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    The Outsider: A Novel
    The Outsider: A Novel
    The Outsider: A Novel
    Ebook638 pages11 hours

    The Outsider: A Novel

    By Stephen King

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    • Investigation

    • Supernatural

    • Mystery

    • Family

    • Evidence

    • Whodunit

    • Small Town Secrets

    • Detective Story

    • Wrongly Accused

    • Power of Friendship

    • Hero's Journey

    • Outsider

    • Haunted House

    • Legal Drama

    • Space Opera

    • Justice

    • Legal System

    • Fear

    • Small Town

    • Crime

    About this ebook

    Now an HBO limited series starring Ben Mendelsohn!​

    Evil has many faces…maybe even yours in this #1 New York Times bestseller from master storyteller Stephen King.

    An eleven-year-old boy’s violated corpse is discovered in a town park. Eyewitnesses and fingerprints point unmistakably to one of Flint City’s most popular citizens—Terry Maitland, Little League coach, English teacher, husband, and father of two girls. Detective Ralph Anderson, whose son Maitland once coached, orders a quick and very public arrest. Maitland has an alibi, but Anderson and the district attorney soon have DNA evidence to go with the fingerprints and witnesses. Their case seems ironclad.

    As the investigation expands and horrifying details begin to emerge, King’s story kicks into high gear, generating strong tension and almost unbearable suspense. Terry Maitland seems like a nice guy, but is he wearing another face? When the answer comes, it will shock you as only Stephen King can.

    Editor's Note

    On the screen…

    Stephen King’s wild ride of a thriller has been adapted into a series on HBO starring Jason Bateman, Cynthia Erivo, and Ben Mendelsohn. The unsettling story begins when a seemingly straightforward investigation into a monstrous crime reveals supernatural forces at work.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherScribner
    Release dateMay 22, 2018
    ISBN9781501181016
    Author

    Stephen King

    Stephen King is the author of more than sixty books, all of them worldwide bestsellers. His recent work includes Never Flinch (May 2025), the short story collection You Like It Darker (a New York Times Book Review top ten horror book of 2024), Holly (a New York Times Notable Book of 2023), Fairy Tale, Billy Summers, If It Bleeds, The Institute, Elevation, The Outsider, Sleeping Beauties (cowritten with his son Owen King), and the Bill Hodges trilogy: End of Watch, Finders Keepers, and Mr. Mercedes (an Edgar Award winner for Best Novel and a television series streaming on Peacock). His novel 11/22/63 was named a top ten book of 2011 by The New York Times Book Review and won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller. His epic works The Dark Tower, It, Pet Sematary, Doctor Sleep, and Firestarter are the basis for major motion pictures, with It now the highest-grossing horror film of all time. He is the recipient of the 2020 Audio Publishers Association Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2018 PEN America Literary Service Award, the 2014 National Medal of Arts, and the 2003 National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters. He lives in Bangor, Maine, with his wife, novelist Tabitha King. 

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    Related categories

    Reviews for The Outsider

    4/5

    1,953 ratings147 reviews

    What our readers think

    Readers find this title to be a captivating and suspenseful read. The complex plot and well-developed characters, both flawed and virtuous, make for a satisfying experience. The book keeps readers guessing and engaged, with thoughts flying through their minds with each page. It is a return to the classic Stephen King style, with a normal environment juxtaposed with a weird evil. The author's skill in creating a sense of unease and suspense is commendable. Overall, readers highly recommend this book for its gripping storyline and enjoyable reading experience.

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      I like this book Its very interesting
      I love it
    • 4/5
      Enjoyable read, a mystery at first that then takes a turn for the supernatural. The story has elements of King’s other books, so I do wish it were more original. Still worth a read.
    • 5/5
      Amazing! Grabs you by the throat on the first page, and doesn't disappoint at any point.
    • 4/5
      Typical King; complex plot, a lot of complicated characters full of flaws and virtues. Well done, satisfying.
    • 5/5
      King never disappoints. This book kept me up for weeks always wanting to get to the end but never wanting it to end. You don’t need my interpretation of the book, just read it.
    • 2/5
      C'est don des très bons livres ils m'ont beaucoup aidé.
    • 5/5
      Best King novel I’ve read in years. Back to the classic totally normal environment vs. really weird evil. The characters were all human and believable, as was the villain. And the author seems to deal very well with the Oklahoma mis-en-scene. Thoroughly enjoyed it!
    • 5/5
      Nicely done story by Mr. King. He deserves all the accolades he receives.
    • 4/5
      Great read, couldn’t put it down. Although there was a strong supernatural element, the novel didn’t veer into the realm of complete implausibility as King sometimes can.
    • 5/5
      Deprived me a couple of nights’ sleep to finish reading it! Couldn’t put my cellphone away.
    • 5/5
      Absolutely amazing novel, best I have read so far
    • 5/5
      I have enjoyed every single Stephen King novel that I have ever read... “The Outsider” was one of those Stephen King novels that got me hooked and yearning for the next chapter! The idea that there could be supernatural-like species living amongst us everyday is something many people cannot comprehend or want to comprehend due to it’s unbelievable nature as “Ralph Anderson” projects in this novel.. Coming to the terms that these species could cause havoc like murder, and rape and destruction and so is rare and almost impossible. You are deemed to be labeled as a psycho but this novel allows you to freely possess that sense of unnatural thinking and really make you stop and think about what’s creeping behind every corner!!!
    • 4/5
      Really enjoyed storytelling and how the scenes were described. It has a touch of supernatural, but liked the fact hidden in it around how our logical thinking can be abused and used against us.
    • 5/5
      Good! As always. Firstly, it seems to me the story like usual detective, but, then the plot becomes swirling in King’s style.
    • 5/5
      Maybe This Can Help You
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      - You Can See Full Book/ebook Offline Any Time
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      - You Can Become A Master In Your Business
    • 5/5
      the rumours are true...king is back and better than ever. delightful and deeply satisfying. i'd love to read more of these characters (well...one in paricular).
    • 5/5
      I need a whole book with Holly as the protag pls Stephen
    • 2/5
      I couldn't wait for it to end. It wasn't for me.
    • 3/5
      This was actually the first Stephen King book I ever read. I liked parts of it but I didn't like the supernatural explanation of what happened. Also what was done to the child was really horrible and if it was a supernatural being, you kind of wonder why it did what it did to the child, I mean are supernatural creatures pedos? I liked the main character a lot and I hate what happened to him, he was the most likable character and he gets killed off. The story also really dragged on a lot at points. Most of the book was pretty good and kept me turning the pages and I have since then read several other books by King. I don't think it's his best but it did get me interested in reading his books.
    • 5/5
      I mean what can I say really, this is Stephan King, his books always keep me guessing, and are always amazing. But, the suspense in this book was great, and the thoughts flying through my mind with each page I read was the best. I honestly wanted to read it all in one day if I was able to.
    • 5/5
      The depth of multiple, like able and dislikable characters conjoined with the smooth way Mr. King has of hooking his readers into all nighters was brought once again with The Outsider.
    • 5/5
      Holy "frack!" King remains The King of Horror. A bloody brilliant book!
    • 4/5
      in my opinion, Stephen King books are either hit, or miss. This was one of those "hit" books to me. It had me captivated from begining to end. It really was a page turner for me. It has a creepy eerie magic only he can produce. It is worth the time to read it.
    • 5/5
      Awesome! I really hated to have to put it down.
    • 5/5
      Such a good book! First Steven king read and I will definitely reading more!
    • 5/5
      I loved reading this book. I am currently watching the show on HBO and already noticing differences that simply cannot be captured on film as it can be in a book. Simply said, the novel lives in my head and makes me think about things differently.
    • 5/5
      The details, the dialogue, the pacing of the story, King at his best. My respect for the author continues to grow even though I lose sleep while enjoying the book.
    • 5/5
      Excellent work. Wonderful read. Fantastic as always. Reading a great story is a little like falling down the rabbit hole. Love it!
    • 4/5
      The first part of the book was a little boring for me. But it started picking up and I loved the storyline.
    • 4/5
      I read this book. it is great. I love it.

