Nocturnal: A Novel

ALSO BY SCOTT SIGLER

Infected

Contagious

Ancestor

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2012 by Scott Sigler

All rights reserved.

Published in the United States by Crown Publishers, an imprint of the Crown

Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

www.crownpublishing.com

CROWN and the Crown colophon are registered trademarks

of Random House, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Sigler, Scott.

Nocturnal / Scott Sigler. — 1st ed.

1. Detectives — California — San Francisco — Fiction. 2. Homicide

investigation — Fiction. I. Title.

PS3619.I4725N63 2012

813’.6 — dc23          2011040389

eISBN: 978-0-307-95276-9

Jacket design by Jarrod Taylor

Jacket photograph: © Andres Rodriguez/Alamy

Author photograph: © Amy Davis-Roth, surlynamics.com

v3.1

For Byrd Leavell, who makes things happen.

For Julian Pavia and the amazing job he did helping me

make this novel what it is.

And for A. Kovacs, who keeps me sane.

Contents

Cover

Other Books by This Author

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Book I - People

Penance

Good Morning, Sunshine

The Morning News

All in the Family

Robin-Robin Bo-Bobbin

Pookie’s Sister

Bryan’s Lie

Fade In, Fade Out

Rex Wakes Up

Aggie James, Duckies and Bunnies

The Belt

The Drawing

Van Ness and Fern

BoyCo

Chief Zou’s Office

The White Room

Rex Gets in Trouble

Sharrow Sends Bryan Home

Robin Gets the Call

Hunter’s Blind

Pleasant Dreams

Bryan Clauser: Morning Person

Bryan’s Dose of Reality

Pookie and His Partner

Nothing to See Here …

Robin and Spoiled Milk

Rex Gets Good News

Black Mr. Burns

Pookie’s Flashback

Hair of the Dog

Pookie’s Pimpin’ Gear