Robert B. Parker - Split Image

Table of Contents
THE SPENSER NOVELS
The Professional
Rough Weather
Now & Then
Hundred-Dollar Baby
School Days
Cold Service
Bad Business
Back Story
Widow's Walk
Potshot
Hugger Mugger
Hush Money
Sudden Mischief
Small Vices
Chance
Thin Air
Walking Shadow
Paper Doll
Double Deuce
Pastime
Stardust
Playmates
Crimson Joy
Pale Kings and Princes
Taming a Sea-Horse
A Catskill Eagle
Valediction
The Widening Gyre
Ceremony
A Savage Place
Early Autumn
Looking for Rachel Wallace
The Judas Goat
Promised Land
Mortal Stakes
God Save the Child
The Godwulf Manuscript THE JESSE STONE NOVELS
Night and Day
Stranger in Paradise
High Profile
Sea Change
Stone Cold
Death in Paradise
Trouble in Paradise
Night Passage
THE SUNNY RANDALL NOVELS
Spare Change
Blue Screen
Melancholy Baby
Shrink Rap
Perish Twice Family Honor
ALSO BY ROBERT B. PARKER
Brimstone
Resolution
Appaloosa
Double Play
Gunman's Rhapsody
All Our Yesterdays
A Year at the Races
(with Joan H. Parker)
Perchance to Dream
Poodle Springs
(with Raymond Chandler)
Love and Glory
Wilderness
Three Weeks in Spring
(with Joan H. Parker)
Training with Weights
(with John R. Marsh) G. P.

PUTNAM'S SONS
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Published by the Penguin Group
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Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
Copyright (c) 2010 by Robert B. Parker All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author's rights. Purchase only authorized editions. Parker. p. cm. eISBN : 978-1-101-18538-4 1. eISBN : 978-1-101-18538-4 1.

Stone, Jesse (Fictitious character)--Fiction. 2. Police--Massachusetts--Fiction. 3. Cults-
Fiction. 4.

Domestic fiction. 5. Police chiefs--Fiction. I. Title.
PS3566.A686S
813'.54--dc22
This is a work of fiction.
While the author has made every effort to provide accurate telephone numbers and Internet addresses at the time of publication, neither the publisher nor the author assumes any responsibility for errors, or for changes that occur after publication.
While the author has made every effort to provide accurate telephone numbers and Internet addresses at the time of publication, neither the publisher nor the author assumes any responsibility for errors, or for changes that occur after publication.

Further, the publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content. http://us.penguingroup.com For Joan, of course, and also for Stephen F. O'Loughlin, Jr.
M OLLY CRANE STUCK her head into the open doorway of Jesse's office and said, "Chief Stone, there's a private detective from Boston here to see you." "Show him in," Jesse said. "It's a her," Molly said. "Even better," Jesse said.

Molly smiled and stepped aside, and Sunny Randall came in, carrying a straw shoulder bag and wearing a green sleeveless top with white pants and color-coordinated sneakers. "Wow," Jesse said. "Wow is good," Sunny said, and sat down. "And accurate," Jesse said. "It couldn't have been easy getting into those pants." "For whom?" Sunny said. "Shall I close the door?" he said. "No," Sunny said. "I'm actually here on business." "All work and no play," Jesse said. "We'll address that at another time," Sunny said. "That's encouraging," Jesse said. "It's meant to be," Sunny said. "Do you know of a small religious organization here in Paradise called the Renewal? Or the Bond of the Renewal?" "I'm the chief of police," Jesse said. "I know everything." "Exactly why I'm here," Sunny said. "I know everything." "Exactly why I'm here," Sunny said.

She smiled. "Tell me about the Renewal," she said. "They're located in a house near the town wharf. Nice house; one of the elders owns it. They all live there in a kind of communal way, run by a guy who calls himself the Patriarch. "What Molly claims," Jesse said. "There's a couple of so-called elders, 'bout your age, I would guess." "Hey," Sunny said. "I mean they're not very elder-ish." "Okay," Sunny said. "Rest of them are mostly kids," Jesse said. "All of whom, far as I can tell, are old enough to do what they want." "What do they do?" "They preach, they hand out flyers, they go door-to-door, raising money." "They got some kind of special belief?" "They're in favor of renewal," Jesse said. "What the hell does that mean?" Jesse grinned. "Renewing the original intent of Christianity," Jesse said. "At least as they understand it. "At least as they understand it.

Love, peace, that kind of thing." "Wow," Sunny said. "Subversive." "You bet," Jesse said. "Town hates them, want me to chase them out of town." "Which you haven't done." "They haven't committed a crime," Jesse said. "So, what's the complaint?" "They're not one of us," Jesse said. "And they're kind of r atty-looking." "They preach on the streets?" Sunny said. "It is," Jesse said. "It's annoying as hell, but it's not illegal." "And you're hung up on the Constitution?" Sunny said. "Old school," Jesse said. "And the town council understands?" "I don't believe so," Jesse said. "And you care what the town council understands," Sunny said. "Not very much," Jesse said. "Not very much," Jesse said.

They were quiet for a moment. The silence was comfortable. "You want to know why I'm asking?" Sunny said, after a time. "Yep." "But not enough to ask," Sunny said. "I knew you'd tell me."
S UITCASE SIMPSON DROVE the Paradise police car across the causeway to Paradise Neck, with the sun bouncing brightly off the open ocean to his right and the sheltered harbor to his left. He always thought the ocean reflected the sun more brightly than the harbor, but Jesse always laughed at him when he said it, so he didn't say it anymore.

Still thought so, though. He had the morning shift, seven to two on the east side of town, along the water. Arthur Angstrom was on the west side. It was noon. A Cadillac Escalade was parked at an angle on the roadside, just past the Paradise Neck end of the causeway. Simpson pulled up behind it and got out.

The car was empty, and there were no keys in sight. Suit tried the door. It was unlocked. He got in and sat in the driver's seat. He opened the glove compartment. The car was registered to Petrov Ognowski.

He found the button inside the glove compartment and popped the tailgate. Then he got out and took a look. There was a dead man. The back of his head was black with dried blood. Suit felt for a pulse in the man's neck. There was none.

And his skin was cold. Suit went back to the cruiser and called it in. "Molly? Suit. I got a stiff in the back of a Cadillac SUV, out at the Neck end of the causeway." "You want an ambulance?" Molly said. "Pretty sure he's dead, but no harm," Suit said. "I'll send him when I find him." "Okay." "You know who it is?" Molly said. "Car's registered to Petrov Ognowski," Suit said. "I don't know if the stiff is him." "You haven't searched him," Molly said. "No." "Don't blame you," Molly said. "Here we all come." The first to arrive was Arthur. "Here we all come." The first to arrive was Arthur.