    Book preview

    The Outsider - Stephen King

    THE ARREST

    July 14th

    1

    It was an unmarked car, just some nondescript American sedan a few years old, but the blackwall tires and the three men inside gave it away for what it was. The two in front were wearing blue uniforms. The one in back was wearing a suit, and he was as big as a house. A pair of black boys standing on the sidewalk, one with a foot on a scuffed orange skateboard, the other with a lime-colored board under his arm, watched it turn into the parking lot of the Estelle Barga Recreational Park, then looked at each other.

    One said, That’s Five-O.

    The other said, No shit.

    They headed off with no further conversation, pumping their boards. The rule was simple: when Five-O shows up, it’s time to go. Black lives matter, their parents had instructed them, but not always to Five-O. At the baseball field, the crowd began to cheer and clap rhythmically as the Flint City Golden Dragons came to bat in the bottom of the ninth, one run down.

    The boys didn’t look back.

    2

    Statement of Mr. Jonathan Ritz [July 10th, 9:30 PM, interviewed by Detective Ralph Anderson]

    Detective Anderson: I know you’re upset, Mr. Ritz, it’s understandable, but I need to know exactly what you saw earlier this evening.

    Ritz: I’ll never get it out of my mind. Never. I think I could use a pill. Maybe a Valium. I’ve never taken any of that stuff, but I sure could use something now. My heart still feels like it’s in my throat. Your forensic people should know that if they find puke at the scene, and I guess they will, it’s mine. I’m not ashamed, either. Anyone would have lost their supper if they saw something like that.

    Detective Anderson: I’m sure a doctor will prescribe something to calm you down when we’re done. I think I can arrange for that, but right now I need you clearheaded. You understand that, don’t you?

    Ritz: Yes. Of course.

    Detective Anderson: Just tell me everything you saw, and we’ll be finished for this evening. Can you do that for me, sir?

    Ritz: All right. I went out to walk Dave right around six o’clock this evening. Dave is our beagle. He has his evening meal at five. My wife and I eat at five thirty. By six, Dave is ready to take care of his business—Number One and Number Two, I mean. I walk him while Sandy—my wife—does up the dishes. It’s a fair division of labor. A fair division of labor is very important in a marriage, especially after the children have grown up, that’s the way we look at it. I’m rambling, aren’t I?

    Detective Anderson: That’s okay, Mr. Ritz. Tell it your way.

    Ritz: Oh, please call me Jon. I can’t stand Mr. Ritz. Makes me feel like a cracker. That’s what the kids called me when I was in school, Ritz Cracker.

    Detective Anderson: Uh-huh. So you were walking your dog—

    Ritz: That’s right. And when he got a strong scent—the scent of death, I suppose—I had to hold him back on his leash with both hands, even though Dave’s just a little dog. He wanted to get at what he was smelling. The—

    Detective Anderson: Wait, let’s go back. You left your house at 249 Mulberry Avenue at six o’clock—

    Ritz: It might have been a little before. Dave and I walked down the hill to Gerald’s, that grocery on the corner where they sell all the gourmet stuff, then up Barnum Street, and then into Figgis Park. That’s the one the kids call Frig Us Park. They think adults don’t know what they say, that we don’t listen, but we do. At least some of us do.

    Detective Anderson: Was this your usual evening walk?

    Ritz: Oh, sometimes we change it up a little so we don’t get bored, but the park is where we almost always end up before heading home, because there’s always lots for Dave to smell. There’s a parking lot, but at that time of the evening it’s almost always empty, unless there are some high school kids playing tennis. There weren’t any that night, because the courts are clay and it rained earlier. The only thing parked there was a white van.

    Detective Anderson: A commercial van, would you say?

    Ritz: That’s right. No windows, just double doors in the back. The kind of van small companies use to haul stuff in. It might have been an Econoline, but I couldn’t swear to that.

    Detective Anderson: Was there a company name written on it? Like Sam’s Air Conditioning or Bob’s Custom Windows? Something like that?

