CHAPTER 1: THE REEL AXLE The sun didn’t shine on Elm Lane; it baked the moisture out of the dirt until the soil beneath the white pickets turned the color of spent ash. David didn’t look up when the screen door slammed. He kept his weight centered over the crossbar of the green push mower,…
CHAPTER 1: THE DUSTY BOUNDARY The crunch of dry oak branches under a heavy work boot was the only warning before the man in the tan t-shirt crossed the dead grass strip, his thumb already hooking into his waistband like a deputy looking for an excuse. Jesse didn’t look up immediately. He kept his weight…
CHAPTER 1: THE DUSTY GRAY STRIP The plastic screen of the iPhone was close enough to catch the grease of a thumbprint, wedged directly between his face and the peeling frame of the front door. “You keep putting yourself in my place,” she said. Her voice didn’t rise; it dropped into a flat, practiced register…