The Wrong Side of Dead Read Online Free PDF

playbook.
    After she’d gotten the skinny on Harper from Sam, Jessie went to see him in lockup at the Cook County Jail, allowing her friend to report for her shift. She walked down a long hallway with dingy ceiling tiles and fluorescent lights overhead, escorted by a cop on jailer duty. Her steps echoed down the corridor, a lonely sound that she’d always associated with institutions. While she was being raised a ward of the state, she’d seen plenty.
    Bland cinder-block walls were painted the color of oatmeal. And a few signs on rules of conduct were posted, screwed into the wall as if someone would steal them even here. The holding-cell area carried a smell—a mix of ammonia, glass cleaner, and an underlying odor she didn’t want identified.
    When her escort got to the end of the hall, he unlocked a door with a keycard and gave her instructions that went in one ear and out the other. Her eyes had found Seth Harper sitting behind a wall of Plexiglas at one of the five visitor stations. After the door slammed shut, they had the room to themselves.
    Under the stark lights, Seth looked tired, with dark circles under his eyes. Jessie hadn’t seen him in three months. And until now, she hadn’t realized how much the boy had taken root in her world, like a damned tenacious weed. He had severed their tie, and it hurt to know he had done it so easily.
    Letting people into her life had never been easy.
    From her earliest childhood memories, her best friend Sam Cooper had always been part of her, like a vital deep-seated bone marrow. And recently, Payton Archer had gotten under her skin, too, even though their paths had crossed in the blink of an eye. They still talked on the phone, but distance had taken its toll. He lived in Alaska, having chosen to stay and help his family mend, a choice she respected. Months ago, the abduction of his niece had given them common ground, but for them to move forward in a real relationship, they’d need more. She’d come to that conclusion far sooner than Payton. He still called from time to time, refusing to give up the ghost. And she missed him terribly.
    Some people left marks, good and bad. But anyone who’d gotten under her skin had come away with a piece of her. And Harper had been no exception.
    “So…it took handcuffs to get you to look me up?” She turned the chair around and straddled it, resting her chin on the heel of a hand.
    “I didn’t exactly look you up, Jess.” He shrugged and avoided her eyes. “Sam did.”
    “Thanks for reminding me you never lifted a finger. A woman doesn’t like hearing she’s been dropped from a guy’s speed dial, Harper. You didn’t give me much of a chance. I grow on people.”
    “So do tumors.” He slouched deeper into his chair with arms crossed, fading behind smudged Plexiglas. His voice sounded tinny through the speaker, and it echoed in the room.
    She’d seen Seth Harper in a diverse array of garments, from his signature jeans and Jerry Springer wear to slick upscale slacks and shirt suitable for a five-star hotel in downtown Chicago, the last residence she’d seen him. But in his red prison jumpsuit, he looked washed-out and sad. Warm puppy eyes had grown distant and lifeless. Jess didn’t think she had a maternal bone in her body, but seeing Harper like this made her think twice about that prospect. She wanted to hug him and tell him it would be all right, but she wouldn’t lie to a friend.
    “You gonna tell me what happened?” When he didn’t answer, she pressed, “Look, Harper, I’m not seeing a long line of acquaintances outside, clamoring to help. And unless you’ve got one of those Get Out of Jail game cards they sell on the streets of Hollywood, I suggest you think long and hard about answering me. Your options are limited.”
    When he resisted her considerable powers of persuasion, she made her point a different way.
    “At the risk of stating the obvious, you’re not like the guys you’ll meet in prison,