    Ritz: No, uh-uh. Nothing at all. It was dirty, though, I can tell you that. Hadn’t been washed in some time. And there was mud on the tires, probably from the rain. Dave sniffed at the tires, then we went along one of the gravel paths through the trees. After about a quarter of a mile, Dave started to bark and ran into the bushes on the right. That’s when he got that scent. He almost dragged the leash out of my hand. I tried to pull him back and he wouldn’t come, just flopped over and dug at the ground with his paws and kept on barking. So I snubbed him up close—I have one of those retractable leashes, and it’s very good for that kind of thing—and went after him. He doesn’t bother about squirrels and chipmunks so much now that he’s not a puppy anymore, but I thought he might have scented up a raccoon. I was going to make him come back whether he wanted to or not, dogs need to know who’s boss, only that was when I saw the first few drops of blood. They were on a birch leaf, about chest-high to me, which would make it I guess five feet or so off the ground. There was another drop on another leaf a little further on, then a whole splash of it on some bushes further on still. Still red and wet. Dave sniffed at that one, but wanted to keep going. And listen, before I forget, right about then I heard an engine start up behind me. I might not have noticed, except it was pretty loud, like the muffler was shot. Kind of rumbling, do you know what I mean?

    Detective Anderson: Uh-huh, I do.

    Ritz: I can’t swear it was that white van, and I didn’t go back that way, so I don’t know if it was gone, but I bet it was. And you know what that means?

    Detective Anderson: Tell me what you think it means, Jon.

    Ritz: That he might have been watching me. The killer. Standing in the trees and watching me. It gives me the creeps, just thinking about it. Now, I mean. Then, I was pretty much fixated on the blood. And keeping Dave from yanking my arm right out of its socket. I was getting scared, and don’t mind admitting it. I’m not a big man, and although I try to stay in shape, I’m in my sixties now. Even in my twenties I wasn’t much of a brawler. But I had to see. In case someone was hurt.

    Detective Anderson: That’s very commendable. What time would you say it was when you first saw the blood-trail?

    Ritz: I didn’t check my watch, but I’m guessing twenty past six. Maybe twenty-five past. I let Dave lead the way, keeping him snubbed up so I could push through the branches he could just go under with his little short legs. You know what they say about beagles—they’re high-toned but low-slung. He was barking like crazy. We came into a clearing, a sort of… I don’t know, sort of a nook where lovers might sit and smooch a little. There was a granite bench in the middle of it, and it was covered in blood. So much of it. More underneath. The body was lying on the grass beside it. That poor boy. His head was turned toward me, and his eyes were open, and his throat was just gone. Nothing there but a red hole. His bluejeans and underpants were pulled down to his ankles, and I saw something… a dead branch, I guess… sticking out of his… his… well, you know.

    Detective Anderson: I do, but I need you to say it for the record, Mr. Ritz.

    Ritz: He was on his stomach, and the branch was sticking out of his bottom. That was bloody, too. The branch. Part of the bark was stripped, and there was a handprint. I saw that clear as day. Dave wasn’t barking anymore, he was howling, poor thing, and I just don’t know who would do something like that. He must have been a maniac. Will you catch him, Detective Anderson?

    Detective Anderson: Oh, yes. We’ll catch him.

    3

    The Estelle Barga parking lot was almost as big as the one at the Kroger’s where Ralph Anderson and his wife shopped on Saturday afternoons, and on this July evening it was totally filled. Many of the bumpers bore Golden Dragons stickers, and a few rear windows had been soaped with exuberant slogans: WE WILL ROCK YOU; DRAGONS WILL BURN BEARS; CAP CITY HERE WE COME; THIS YEAR IT’S OUR TURN. From the field, where the lights had been turned on (although it would be daylight for quite a while yet), there arose cheering and rhythmic clapping.

    Troy Ramage, a twenty-year veteran, was behind the wheel of the unmarked. As he cruised up one packed row and down another, he said, Whenever I come here, I always wonder who the hell Estelle Barga was, anyway.

    Ralph made no reply. His muscles were tight, his skin was hot, and his pulse felt like it was red-lining. He had arrested plenty of bad doers over the years, but this was different. This was particularly awful. And personal. That was the worst: it was personal. He had no business being part of the arrest, and knew it, but following the last round of budget cuts, there were only three full-time detectives on the Flint City police force’s roster. Jack Hoskins was on vacation, fishing somewhere in the back of beyond, and good riddance. Betsy Riggins, who should have been on maternity leave, would be assisting the State Police with another aspect of this evening’s work.

    He hoped to God they weren’t going too fast. He had expressed that worry to Bill Samuels, the Flint County district attorney, just that afternoon, in their pre-arrest conference. Samuels was a little young for the post, just thirty-five, but he belonged to the right political party, and he was sure of himself. Not cocksure, there was that, but undoubtedly gung-ho.

    There are still some rough edges I’d like to smooth out, Ralph said. We don’t have all the background. Plus, he’s going to say he has an alibi. Unless he just gives it up, we can be sure of that.

    If he does, Samuels had replied, we’ll knock it down. You know we will.

    Ralph had no doubt of it, he knew they had the right man, but he still would have preferred a little more investigation before pulling the trigger. Find the holes in the sonofabitch’s alibi, punch them wider, wide enough to drive a truck through, then bring him in. In most cases that would have been the correct procedure. Not in this one.

    Three things, Samuels had said. Are you ready for them?

    Ralph nodded. He had to work with this man, after all.

    One, people in this town, particularly the parents of small children, are terrified and angry. They want a quick arrest so they can feel safe again. Two, the evidence is beyond doubt. I’ve never seen a case so ironclad. Are you with me on that?

    Yes.

    Okay, here’s number three. The big one. Samuels had leaned forward. We can’t say he’s done it before—although if he has, we’ll probably find out once we really start digging—but he sure as hell has done it now. Broken loose. Busted his cherry. And once that happens…

    He could do it again, Ralph finished.

    Right. Not the likeliest scenario so soon after Peterson, but possible. He’s with kids all the time, for Christ’s sake. Young boys. If he killed one of them, never mind losing our jobs, we’d never forgive ourselves.

    Ralph was already having problems forgiving himself for not seeing it sooner. That was irrational, you couldn’t look into a man’s eyes at a backyard barbecue following the conclusion of the Little League season and know he was contemplating an unspeakable act—stroking it and feeding it and watching it grow—but the irrationality didn’t change the way he felt.

