by Devon, Gary;
EPILOGUE
All was calm in Rio Del Palmos, all serene.
There were those, of course, who wondered at the tragedies that befell Rachel Buchanan and her granddaughter. How could such terrible things happen, they asked, to just one family? And yet as suddenly as the bombings and murders descended on the city, they ceased. The trouble washed away like rain.
Most people said that if it wasn’t for Mayor Slater and his wife, Faith, the feeling of renewal might not have happened so thoroughly or so quickly. But what an inspiration they were and how brave. Those who attended Sheila Bonner’s funeral would never forget Mrs. Slater’s eloquent and uplifting eulogy. No one who stood in the crowd while Henry Lee Slater dedicated the plaque commemorating Chief Burris Reeves at police headquarters could help but feel better for it afterward. And the women of the town were especially moved by how attentive the mayor was to his wife, Faith, after so many years of marriage. Whenever he had to go away on business, he took her along. And no matter how busy he was, he always made it a point to be home on time, for her romantic candlelight dinners.
From time to time, the two of them could be seen sitting across from each other outside on the veranda in the evening. How soft the breezes were that made the branches sway and the leaves tremble. Soft as a sigh. No one noticed the play of shadows across the front of the old brick, the streamers of shadows that were like a vast, twilit spider’s web.
Perhaps if you stayed long enough and watched carefully, you would see its larger design—that the web was there every evening.
And would be forever and ever.
Acknowledgments
I want to express my appreciation to Phyllis Levy for her unwavering enthusiasm and support during the writing of this novel. Also, thanks to my editor, Susan Kamil, for her patience and understanding. But most of all, my gratitude to my wife, Deborah, for her love and loyalty, which go beyond these words.
About the Author
Gary Devon (1941–2007) grew up on the banks of the Ohio River in Indiana, a part of the country to which he later returned with his wife and sons. After graduating from the University of Evansville, he won a writing contest sponsored by the New Yorker and was awarded a fellowship to the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, where he studied with Kurt Vonnegut and José Donoso. His first novel, Lost, was nominated for the Mystery Writers of America’s Edgar Award. He wrote two other novels, Bad Desire and Wedding Night.
All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 1990 by Gary Devon
Cover design by Amanda Shaffer
ISBN: 978-1-5040-3755-6
This edition published in 2016 by Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.
180 Maiden Lane
New York, NY 10038
www.openroadmedia.com
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