS FIRE
THE SURROGATE THIEF
GATEKEEPER
THE SNIPER’S WIFE
TUCKER PEAK
THE MARBLE MASK
OCCAM’S RAZOR
THE DISPOSABLE MAN
BELLOWS FALLS
THE RAGMAN’S MEMORY
THE DARK ROOT
FRUITS OF THE POISONOUS TREE
THE SKELETON’S KNEE
SCENT OF EVIL
BORDERLINES
OPEN SEASON
Acknowledgments
As always, I found myself happily dependent on the knowledge and expertise of others in the preparation, writing, and editing of this book. Also, as always, I’d like to thank them while taking full responsibility for any stumbles that I may have committed in applying their wisdom to the following tale.
My gratitude, therefore, to the following:
John Martin
Erik Johnson
Kathryn Tolbert
Michael Mayor
Elaine Sopchak
Andrea Moriarty
The Weathervane Music Hall
Eric Buel
Julie Lavorgna
Scott Passino
Jesse Bristol
JB Auto
Rick Bates
Jennifer Morrison
Scout Mayor
Brattleboro Police Dept.
Castle Freeman Jr.
And, of course, Kate and Melanie
Chapter 1
“Made it, Ma. Top o’ the world,” Leo quoted theatrically, his words shrouding his head in the cold night air. “What would you think if I went out like that?”
His mother twisted around in her wheelchair to look at him balefully. “I don’t understand why such a wonderful dancer would do a movie like that.”
Leo smiled down at her as he pushed her gently along a shoveled path, across the broad courtyard before Dartmouth’s Hopkins Center for the Arts, universally nicknamed The Hop. “I warned you, Ma. I told you it wasn’t Yankee Doodle Dandy.”
“You said it was a gangster movie,” she persisted, “not an ode to a psychopath.”
Leo burst out laughing. “Wow. You make it sound pretty deep. I just liked it when he shot the car trunk full of holes to let the guy inside breathe, or when he went nutso in the prison dining hall after finding out his mother died.”
She faced forward again as they neared the curb. “How did I end up with such a disturbed child?” she asked meditatively.
“Hey,” he told her. “You got one son who’s a cop. Stands to reason the other should go to the dark side. It’s nature’s balance.”
He went to pass by her on his way to unlock the car, when she grabbed his wrist in a quick-moving, wiry hand.
This time, her expression was soft and appreciative. “I’ve been doubly blessed, Leo,” she told him. “Both my boys are just right.”
He leaned over and kissed her wrinkled cheek, warm in the evening’s chill. “I love you, too, Ma. I hear they’re playing Polanski’s Repulsion next week.”
She tapped the side of his head playfully as he moved away. “Oh, now, that sounds like a comedy.”
“You have no idea,” he admitted.
She watched him bustling about, unlocking doors, starting the engine to get the heater going. It wasn’t all that cold, even though it had been dark for several hours. Dartmouth’s trademark Green was coated with a new layer of snow, which shimmered under the glow of dozens of traditionally designed streetlamps. These, along with the formal brick buildings looming darkly beyond them, and the enormous library’s beautifully lighted clock tower at the far end,