    Now, leaning forward to point between the two cops in the front seat, Ralph said, Over there. Try the handicap spaces.

    From the shotgun seat, Officer Tom Yates said, Two-hundred-dollar fine for that, boss.

    I think we’ll get a pass this time, Ralph said.

    I was joking.

    Ralph, in no mood for cop repartee, made no reply.

    Crip spaces ahoy, Ramage said. And I see two empties.

    He pulled into one of them, and the three men got out. Ralph saw Yates unsnap the strap over the butt of his Glock and shook his head. Are you out of your mind? There’s got to be fifteen hundred people at that game.

    What if he runs?

    Then you’ll catch him.

    Ralph leaned against the hood of the unmarked and watched as the two Flint City officers started toward the field, the lights, and the crammed bleachers, where the clapping and the cheering were still rising in volume and intensity. Arresting Peterson’s killer fast had been a call he and Samuels had made together (however reluctantly). Arresting him at the game had been strictly Ralph’s decision.

    Ramage looked back. Coming?

    I am not. You do the deed, and read him his rights nice and goddam loud, then bring him here. Tom, when we roll, you’re going to ride in back with him. I’ll be up front with Troy. Bill Samuels is waiting for my call, and he’ll be at the station to meet us. This one’s A-Team all the way. As for the collar, it’s all yours.

    But it’s your case, Yates said. Why wouldn’t you want to be the one to bust the motherfucker?

    Still with his arms crossed, Ralph said, Because the man who raped Frankie Peterson with a tree branch and tore open his throat coached my son for four years, two in Peewee and two in Little League. He had his hands on my son, showing him how to hold a bat, and I don’t trust myself.

    Got it, got it, Troy Ramage said. He and Yates started toward the field.

    And listen, you two.

    They turned back.

    Cuff him right there. And cuff him in front.

    That’s not protocol, boss, Ramage said.

    I know, and I don’t care. I want everyone to see him led away in handcuffs. Got it?

    When they were on their way, Ralph took his cell phone off his belt. He had Betsy Riggins on speed-dial. Are you in position?

    Yes indeed. Parked in front of his house. Me and four State Troopers.

    Search warrant?

    In my hot little hand.

    Good. He was about to end the call when something else occurred to him. Bets, when’s your due date?

    Yesterday, she said. So hurry this shit up. And ended the call herself.

    4

    Statement of Mrs. Arlene Stanhope [July 12th, 1:00 PM, interviewed by Detective Ralph Anderson]

    Stanhope: Will this take long, Detective?

    Detective Anderson: Not long at all. Just tell me what you saw on the afternoon of Tuesday, July 10th, and we’ll be done.

    Stanhope: All right. I was coming out of Gerald’s Fine Groceries. I always do my shopping there on Tuesdays. Things are more expensive at Gerald’s, but I don’t go to the Kroger since I stopped driving. I gave up my license the year after my husband died because I didn’t trust my reflexes anymore. I had a couple of accidents. Just fender-benders, you know, but that was enough for me. Gerald’s is only two blocks from the apartment I’ve been living in since I sold the house, and the doctor says walking is good for me. Good for my heart, you know. I was coming out with my three bags in my little cart—three bags is all I can afford now, the prices are so awful, especially meat, I don’t know the last time I’ve had bacon—and I saw the Peterson boy.

    Detective Anderson: You’re sure it was Frank Peterson you saw?

    Stanhope: Oh yes, it was Frank. Poor boy, I’m so sorry about what happened to him, but he’s in heaven now, and his pain is over. That’s the consolation. There are two Peterson boys, you know, both redheads, that awful carroty red, but the older one—Oliver, that’s his name—is at least five years older. He used to deliver our newspaper. Frank has a bicycle, one of those that have the high handlebars and the narrow seat—

    Detective Anderson: A banana seat, it’s called.

    Stanhope: I don’t know about that, but I know it was bright lime green, an awful color, really, and there was a sticker on the seat. It said Flint City High. Only he’ll never go to high school, will he? Poor, poor boy.

    Detective Anderson: Mrs. Stanhope, would you like a short break?

    Stanhope: No, I want to finish. I need to go home and feed my cat. I always feed her at three, and she’ll be hungry. She’ll also wonder where I am. But if I could have a tissue? I’m sure I’m a mess. Thank you.

    Detective Anderson: You could see the sticker on the seat of Frank Peterson’s bicycle because—?

    Stanhope: Oh, because he wasn’t on it. He was walking it across the Gerald’s parking lot. The chain was broken, and dragging on the pavement.

    Detective Anderson: Did you notice what he was wearing?

    Stanhope: A tee-shirt with some rock and roll band on it. I don’t know bands, so I can’t say which one it was. If that’s important, I’m sorry. And he was wearing a Rangers cap. It was pushed back on his head, and I could see all that red hair. Those carrot-tops usually go bald very early in life, you know. He’ll never have to worry about that now, will he? Oh, it’s just so sad. Anyway, there was a dirty white van parked at the far end of the lot, and a man got out and came over to Frank. He was—

    Detective Anderson: We’ll get to that, but first I want to hear about the van. This was the kind with no windows?

    Stanhope: Yes.

    Detective Anderson: With no writing on it? No company name, or anything of that nature?

    Stanhope: Not that I saw.

    Detective Anderson: Okay, let’s talk about the man you saw. Did you recognize him, Mrs. Stanhope?

    Stanhope: Oh, of course. It was Terry Maitland. Everyone on the West Side knows Coach T. They call him that even at the high school. He teaches English there, you know. My husband taught with him before he retired. They call him Coach T because he coaches Little League, and the City League baseball team when Little League is done, and in the fall he coaches little boys who like to play football. They have a name for that league, too, but I don’t remember it.

    Detective Anderson: If we could get back to what you saw on Tuesday afternoon—

    Stanhope: There’s not much more to tell. Frank talked to Coach T, and pointed at his broken chain. Coach T nodded and opened the back of the white van, which couldn’t have been his—

    Detective Anderson: Why do you say that, Mrs. Stanhope?

