The Innocence Game (26 page)

“And what if he walks?”

“Come what may, I’ll face my demons and be free of them. Just like you did today.”

“Didn’t you once tell me you can’t escape your past?”

“Exactly. So learn to embrace it.”

I shook my head. The woman always had an answer. “I’m gonna miss you, Sarah.”

“Quit saying that. You’ll visit. Jake, too. Where is he, by the way?”

“He told me you guys did your good-byes last night.”

“We had dinner. Let me guess. He’s working?”

“Twenty-four/seven.”

Skylar Wingate had driven Jake Havens back to a place he probably never should have left—the law. He’d taken a job with the Cook County Public Guardian’s office and would spend his life fighting for kids no one else cared about. I couldn’t think of anyone better.

“Are you two going out this week?” Sarah said.

“We’re supposed to get a drink tonight.”

“Good.”

I grabbed at a couple of fries in the basket and checked my watch again. “You about ready?”

A sigh. “I guess.”

Neither of us moved. A car zipped past on Central. Then another.

“I’m not gonna tell you I miss you again.”

She leaned in and kissed me. “I’ve got something for you.” She pulled up her bag and took out a small white envelope. “You remember that night on the beach?”

“Sure.”

A Sarah smile. “Not that part…although that was great. You remember when you told me a person’s reach should never exceed his grasp?”

“You mean when I misquoted Browning and you corrected me? I remember.”

“This one’s from Washington Irving. I read it the other day and thought of you.”

She handed me the envelope. I looked at the loops and curves in my name and thought about the hand that had formed them. One that cared for me without fear or condition. Then I opened the envelope and took out the single page inside. I read it under the dying light.

“Don’t be afraid of your tears, Ian. And I promise I won’t be afraid of mine. Deal?”

“For life.”

I kissed her again. She teared up. And we laughed at the stupid irony. Then it was late, and we thought for sure she’d miss her flight. So we bundled our feelings in with her bags and packed it all away in my car. And then we were off to O’Hare. It was the end of things as they were. And the beginning of whatever was to come.

Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism is the setting and inspiration for a lot of this book. I’d like to thank everyone in the Medill community, especially my students, whose unique voices inspired me to write
The Innocence Game
. I’d be remiss if I did not also take note of Medill’s Innocence Project. In 1999, it was one of the first to shine a light on the problem of wrongful convictions and was instrumental in the suspension and eventual abolition of the death penalty in Illinois. The Innocence Seminar described in this book is entirely fictional and in no way resembles the real-life Innocence Project at Medill. Ian, Sarah, and Jake, however, do represent what we see in Medill classrooms every day: the intellectual curiosity and desire to uncover the truth at any price.

I’d also like to thank my agent, David Gernert; my editor, Jordan Pavlin; and all the folks at Knopf and Vintage/Black Lizard who have provided such amazing support for my novels. Thanks to Garnett Kilberg Cohen, Chicago writer and professor at Columbia College, for her support and impeccable advice.

Thanks to my friends and family for all their love and support. Finally, thank you, Mary Frances. I can’t imagine doing any of it without you.

Michael Harvey is the author of
The Chicago Way, The Fifth Floor, The Third Rail
, and
We All Fall Down
, and is also a journalist and documentary producer. His work has received numerous national and international awards, including multiple news Emmys, two Primetime Emmy nominations, and an Academy Award nomination. He holds a law degree with honors from Duke University, a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University, and a bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude, in classical languages from Holy Cross College. He lives, of course, in Chicago.

Other titles by Michael Harvey available in eBook format

The Chicago Way
· 978-0-307-26775-7

The Fifth Floor
· 978-0-307-27038-2

The Third Rail
· 978-0-307-59310-8

We All Fall Down
· 978-0-307-70043-8

Visit:
www.michaelharveybooks.com

Follow:
@TheChicagoWay

For more information, please visit
www.aaknopf.com