Chapter 56

The raven on the novel he’d been reading no longer glared up at him, as it had since been replaced with the second book in the series, and his grocery list rested a hundred pages or so from the point of its completion. His eyes were tired, and his neck ached from propping it up to read while he did his best to stay stationary. He set the book aside when twilight started to creep in, for no other reason than it was easier to reach for the remote control of the TV than it was to switch on enough lighting to continue reading.

At nine o’clock, Randy washed down two painkillers with a shot of brandy and fell asleep where he lay.

* * * *