Never Turn Back

dubbed him the 285 Killer. I turn the radio off and drive in silence. At a stop sign, I wave at a boy with a leashed golden retriever who crosses the road in front of me, and he waves shyly back and hurries through the crosswalk, the retriever trotting by his side. I make a note to take Wilson on more walks once he gets home.

I drive on, and the road crests a hill and then I merge onto the highway, a river of asphalt carrying cars into the city. Ahead of me, on the horizon, Atlanta’s towers rise like spires. It’s a welcome sight. It means home. And yet somewhere out there, a man is plotting another death on the highway that encircles the city. There are always men like him, like Brandon Cargill and Donny Wharton. But my sister is out there in the world as well, and Frankie, and Caesar, and Coleman and Teri Merchant and Betsy Bales. And Uncle Gavin as well. That must be worth something, a starshine to counter the darkest impulses of our hearts. There are good people in the world. I hope to be one of them. I think of Kayla, with a new name and a new family. I hope I haven’t scared her. I hope she goes on to have a good life with Tom and Billy and her unborn child. She deserves that. We all do.

ALSO AVAILABLE BY CHRISTOPHER SWANN

Shadow of the Lions

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Christopher Swann is a graduate of Woodberry Forest School in Virginia. He earned a B.A. in English from Washington and Lee University, an M.A. in English and creative writing from the University of Missouri-Columbia, and a Ph.D. in creative writing from Georgia State University. He lives with his wife and two sons in Atlanta, where he is the English department chair at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School. Shadow of the Lions, published in 2017 by Algonquin, was his debut novel.

This is a work of fiction. All of the names, characters, organizations, places and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to real or actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2020 by Christopher Swann

All rights reserved.

Published in the United States by Crooked Lane Books, an imprint of The Quick Brown Fox & Company LLC.

Crooked Lane Books and its logo are trademarks of The Quick Brown Fox & Company LLC.

Library of Congress Catalog-in-Publication data available upon request.

ISBN (hardcover): 978-1-64385-537-0

ISBN (ebook): 978-1-64385-538-7

Cover design by Melanie Sun

Printed in the United States.

www.crookedlanebooks.com

Crooked Lane Books

34 West 27^th St., 10^th Floor

New York, NY 10001

First Edition: October 2020

10   9   8   7   6   5   4   3   2   1