Right Behind You

by Lisa Gardner

  Aly invited me to live with her for a bit. She got me my juvie trial, scheduled in a couple of months. Quincy helped. Wrote up how I saved his life. Then in the zero-or-hero debate, a judge will get to make the final ruling. For now, I’m going to counseling, doing my work, as Aly puts it. ’Cause life is choices and consequences and I gotta get better at my choices, so I can earn myself some better consequences.

  I want to go to culinary school. I wanna bring Sandra’s chicken Parm to the world, ’cause when I’m in the kitchen, I can feel her beside me, and that feels good.

  I want to give a hand up to other struggling kids. If I was my own chef, I could offer jobs as busboys, dishwashers. I could teach, because when I reach out, I feel Frank beside me, and that feels good.

  I want to get to know my sister again. Spend more time with her and her family. Because when she smiles at me, I don’t remember that night anymore. I remember Cheerios and Clifford the Big Red Dog. I feel proud and strong, like a big brother should, and that feels good.

  I want to do better.

  I want to be better.

  I had a family once.

  Now, with a little bit of work and effort, one day . . .

  I’m gonna have a family . . .

  Again.

  Acknowledgments

  The genesis for Right Behind You started close to home. First and foremost, I must thank my readers for suggesting it was time for another Quincy and Rainie book. As a novelist who’s somehow managed to write several series—the FBI Profiler thrillers (aka the Quincy and Rainie books), the Detective D. D. Warren novels, and the Tessa Leoni books—I decided to conduct a Facebook poll in the spring of 2015 to see who should star in my 2017 novel. I’ll be the first to say, I thought it would be a toss-up between D. D. Warren and Tessa Leoni. But no, the hands-down winner: Quincy and Rainie. Which led to spending my fall rereading my own novels, as it had been so long since I’d written about the FBI profilers, I had plenty of catching up to do!

  Once I knew I was writing a profiling book, I needed a crime. Hardest thing about being a suspense novelist—coming up with something I haven’t already written about. In this case, I decided to research spree killers, a new type of killer for me, but certainly one that’s topical. As fate would have it, I sat down on my sofa, picked up my husband’s copy of SWAT magazine, and discovered an article on fugitive tracking, written by Pat Patton. I loved his point that for all the technology now available, there’s still no substitute for good, old-fashioned trail work. Being the optimistic type, I fired off an e-mail to Pat, suggesting he spend some of his valuable time educating a bumbling suspense novelist. And he agreed! So my deepest appreciation to Pat Patton, whose insights and expertise taught my fictional tracker, Cal Noonan, everything he needed to know. Any mistakes and/or fictional license are my fault alone.

  A spree shooter needs to be armed. All these years and multiple firearms classes later, I’m still not comfortable with guns. On the other hand, my husband and daughter are excellent target shooters. So continuing my quest to write a novel without ever leaving my sofa, I picked their brains for Frank Duvall’s gun collection and, of course, shooting lessons. My husband and daughter are very smart and did their best to bring me along. Once again, any mistakes and/or fictional license are my fault alone.

  For Sandra Duvall’s cooking tips, I owe a big thank-you to my own mother, whose roasted chicken is an exercise in perfection. Oh, and Telly grating his thumb—that would be my daughter again. See what happens when you hang out with a thriller author? Anything, everything, becomes fodder for the next novel.

  Next up, developing Telly and Sharlah’s troubled past. My deepest appreciation to Dr. Gregg Moffatt and Jackie Sparks, M.S., OTR, ECMHC, for their insights into childhood trauma and proper evaluation of youthful offenders. I also spent a lot of quality time interviewing probation officers and family social workers. The system is not perfect, but as Telly and Sharlah can attest, there are great families out there, and forever homes waiting to be found.

  On the subject of family, why not include our canine members? I owe a huge thank-you to New Hampshire state trooper Gregg DeLuca and his gifted Belgian Malinois, Tyson, who provided the background for Luka. I could’ve listened to stories of DeLuca and Tyson’s accomplishments all day long. As Trooper DeLuca put it, Tyson is a once-in-a-lifetime dog. I understood what he meant perfectly.

  Which brings us to the incomparable Molly, a shelter dog who found her forever home with Deb Cameron and Dave Klinch. Thanks to their generous donation to the Conway Area Humane Society, Molly received her star-making turn as a tracking dog extraordinaire, with her dog handler, Deb, of course. Molly, aka Mollywogs, is one of the sweetest, bravest, goofiest dogs I’ve ever met. In real life, Molly might be more likely to snore loudly than take down an armed fugitive, but she is still a hero. Discovered abandoned, emaciated, and a day away from delivering puppies, Molly was taken in by a dog rescue group in Tennessee. Despite her own poor health, Molly gave birth to seven fat, healthy puppies and nursed them proudly. Upon arrival in New Hampshire, the pit bull mix’s sweet disposition made her an instant favorite at the shelter. In the end, shelter manager Deb couldn’t part with her, and Molly became a beloved member of her family. For more information, you can check out Molly’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/mollywogwalks/photos. I think you will agree she is one very photogenic dog!

  David Michael Martin also won naming rights in this book thanks to a donation to the shelter. As a man with three names, he thought he’d make an excellent serial killer. I have to agree. His original donation, however, was in memory of his beloved grandmother Norinne Manley, aka Nonie. Nonie was also the mother of Carol Manley, whom readers might recognize as a detective in Find Her. To summarize, David’s fictional family now includes a criminal mastermind, a Boston detective, and a fugitive tracker. I might have to write their family reunion next. Thank you again, Dave, for your generosity to the Conway Area Humane Society, and I hope you enjoy!

  Once again, I invited my readers to get in on the murderous fun. Erin Hill won the annual Kill a Friend, Maim a Buddy Sweepstakes on LisaGardner.com, nominating herself as the lucky stiff. Isabelle Gerard won the international edition, Kill a Friend, Maim a Mate, selecting Bérénice Dudkowiak for a role as a forensic psychologist. Never fear, the contest is already back up and running for 2018. Best wishes for your own shot at literary immortality!

  About the Author

  Lisa Gardner is the number one New York Times bestselling author of eighteen previous novels, including her most recent, Find Her. Her Detective D. D. Warren novels include Find Her, Fear Nothing, Catch Me, Love You More, and The Neighbor, which won the International Thriller of the Year Award. Her FBI Profiler novels include Gone, The Next Accident, and The Third Victim. She lives with her family in New England.

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