    Stanhope: Because it had an orange license plate. I don’t know which state that would be, my long vision isn’t what it used to be, but I know Oklahoma plates are blue and white. Anyway, I couldn’t see anything in the back of the van except for a long green thing that looked like a toolbox. Was it a toolbox, Detective?

    Detective Anderson: What happened then?

    Stanhope: Well, Coach T put Frank’s bicycle in the back and shut the doors. He clapped Frank on the back. Then he went around to the driver’s side and Frank went around to the passenger side. They both got in, and the van drove away, onto Mulberry Avenue. I thought Coach T was going to drive the lad home. Of course I did. What else would I think? Terry Maitland has lived on the West Side for going on twenty years, he has a very nice family, a wife and two daughters… could I have another tissue, please? Thank you. Are we almost done?

    Detective Anderson: Yes, and you’ve been very helpful. I believe that before I started to record, you said this was around three o’clock?

    Stanhope: Exactly three. I heard the bell in the Town Hall clock chiming the hour just as I came out with my little cart. I wanted to go home and feed my cat.

    Detective Anderson: The boy you saw, the redheaded boy, was Frank Peterson.

    Stanhope: Yes. The Petersons live right around the corner. Ollie used to deliver my newspaper. I see those boys all the time.

    Detective Anderson: And the man, the one who put the bike in the back of the white van and drove away with Frank Peterson, that was Terence Maitland, also known as Coach Terry or Coach T.

    Stanhope: Yes.

    Detective Anderson: You’re sure of that.

    Stanhope: Oh, yes.

    Detective Anderson: Thank you, Mrs. Stanhope.

    Stanhope: Who could believe Terry would do such a thing? Do you suppose there have been others?

    Detective Anderson: We may find that out in the course of our investigation.

    5

    Since all City League tournament games were played at Estelle Barga Field—the best baseball field in the county, and the only one with lights for night games—home team advantage was decided by a coin toss. Terry Maitland called tails before the game, as he always did—it was a superstition handed down from his own City League coach, back in the day—and tails it was. I don’t care where we’re playing, I just like to get my lasties, he always told his boys.

    And tonight he needed them. It was the bottom of the ninth, the Bears were up in this league semifinal by a single run. The Golden Dragons were down to their last out, but they had the bases loaded. A walk, a wild pitch, an error, or an infield single would tie it, a ball hit into the gap would win it. The crowd was clapping, stamping the metal bleachers, and cheering as little Trevor Michaels stepped into the lefthand batter’s box. His batting helmet was the smallest one they had, but it still shaded his eyes and he had to keep pushing it up. He twitched his bat nervously back and forth.

    Terry had considered pinch-hitting for the boy, but at just an inch over five feet, he drew a lot of walks. And while he was no home run hitter, he was sometimes able to put the bat on the ball. Not often, but sometimes. If Terry lifted him for a pinch hitter, the poor kid would have to live with the humiliation through the whole next year of middle school. If, on the other hand, he managed a single, he would recall it over beers and backyard barbecues for the rest of his life. Terry knew. He’d been there himself, once upon a time, in the antique era before the game was played with aluminum bats.

    The Bears pitcher—their closer, a real fireballer—wound up and threw one right down the heart of the plate. Trevor watched it go by with an expression of dismay. The umpire called strike one. The crowd groaned.

    Gavin Frick, Terry’s assistant coach, paced up and down in front of the boys on the bench, the scorebook rolled up in one hand (how many times had Terry asked him not to do that?), and his XXL Golden Dragons tee-shirt straining over his belly, which was XXXL at least. I hope letting Trevor bat for himself wasn’t a mistake, Ter, he said. Sweat was trickling down his cheeks. He looks scared to death, and I don’t b’lieve he could hit that kid’s speedball with a tennis racket.

    Let’s see what happens, Terry said. I’ve got a good feeling about this. He didn’t, not really.

    The Bears pitcher wound up and released another burner, but this one landed in the dirt in front of home plate. The crowd rose to its feet as Baibir Patel, the Dragons’ tying run at third, jinked a few steps down the line. They settled back with a groan as the ball bounced into the catcher’s mitt. The Bears catcher turned to third, and Terry could read his expression, even through the mask: Just try it, homeboy. Baibir didn’t.

    The next pitch was wide, but Trevor flailed at it, anyway.

    Strike him out, Fritz! a leather-lung shouted from high up in the bleachers—almost surely the fireballer’s father, from the way the kid snapped his head in that direction. "Strike him owwwwwt!"

    Trevor didn’t offer at the next pitch, which was close—too close to take, really, but the ump called it a ball, and it was the Bears’ fans’ turn to groan. Someone suggested that the ump needed stronger glasses. Another fan mentioned something about a seeing-eye dog.

    Two and two now, and Terry had a strong sense that the Dragons’ season hung on the next pitch. Either they would play the Panthers for the City championship, and go on to compete in the States—games that were actually televised—or they would go home and meet just one more time, at the barbecue in the Maitland backyard that traditionally marked the end of the season.

    He turned to look at Marcy and the girls, sitting where they always did, in lawn chairs behind the home plate screen. His daughters were flanking his wife like pretty bookends. All three waved crossed fingers at him. Terry gave them a wink and a smile and two thumbs up, although he still didn’t feel right. It wasn’t just the game. He hadn’t felt right for some time now. Not quite.

    Marcy’s return smile faltered into a puzzled frown. She was looking to her left, and jerked a thumb that way. Terry turned and saw two city cops walking in lockstep down the third base line, past Barry Houlihan, who was coaching there.

    Time, time! the home plate umpire bellowed, stopping the Bears pitcher just as he went into his wind-up. Trevor Michaels stepped out of the batter’s box, and with an expression of relief, Terry thought. The crowd had grown quiet, looking at the two cops. One of them was reaching behind his back. The other had his hand on the butt of his holstered service weapon.

    Off the field! the ump was shouting. Off the field!

    Troy Ramage and Tom Yates ignored him. They walked into the Dragons’ dugout—a makeshift affair containing a long bench, three baskets of equipment, and a bucket of dirty practice balls—and directly to where Terry was standing. From the back of his belt, Ramage produced a pair of handcuffs. The crowd saw them, and raised a murmur that was two parts confusion and one part excitement: Ooooo.

