A Long Way Down
Page 37
Would any of that information do anybody any good, least of all himself?
“If all he’s got are the clothes on his back,” DeMarco told them, “he’s not going to last long out there. He’s probably cold and wet and hungry by now. So let’s just get in there and do our job, all right?”
A red-winged blackbird flitted past DeMarco, so close that, had he been quick enough, he could have reached out and grabbed it, could have caught it in his hand. The bird stiffened its wings and glided low over the water. It rested on the tip of a reed at the water’s edge. The reed swayed back and forth under the bird’s weight—so gracefully, DeMarco thought, like water.
He became aware then, as if it had materialized out of nowhere, of the roar of a panel truck as it crossed the bridge. The rumble sent a chill through him, a frisson of fear. Strangely, his wife came to mind, and he hoped she was all right, hoped that whatever stranger she had taken to her bed the night before had been kind to her, tender, and had not given her what she craved. He turned his back to the vehicle, but its wake of cold air blasted over him. He wiped the dampness from the corner of his eye.
The troopers were watching him, waiting. Their stillness angered him. But he bit down hard on his anger. It was an old anger, he knew, and misdirected. “All right, let’s get to it!” he shouted. “I want Thomas Huston sitting in the back of my vehicle, alive and well and cuffed, by the time the sun goes down on this fine October day.”
Two Days Gone
On sale now!
Reading Group Guide
1. DeMarco returns home when his estranged wife commits suicide. What kind of responsibility do you think he feels toward her? What might you do in a similar situation?
2. DeMarco’s reaction to Jayme wanting to have a baby isn’t entirely positive. How do you think the death of his son, Ryan Jr., has affected his view on having children? Do you find Jayme to be understanding of the reasons behind DeMarco’s hesitation? What are your beliefs about how a couple should make decisions about having children?
3. Several people at the Mahoning County Sheriff’s Department seem to take it for granted that Freddy Costa is behind the series of murders, although they have never been able to pin anything on him. What ethical issues do you think this kind of assumption might raise within law enforcement communities? Are you aware of any criminal cases nationally or in your area where this kind of assumption may have affected the outcome of an investigation or criminal trial?
4. When DeMarco and Jayme arrive at Dr. Gillespie’s house and find Kaitlin there, it seems obvious that the professor has made a habit of sleeping with his students. What kind of moral issues might arise from that situation, even when sex is between two consenting adults?
5. DeMarco’s wife, Laraine, visits a psychic who gives her a message that supposedly comes from her and DeMarco’s late son. Why do you think Laraine finds the message so comforting? Do you believe it’s possible to communicate with people who have passed away?
6. A Long Way Down deals with the darker side of life at a university. While the events in the book are an extreme example of how things can go wrong in an insular community, there are certainly plenty of examples of how groups on a college campus can get out of control. Do you know anyone who has experienced hazing, sexual harassment, or drug use in college? How responsible do you think universities are for these kinds of activities, and how might they strive to prevent them from occurring?
7. Do you think DeMarco and Jayme’s relationship will survive what they have been through? How can you imagine them moving on from this point?
8. A Long Way Down is the third book in the Ryan DeMarco Mystery series. If you have read the first two books, Two Days Gone and Walking the Bones, how would you say DeMarco’s character has changed during the course of the series? In what ways has he grown? What issues is he still struggling to overcome?
About the Author
Randall Silvis’s fiction and nonfiction books have appeared on Best of the Year lists from the New York Times, the Toronto Globe & Mail, SfSite.com, and the International Association of Crime Writers, as well as on several editors’ and booksellers’ pick lists. Also a prizewinning playwright, a produced screenwriter, and a prolific essayist, his literary awards include the Drue Heinz Literature Prize, two literature fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, a Fulbright Senior Scholar Research Fellowship, and a Doctor of Letters degree from Indiana University of Pennsylvania for distinguished literary achievement.
Cohost of the popular podcast series The Writer’s Hangout, Silvis lives in western Pennsylvania.
Thank you for reading this Sourcebooks eBook!
Join our mailing list to stay in the know and receive special offers and bonus content on your favorite books and authors!
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP
Books. Change. Lives.