Billy Summers

Contents

Title Page

Dedication

Epigraph

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Acknowledgments

By Stephen King and published by Hodder & Stoughton

NOVELS:

Carrie

’Salem’s Lot

The Shining

The Stand

The Dead Zone

Firestarter

Cujo

Cycle of the Werewolf

Christine

Pet Sematary

IT

The Eyes of the Dragon

Misery

The Tommyknockers

The Dark Half

Needful Things

Gerald’s Game

Dolores Claiborne

Insomnia

Rose Madder

Desperation

Bag of Bones

The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon

Dreamcatcher

From a Buick 8

Cell

Lisey’s Story

Duma Key

Under the Dome

11.22.63

Doctor Sleep

Mr Mercedes

Revival

Finders Keepers

End of Watch

Sleeping Beauties (with Owen King)

The Outsider

Elevation

The Institute

The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger

The Dark Tower II:

The Drawing of the Three

The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands

The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass

The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla

The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah

The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower

The Wind through the Keyhole:

A Dark Tower Novel

As Richard Bachman

Thinner

The Running Man

The Bachman Books

The Regulators

Blaze

STORY COLLECTIONS:

Night Shift

Different Seasons

Skeleton Crew

Four Past Midnight

Nightmares and Dreamscapes

Hearts in Atlantis

Everything’s Eventual

Just After Sunset

Stephen King Goes to the Movies

Full Dark, No Stars

The Bazaar of Bad Dreams

If It Bleeds

NON-FICTION:

Danse Macabre

On Writing (A Memoir of the Craft)

STEPHEN KING

Billy Summers

A NOVEL

 

 

 

Thinking of Raymond and Sarah Jane Spruce

 

 

 

‘I once was lost, but now am found.’

Amazing Grace

CHAPTER 1

1

Billy Summers sits in the hotel lobby, waiting for his ride. It’s Friday noon. Although he’s reading a digest-sized comic book called Archie’s Pals ’n’ Gals, he’s thinking about Émile Zola, and Zola’s third novel, his breakthrough, Thérèse Raquin. He’s thinking it’s very much a young man’s book. He’s thinking that Zola was just beginning to mine what would turn out to be a deep and fabulous vein of ore. He’s thinking that Zola was – is – the nightmare version of Charles Dickens. He’s thinking that would make a good thesis for an essay. Not that he’s ever written one.

At two minutes past twelve the door opens and two men come into the lobby. One is tall with black hair combed in a 50s pompadour. The other is short and bespectacled. Both are wearing suits. All of Nick’s men wear suits. Billy knows the tall one from out west. He’s been with Nick a long time. His name is Frank Macintosh. Because of the pomp, some of Nick’s men call him Frankie Elvis, or – now that he has a tiny bald spot in back – Solar Elvis. But not to his face. Billy doesn’t know the other one. He must be local.

Macintosh holds out his hand. Billy rises and shakes it.

‘Hey, Billy, been awhile. Good to see you.’

‘Good to see you too, Frank.’

‘This is Paulie Logan.’

‘Hi, Paulie.’ Billy shakes with the short one.

‘Pleased to meet you, Billy.’

Macintosh takes the Archie digest from Billy’s hand. ‘Still reading the comics, I see.’

‘Yeah,’ Billy says. ‘Yeah. I like them quite a bit. The funny ones. Sometimes the superheroes but I don’t like them as much.’

Macintosh breezes through the pages and shows something to Paulie Logan. ‘Look at these chicks. Man, I could jack off to these.’

‘Betty and Veronica,’ Billy says, taking the comic back. ‘Veronica is Archie’s girlfriend and Betty wants to be.’

‘You read books, too?’ Logan asks.

‘Some, if I’m going on a long trip. And magazines. But mostly comic books.’

‘Good, good,’ Logan says, and drops Macintosh a wink. Not very subtle, and Macintosh frowns, but Billy’s okay with it.

‘You ready to take a ride?’ Macintosh asks.