    Hey, you guys! Gavin said, hustling up (and almost tripping over Richie Gallant’s discarded first baseman’s mitt). We’ve got a game to finish here!

    Yates pushed him back, shaking his head. The crowd was dead silent now. The Bears had abandoned their tense defensive postures and were just watching, their gloves dangling. The catcher trotted out to his pitcher, and they stood together halfway between the mound and home plate.

    Terry knew the one holding the cuffs a little; he and his brother sometimes came to watch the Pop Warner games in the fall. Troy? What is this? What’s the deal?

    Ramage saw nothing on the man’s face except what looked like honest bewilderment, but he had been a cop since the nineties, and knew that the really bad ones had that Who, me? look down to a science. And this guy was as bad as they came. Remembering Anderson’s instructions (and not minding a bit), he raised his voice so he could be heard by the entire crowd, which the next day’s paper would announce as 1,588.

    Terence Maitland, I am arresting you for the murder of Frank Peterson.

    Another Ooooo from the bleachers, this one louder, the sound of a rising wind.

    Terry frowned at Ramage. He understood the words, they were simple English words forming a simple declarative sentence, he knew who Frankie Peterson was and what had happened to him, but the meaning of the words eluded him. All he could say was What? Are you kidding? and that was when the sports photographer from the Flint City Call snapped his picture, the one that appeared on the front page the next day. His mouth was open, his eyes were wide, his hair was sticking out around the edges of his Golden Dragons cap. In that photo he looked both enfeebled and guilty.

    "What did you say?"

    Hold out your wrists, please.

    Terry looked at Marcy and his daughters, still sitting in their chairs behind the chickenwire, staring at him with identical expressions of frozen surprise. Horror would come later. Baibir Patel left third base and started to walk toward the dugout, taking off his batting helmet to show the sweaty mat of his black hair, and Terry saw the kid was starting to cry.

    Get back there! Gavin shouted at him. Game’s not over.

    But Baibir only stood in foul territory, staring at Terry and bawling. Terry stared back, positive (almost positive) he was dreaming all this, and then Tom Yates grabbed him and yanked his arms out with enough force to make Terry stumble forward. Ramage snapped on the cuffs. Real ones, not the plastic strips, big and heavy, gleaming in the late sun. In that same rolling voice, he proclaimed: You have the right to remain silent and refuse to answer questions, but if you choose to speak, anything you say can be held against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney during questioning now or in the future. Do you understand?

    Troy? Terry could hardly hear his own voice. He felt as if the wind had been punched out of him. What in God’s name is this?

    Ramage took no notice. Do you understand?

    Marcy came to the chickenwire, hooked her fingers through it, and shook it. Behind her, Sarah and Grace were crying. Grace was on her knees beside Sarah’s lawn chair; her own had fallen over and lay in the dirt. What are you doing? Marcy shouted. "What in God’s name are you doing? And why are you doing it here?"

    Do you understand?

    What Terry understood was that he had been handcuffed and was now being read his rights in front of almost sixteen hundred staring people, his wife and two young daughters among them. It was not a dream, and it was not simply an arrest. It was, for reasons he could not comprehend, a public shaming. Best to get it over as fast as possible, and get this thing straightened out. Although, even in his shock and bewilderment, he understood that his life would not be going back to normal for a long time.

    I understand, he said, and then: Coach Frick, get back.

    Gavin, who had been approaching the cops with his fists clenched and his fat face flushed a hectic red, lowered his arms and stepped back. He looked through the chickenwire at Marcy, raised his enormous shoulders, spread his pudgy hands.

    In the same rolling tones, like a town crier belting out the week’s big news in a New England town square, Troy Ramage continued. Ralph Anderson could hear him from where he stood leaning against the unmarked unit. He was doing a good job, was Troy. It was ugly, and Ralph supposed he might be reprimanded for it, but he would not be reprimanded by Frankie Peterson’s parents. No, not by them.

    If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided to you before any questioning, if you desire. Do you understand?

    Yes, Terry said. I understand something else, too. He turned to the crowd. I have no idea why I’m being arrested! Gavin Frick will finish coaching the game! And then, as an afterthought: Baibir, get back to third, and remember to run in foul territory.

    There was a smatter of applause, but only a smatter. The leather-lung in the bleachers yelled again, What’d you say he did? And the crowd responding to the question, muttering the two words that would soon be all over the West Side and the rest of the city: Frank Peterson’s name.

    Yates grabbed Terry by the arm and started hustling him toward the snack shack and the parking lot beyond. You can preach to the multitudes later, Maitland. Right now you’re going to jail. And guess what? We have the needle in this state, and we use it. But you’re a teacher, right? You probably knew that.

    They hadn’t gotten twenty steps from the makeshift dugout before Marcy Maitland caught up and grabbed Tom Yates’s arm. What in God’s name do you think you’re doing?

    Yates shrugged her off, and when she tried to grasp her husband’s arm, Troy Ramage pushed her away, gently but firmly. She stood where she was for a moment, dazed, then saw Ralph Anderson walking to meet his arresting officers. She knew him from Little League, when Derek Anderson had played for Terry’s team, the Gerald’s Fine Groceries Lions. Ralph hadn’t been able to come to all the games, of course, but he came to as many as possible. Back then he’d still been in uniform; Terry had sent him a congratulatory email when he was promoted to detective. Now she ran toward him, fleet over the grass in her old tennis shoes, which she always wore to Terry’s games, claiming there was good luck in them.

    Ralph! she called. What’s going on? This is a mistake!

    I’m afraid it isn’t, Ralph said.

    This part he didn’t like, because he liked Marcy. On the other hand, he had always liked Terry, as well—the man had probably changed Derek’s life only a little, given the boy just a smatter of confidence-building, but when you were eleven years old, a little confidence was a big deal. And there was something else. Marcy might have known what her husband was, even if she didn’t allow herself to know on a conscious level. The Maitlands had been married a long time, and horrors like the Peterson boy’s murder simply did not come out of thin air. There was always a build-up to the act.

    You need to go home, Marcy. Right away. You may want to leave the girls with a friend, because there will be police waiting for you.

    She only looked at him, uncomprehending.

