Chapter 1: The Report Richard Threw Across the Sunflower Fence Richard Allen held the graph so close to Katherine’s face that the corner of the paper trembled against the brim of her hat. “Explain that.” The black line plunged across the page from left to right. Behind it, forty acres of late-August sunflowers stood in…
Chapter 1: The Notice Landed Face Down in the Soil The notice struck the compost pile face down, slid six inches through the damp black soil, and stopped against the blade of Stephanie Hill’s shovel. Edward Miller pointed at it as though the paper had completed an argument for him. “You need to put that…
Chapter 1: The Red Notice Beside the Sheep Pen Richard Martin held the paper high enough for both farmhands to read the red word stamped across it. OVERDUE. Then he pointed at Joseph with the same hand. “You’ve had three notices.” The sheep pressed against the holding fence behind them, their dusty backs shifting like…
Chapter 1: The Pots Frank Ordered Her to Dig Up Frank Carter came down the lower field carrying a yellowed county certificate just as Rebecca Walker lowered the forty-eighth clay pot into the ground. She saw the paper before she saw his face. It flashed pale against his brown vest while he crossed between the…
Chapter 1: The Contract at the Edge of the Green Field Joseph Allen held the purchase agreement out over the hood of Kathleen Davis’s truck while the unopened bank notice worked its way farther out of her shirt pocket. The white edge of the envelope flashed whenever she breathed. Joseph noticed it. His eyes moved…
Chapter 1: The Count That Changed Before Anyone Reached the Fence Raymond Clark pointed at Nicole’s ledger before she finished counting. “That book’s wrong.” His voice carried across the enclosure, above the squeal of young pigs and the metallic rattle of bodies pressing against the low wire fence. One of the seasonal farmhands stopped dragging…
Chapter 1: The Man in the Black Coat Crossed Her Furrow Jonathan Miller’s polished shoe sank past the sole before Nancy Walker saw the rest of him. The black leather disappeared into the fresh furrow with a wet sucking sound. Jonathan jerked backward, but the mud held him long enough to twist his composed face…
Chapter 1: The Wire Beneath the Mud Thomas Harris was already pointing at Jason when the geese began to explode against the fence. White wings struck wire. Mud flew beneath orange feet. The flock crowded toward the far end of the enclosure as if something invisible had entered among them. “Turn that thing off,” Thomas…
Part I — The Boy at the White Roses Samuel Matthews entered through the service gate because no one watched the service gate during a toast. He was eight years old, barefoot, and muddy to the ankle. His brown jacket hung from his shoulders like it belonged to a man who had left in a…
Part I — The Road The white Tesla hit the muddy rut so fast that the puddle lifted like a brown curtain and slapped across the young man standing on the shoulder. Michael Turner saw it in the rearview mirror. A gray hoodie. Ripped jeans. A still face now streaked with mud. He cursed under…