The Daily Novel

CHAPTER XXVI
Harlan walked gingerly for a good five days after the visit to his doctor. They had agreed that, since Harlan had no intention of modeling nude, butterfly bandages would be sufficient. He’d taken his tetanus shot, an antibiotic, and instructions for changing the dressing. Harlan asked that they be written out, since Gloria was [...]

CHAPTER XXV
Gene Snyder alternated between feeling silly and feeling like what he was doing was right, as he drove along Interstate 79 from Erie toward Pittsburgh. If nothing happened, nobody ever need know that he was here, except his wife. He explained everything to her including the fact that the hard data was very slim [...]

CHAPTER XXIV
The way it was supposed to happen, Jerry would suspend his companion in the sling over the bathtub, then administer the fatal gunshot. That way, if there happen to be any discharge, it was easy to wash down the drain. He could also wash away any blood. Then he would completely bathe her, using [...]

CHAPTER XXIII
By Tuesday morning, Harlan and Gloria were in total agreement: She would stay with the car, and Harlan would go into the cloverleaf. There had really been no contention. She and Harlan talked through all of the scenarios they could think of and, together, settled on Harlan’s going in and Gloria’s waiting nearby.
Before they [...]

CHAPTER XXII
For any number of reasons, the main one being that there was no official confirmation, the media did not jump on the story with their Saturday editions. By the time producers and editors and assignment chiefs woke up to the potential in the story, Saturday papers were already printed and delivered, Saturday television provided [...]

CHAPTER XXI
Saturday afternoon, Jerry stopped for a nap. First he placed the harness in the wheelchair, lifted Sue Ellen into the chair, and moved her to the bathtub and suspended her. He figured that if she were to regain consciousness, she would still be unable to do anything, suspended and unable to reach the rope [...]

CHAPTER XX
Saturday morning, Harlan and Gloria put the revised map and the revised timeline up on the wall. The body in the Bowling Green cloverleaf was missing. So were four other found bodies, mostly in the early part of the time line. Craig and Samantha were still in bed. They had popped in for an [...]

CHAPTER XIX
Jerry’s Interstate entrance was about four miles from the café parking lot. He drove calmly, gently. Once on the Interstate, he headed toward Louisville. With reasonable driving, the trip to his home would be nearly five hours. He decided he didn’t want to push it, so he planned to use a rest stop, one [...]

CHAPTER XVIII
Bobbie Fisher called first. The bureau chief for her paper had called her as soon as he picked up the first call on the scanner. He reported what he knew, then immediately headed for the café. Bobbie hit the speed dial for Gloria’s cell.
Bobbie’s story had run in the Monday edition of the paper, [...]

CHAPTER XVII
Sue Ellen stormed back down the cracked sidewalk that led from the rear parking area to the front of the café. The harsh glare from the security light on the pole by the dumpster was cut off by the back corner of the building, and the front corner of the building blocked the parking [...]