Midnight Rambler_ A Novel of Suspense - James Swain [118]
“What the heck is this?” my daughter asked.
An invisible knife twisted in my gut. As I gazed over endless rows of tombstones that graced the landscape, I searched for the Hispanic woman dressed in black, knowing that I hadn't seen a woman at all but an old enemy who was trying to track me down.
It was the opening lyrics to “Midnight Rambler.”
The live version.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I would like to gratefully acknowledge several people for their help during the writing of this novel. They include Shane James, Ed Jones, Christine Kling, Shawn Redmond, and the ever-helpful Fred Rea.
A special thanks to the folks at Ballantine Books, who continue to support me in everything I do. Thank you, Gina Centrello, Dana Isaacson, Elizabeth McGuire, and my terrific editor, Linda Marrow.
During the early stages of this manuscript, several people made suggestions that helped shape this book, and to them I owe a huge debt of gratitude. Thanks to my wife, Laura; my agent, Chris Calhoun; and his assistant and editor extraordinaire, Dong Won Song.
Above all, I must thank Andrew Vita, Team Adam Consultant with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and former Associate Director/Enforcement for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms. Without his help, this book could not have been written.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
JAMES SWAIN is the author of seven bestselling novels. In 2006, he was awarded the Prix Calibre 36 for Best American Crime Fiction. He lives in Florida with his wife, Laura.
ALSO BY JAMES SWAIN
Grift Sense
Funny Money
Sucker Bet
Loaded Dice
Mr. Lucky
Deadman's Poker
Deadman's Bluff
MIDNIGHT RAMBLER is a work of fiction. Names, places, and incidents either are a product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.
Copyright © 2007 by James Swain
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Ballantine Books, an imprint of The Random
House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
BALLANTINE and colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Swain, James.
Midnight rambler : a novel of suspense / James Swain.
p. cm.
eISBN: 978-0-345-50241-4
1. Young women—Crimes against—Fiction. 2. Team murderers—Fiction.
3. Florida—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3569.W225M53 2007
813'.54—dc22
2007028324
www.ballantinebooks.com
v1.0
Table of Contents
COVER PAGE
TITLE PAGE
DEDICATION
EPIGRAPH
PART ONE: MERCY
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
PART TWO: GOD BLINKED
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
PART THREE: HIDDEN MICKEYS
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
PART FOUR: DIA DE LOS MUERTOS
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
CHAPTER FORTY
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
CHAPTER FIFTY
CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ALSO BY JAMES SWAIN
COPYRIGHT