Past Due
Page 48
I opened a beer and thought it through. It was there, somewhere, in Joey Parma’s failed life, in Tommy Greeley’s pathetic search to regain what he believed he had lost, in my father’s story, in the justice’s relationship with his wife, in the buried box of coins, in Kimberly Blue’s revelation, in the Zen proddings of Cooper Prod, in Derek Manley’s cross-country jaunt with his son, in the twenty bottles of gin lined up in Mrs. Greeley’s china hutch. Twenty bottles of gin. “She left me,” my father had said, his voice flat, devoid of rancor or pain. As if the telling of the story had pierced something in him, deflated something angry and ugly and he was left to say, simply, that she left him. She left him. He had said it before, I had heard it before, but never so calmly, never before without the pain. My dad, showing me the way, would wonders never cease? There is a statute of limitations in the law, maybe there ought to be one in the heart.
I reached for the phone, dialed a number I hadn’t called in years but that I knew as well as my own. It rang, I was hoping it would keep ringing, but then the ringing stopped and a voice from far away and long ago answered.
“Hello?” I said. “Mom?”
Acknowledgments
For their generous help with this manuscript, I wish to thank a number of persons. Barry Cosgrove, one of Cardinal Spellman’s most illustrious alumni, gave me an intimate tour of his hometown, Brockton, Massachusetts, bought me a beer at the Lit, and told me all the lore surrounding Dee Dubs. John Pomerance hung around and was a general nuisance during our time in Brockton, especially in the bar, so I thought I’d mention him, too. Barry Fabius, M.D., examined, diagnosed, and treated Jesse Carl for me before he transferred the patient to Dr. Hellmann. Lloyd L. Reynolds, Commander USNR (Ret), was instrumental in giving me a history of, and a sense of what it feels like to be inside, the SS United States as it currently sits on the Philadelphia waterfront. Victor’s references to the ship as a boat are not the commander’s fault. The SS United States has recently been purchased by Norwegian Cruise Lines and, though it still sits as Victor describes, a seemingly ruined hulk on Pier 84, it appears to have a future as bright as its past. Much thanks also to Ronald Eisenberg, chief of the Law Division of the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, for discussing with me the statute of limitations as it currently applies to Philadelphia. Many thanks also to Josh Marwell, Penn fencing class of 1978, for fixing my sabers. My editor, Carolyn Marino, has been an extraordinary partner, and I can’t thank her enough for the kindness and wisdom she has shown me. I also wish to thank the entire crew at William Morrow, including Lisa Gallagher, Debbie Stier, Jennifer Civiletto, and Claire Greenspan for their tremendous enthusiasm and support. My literary agent, Wendy Sherman, has been unfailingly encouraging to my literary efforts. Finally, the most important support I have is my family, who give me more than they could ever imagine. Much gratitude especially to my mother, who continues to instruct me on grammar; to my children, Nora, Jack, and Michael; and to my partner and love, Pam.
About the Author
William Lashner is a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. He was a criminal prosecutor with the United States Department of Justice. His novels—Past Due; Fatal Flaw; Bitter Truth; Hostile Witness—have been published worldwide in ten languages. He lives with his family outside of Philadelphia.
Don’t miss the next book by your favorite author! Sign up for AuthorTracker at www.authortracker.com.
By William Lashner
Hostile Witness
Bitter Truth (originally published as Veritas)
Fatal Flaw
Past Due
Credits
Jacket design by High Design
Jacket illustration by John Lewis
Copyright
Grateful acknowledgment is made for permission to reprint lyrics from the following:
“Mambo Italiano,” written by Bob Merrill. Copyright © 1954, 1982 by Golden Bell Songs. Reprinted with permission from Music and Media International, Inc.
“Wild Thing.” Words and music by Chip Taylor. Copyright © 1965 (Renewed 1993) by EMI Blackwood Music Inc. All rights reserved. International copyright secured. Used by permission.
“Day-O (The Banana Boat Song).” Words and music by Irving Burgie and William Attaway. Copyright © 1955; renewed 1983 by Cherry Lane Music Publishing Company, Inc. (ASCAP), Lord Burgess Music Publishing Company (ASCAP) and DreamWorks Songs (ASCAP). Worldwide rights for Lord Burgess Music Publishing Company and DreamWorks Songs administered by Cherry Lane Music Publishing Company, Inc. International copyright secured. All rights reserved.
This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are products of the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
PAST DUE. Copyright © 2004 by William Lashner. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
ePub edition April 2004 eISBN 9780061749391
FIRST EDITION
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
About the Publisher
Australia
HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty. Ltd.
25 Ryde Road (PO Box 321)
Pymble, NSW 2073, Australia
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.com.au
Canada
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
55 Avenue Road, Suite 2900
Toronto, ON, M5R, 3L2, Canada
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.ca
New Zealand
HarperCollinsPublishers (New Zealand) Limited
P.O. Box 1
Auckland, New Zealand
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.co.nz
United Kingdom
HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.
77-85 Fulham Palace Road
London, W6 8JB, UK
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.co.uk
United States
HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
10 East 53rd Street
New York, NY 10022
http://www.harpercollinsebooks.com