Tell Me No Lies Read Online Free Page A

Amanda was exactly where she usually was, in front of the television, "Hey, Uncle Hank." She had Tom Seller's dark hair and eyes, but they were alleviated enough by the square-jawed Bonner face that somehow she never reminded him of Tom.
    "Hey, Mandy." He stopped to rub her head. "How was school today?"
    "Okay." She fixed on the flickering pictures on the tube in front of her. "We made a lanyard." From a pocket, she fished out a two-inch piece of leatherette braid. "Want it? You can put your keys on it."
    Hank's heart squeezed. "Sure. That'd be great. I needed a new key chain. How'd you know?"
    She grinned at him. "I'm psychic."
    "Oh. Well, that explains it."
    "Uh-huh."
    "Well, thanks."
    She went back to watching her show, a sitcom about twin sisters where everyone loved everyone and all problems came complete with happy endings.
    He backed out and proceeded up the stairs to his room, knowing Mandy's was far from assured. But he'd do what he could to mend the hole he'd made in the lives of his sister's two kids. Leaving the force was the first step.
    He'd been divorced for far longer than he'd been married, so there was no wife to pick up the slack when call-outs came at two in the morning or when he couldn't make it home for days at a time. Now that Tom and Maureen were gone, his mother's load at the farm was three times what it used to be. Oh, she'd jump in, no questions asked, but he saw the weariness etched into her face. He couldn't ask her to take on more.
    That left him to do the parent-teacher meetings, pick up the kids, go to basketball games. School would be over in a month, then the long, slow summer stretched in front of them. Amanda would go to camp, but Trey... Hank didn't know what he was going to do about Trey. For the thousandth time, regret seared him. He and Trey used to be such good friends.
    Inside his room, he flipped on the portable TV he'd brought over last week along with half his clothes. The room made him feel awkward, a giant in a place built for a dwarf. His mother had never gotten around to throwing away his trophies, so they still stood on a shelf, all his high school achievements displayed as though they were the pinnacle of his success.
    Maybe they were. Maybe he should have done what his father had always wanted. Stayed here, grown apples, run the fruit stand. If he'd done that, maybe things would have turned out differently for everyone.
    His hand shook as he pulled off the tie and unbuttoned the white shirt. The local newscaster was. foaming at the mouth about the Renaissance Oil party that night, and Hank turned up the volume, glad for the distraction. Looked like Alexandra Jane was throwing quite a bash. The governor was expected, and some State Department hack from DC was supposed to be there, too. A picture of the Renaissance Oil logo, a huge "R" with a long, sweeping descender, filled the screen, then Sokanan mayor Benton Bonner was talking.
    "This is an exciting moment for our city and for the world." Hank's older brother had that officious look on his face, as if he himself had made the deal with Miki Petrov. "Economic cooperation is the way to peace among nations. Sokanan is proud to be part of this historic agreement between the United States and Russia."
    Proud was an understatement. Sokanan was desperate. After GE closed its plant, the town began a long, slow downward spiral. The Russian deal would bring the boom back. Petrov had bought the plant and was retrofitting it to become the new headquarters of Renaissance Oil. It would provide distribution, administration, marketing, and sales tor what everyone hoped would become a global company.
    His brother the mayor included.
    He turned the sound down as a live shot of the Baker home replaced his brother's overeager face. Limousines had begun to arrive. Hank saw Joe Klimet in the background, checking invitations. Two guys from patrol were standing at attention on the sidelines, faces sober, gazes moving over the incoming throng