    From behind them came the chink of an aluminum bat making good contact, although there were few cheers; those in attendance were still shocked, and more interested in what they’d just witnessed than the game before them. Which was sort of a shame. Trevor Michaels had just hit the ball harder than ever before in his life, harder even than when Coach T was throwing meatballs in practice. Unfortunately, it was a line drive straight to the Bears shortstop, who didn’t even have to jump to make the catch.

    Game over.

    6

    Statement of June Morris [July 12th, 5:45 PM, interviewed by Detective Ralph Anderson, Mrs. Francine Morris in attendance]

    Detective Anderson: Thank you for bringing your daughter down to the station, Mrs. Morris. June, how’s that soda?

    June Morris: It’s good. Am I in trouble?

    Detective Anderson: Not at all. I just want to ask you a couple of questions about what you saw two evenings ago.

    June Morris: When I saw Coach Terry?

    Detective Anderson: That’s right, when you saw Coach Terry.

    Francine Morris: Since she turned nine, we’ve let her go down the street by herself to see her friend Helen. As long as it’s daylight. We don’t believe in being helicopter parents. I won’t after this, you can be sure of that.

    Detective Anderson: You saw him after you had your supper, June? Is that right?

    June Morris: Yes. We had meatloaf. Last night we had fish. I don’t like fish, but that’s how it goes.

    Francine Morris: She doesn’t have to cross the street, or anything. We thought it would be okay, since we live in such a good neighborhood. At least I thought we did.

    Detective Anderson: It’s always hard to know when to start giving them responsibilities. Now June—you went down the street, and that took you right past the Figgis Park parking lot, is that right?

    June Morris: Yes. Me and Helen—

    Francine Morris: Helen and I—

    June Morris: Helen and I were going to finish our map of South America. It’s for our day camp project. We use different colors for the different countries, and we were mostly done, but we forgot Paraguay, so we were going to start all over again. That’s also how it goes. After that we were going to play Angry Birds and Corgi Hop on Helen’s iPad until my daddy came to walk me home. Because by then it might be getting dark.

    Detective Anderson: This would have been at what time, Mom?

    Francine Morris: The local news was on when Junie left. Norm was watching while I did the dishes. So, between six and six thirty. Probably quarter past, because I think the weather was on.

    Detective Anderson: Tell me what you saw when you were walking past the parking lot, June.

    June Morris: Coach Terry, I told you. He lives up the street, and once when our dog got lost, Coach T brought him back. Sometimes I play with Gracie Maitland, but not too much. She’s a year older, and likes boys. He was all bloody. Because of his nose.

    Detective Anderson: Uh-huh. What was he doing when you saw him?

    June Morris: He came out of the trees. He saw me looking at him and waved. I waved back and said, Hey, Coach Terry, what happened to you? and he said a branch hit him in the face. He said, Don’t be scared, it’s just a bloody nose, I get them all the time. And I said, I’m not scared, but you won’t be able to wear that shirt anymore, because blood doesn’t come out, that’s what my mom says. He smiled and said, Good thing I’ve got lots of shirts. But it was on his pants, too. Also on his hands.

    Francine Morris: She was that close to him. I can’t stop thinking about it.

    June Morris: Why, because he had a bloody nose? Rolf Jacobs got one on the playground last year when he fell down, and it didn’t scare me. I was going to give him my handkerchief, but Mrs. Grisha took him to the nurse’s office before I could.

    Detective Anderson: How close were you?

    June Morris: Gee, I don’t know. He was in the parking lot and I was on the sidewalk. How far is that?

    Detective Anderson: I don’t know, either, but I’m sure I’ll find out. Is that soda good?

    June Morris: You already asked me that.

    Detective Anderson: Oh, right, so I did.

    June Morris: Old people are forgetful, that’s what my grandpa says.

    Francine Morris: Junie, that’s impolite.

    Detective Anderson: It’s okay. Your grandpa sounds like a wise man, June. What happened then?

    June Morris: Nothing. Coach Terry got into his van and drove away.

    Detective Anderson: What color was the van?

    June Morris: Well, it would be white if it was washed, I guess, but it was pretty dirty. Also, it made a lot of noise and all this blue smoke. Phew.

    Detective Anderson: Was anything written on the side? Like a company name?

    June Morris: Nope. It was just a white van.

    Detective Anderson: Did you see the license plate?

    June Morris: Nope.

    Detective Anderson: Which way did the van go?

    June Morris: Down Barnum Street.

    Detective Morris: And you’re sure the man, the one who told you he had a bloody nose, was Terry Maitland?

    June Morris: Sure, Coach Terry, Coach T. I see him all the time. Is he all right? Did he do something wrong? My mom says I can’t look at the newspaper or watch the TV news, but I’m pretty sure something bad happened in the park. I’d know if school was in, because everybody blabs. Did Coach Terry fight with a bad person? Is that how he got the bloody—

    Francine Morris: Are you almost done, Detective? I know you need information, but remember that I’m the one who has to put her to bed tonight.

    June Morris: I put myself to bed!

    Detective Anderson: Right, almost done. But June, before you go, I’m going to play a little game with you. Do you like games?

    June Morris: I guess so, if they’re not boring.

    Detective Anderson: I’m going to put six photographs of six different people on the table… like this… and they all look a little like Coach Terry. I want you to tell me—

    June Morris: That one. Number four. That’s Coach Terry.

    7

    Troy Ramage opened one of the rear doors of the unmarked car. Terry looked over his shoulder and saw Marcy behind them, halted at the edge of the parking lot, her face a study in agonized bewilderment. Behind her came the Call photographer, snapping pictures even as he jogged across the grass. Those won’t be worth a damn, Terry thought, and with a certain amount of satisfaction. To Marcy he shouted, Call Howie Gold! Tell him I’ve been arrested! Tell him—

    Then Yates had his hand on top of Terry’s head, pushing him down and in. Slide over, slide over. And keep your hands in your lap while I fasten your seatbelt.

    Terry slid over. He kept his hands in his lap. Through the windshield he could see the ballfield’s big electronic scoreboard. His wife had led the fund drive for that two years before. She was standing there, and he would never forget the expression on her face. It was the look of some woman in a third world country, watching as her village burned.

    Then Ramage was behind the wheel, Ralph Anderson was in the passenger seat, and even before Ralph could get his door closed, the unmarked was backing out of the handicap space with a chirp of the tires. Ramage turned tight, spinning the wheel with the heel of his hand, then headed for Tinsley Avenue. They rode sans siren, but a blue bubble-light stuck to the dashboard began to swing and flash. Terry realized that the car smelled of Mexican food. Strange, the things you noticed when your day—your life—suddenly went over a cliff you hadn’t even known was there. He leaned forward.

    Ralph, listen to me.

    Ralph was looking straight ahead. His hands were clenched tightly together. You can talk all you want down at the station.

    Hell, let him tell it, Ramage said. Save us all some time.

    Shut up, Troy, Ralph said. Still watching the road unroll. Terry could see two tendons standing out on the back of his neck, making the number 11.

    Ralph, I don’t know what led you to me, or why you’d want to arrest me in front of half the town, but you’re totally off the rails.

    So say they all, Tom Yates remarked from beside him in a just-passing-the-time voice. Keep those hands in your lap, Maitland. Don’t even scratch your nose.

    Terry’s head was clearing now—not a lot, but a little—and he was careful to do as Officer Yates (his name was pinned to his uniform shirt) had instructed. Yates looked as if he’d like an excuse to take a poke at his prisoner, cuffs or no cuffs.

    Someone had been eating enchiladas in this car, Terry was sure of it. Probably from Señor Joe’s. It was a favorite of his daughters, who always laughed a lot during the meal—hell, they all did—and accused each other of farting on their way home. Listen to me, Ralph. Please.

    He sighed. Okay, I’m listening.

    We all are, Ramage said. Open ears, buddy, open ears.

    Frank Peterson was killed on Tuesday. Tuesday afternoon. It was in the papers, it was on the news. I was in Cap City on Tuesday, Tuesday night, and most of Wednesday. Didn’t get back until nine or nine thirty on Wednesday night. Gavin Frick, Barry Houlihan, and Lukesh Patel—Baibir’s father—practiced the boys both days.

    For a moment there was silence in the car, not even interrupted by the radio, which had been turned off. Terry had a golden moment in which he believed—yes, absolutely—that Ralph would now tell the big cop behind the wheel to pull over. Then he would turn to Terry with wide, embarrassed eyes and say, Oh Christ, we really goofed, didn’t we?

    What Ralph said, still without turning around, was, Ah. Comes the famous alibi.

    What? I don’t understand what you m—

    You’re a smart guy, Terry. I knew that from the first time I met you, back when you were coaching Derek in Little League. If you didn’t confess outright—which I was hoping for, but didn’t really expect—I was pretty sure you’d offer some kind of alibi. He turned around at last, and the face Terry looked into was that of an absolute stranger. And I’m equally sure we’ll knock it down. Because we’ve got you for this. We absolutely do.

    What were you doing in Cap City, Coach? Yates asked, and all at once the man who had told Terry to not even scratch his nose sounded friendly, interested. Terry almost told him what he had been doing there, then decided against it. Thinking was beginning to replace reacting, and he realized this car, with its fading aroma of enchiladas, was enemy territory. It was time to shut up until Howie Gold arrived at the station. The two of them could sort this mess out together. It shouldn’t take long.

    He realized something else, as well. He was angry, probably angrier than he’d ever been in his life, and as they turned onto Main Street and headed for the Flint City police station, he made himself a promise: come fall, maybe even sooner, the man in the front seat, the one he’d considered a friend, was going to be looking for a new job. Possibly as a bank guard in Tulsa or Amarillo.

    8

    Statement of Mr. Carlton Scowcroft [July 12th, 9:30 PM, interviewed by Detective Ralph Anderson]

    Scowcroft: Will this take long, Detective? Because I usually go to bed early. I work maintenance on the railroad, and if I don’t clock in by seven, I’ll be in dutch.

    Detective Anderson: I’ll be as quick as I can, Mr. Scowcroft, but this is a serious matter.

    Scowcroft: I know. And I’ll help all I can. There’s just, I don’t have much to tell you, and I want to get home. I don’t know how well I’ll sleep, though. I haven’t been in this station since a drinking party I went to when I was seventeen. Charlie Borton was chief then. Our fathers got us out, but I was grounded for the whole summer.

    Detective Anderson: Well, we appreciate you coming in. Tell me where were you at seven PM on the night of July 10th.

    Scowcroft: Like I told the gal at the desk when I came in, I was at Shorty’s Pub, and I seen that white van, and I seen the guy who coaches baseball and Pop Warner over on West Side. I don’t remember his name, but his picture’s in the paper all the time because he’s got a good City League team this year. Paper said they might go all the way. Moreland, is that his name? He had blood all over him.

    Detective Anderson: How was it you happened to see him?

    Scowcroft: Well, I got a routine for when I clock off work, not having a wife to go home to and not being much of a chef myself, if you know what I mean. Mondays and Wednesdays, it’s the Flint City Diner. Fridays I go to Bonanza Steakhouse. And on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I usually go to Shorty’s for a plate of ribs and a beer. That Tuesday I got to Shorty’s at, oh, I’m gonna say quarter past six. Kid was already long dead by then, wasn’t he?

    Detective Anderson: But at around seven, you were out back, correct? Behind Shorty’s Pub.

    Scowcroft: Yeah, me and Riley Franklin. I ran into him there, and we ate together. Out back, that’s where people go to smoke. Down the hall between the restrooms and out the back door. There’s an ash bucket and everything. So we ate—I had the ribs, he had the mac and cheese—and we ordered dessert, and went out back to have a smoke before it came. While we were standing there, shooting the shit, this dirty white van pulled in. Had a New York plate on it, I remember that. It parked beside a little Subaru wagon—I think it was a Subaru—and that guy got out. Moreland, or whatever his name is.

    Detective Anderson: What was he wearing?

    Scowcroft: Well, I’m not sure about the pants—Riley might remember, they could’ve been chinos—but the shirt was white. I remember that because there was blood down the front of it, quite a bit. Not so much on the pants, just some spatters. There was blood on

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