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Back Season of Fear Save as PDF
Chapters (67)
  1. Contents
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright Page
  4. PROLOGUE
  5. PART ONETHE EXTREMES
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. PART TWOSOMETHING BAD
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. PART THREECHAYLA
  38. 31
  39. 32
  40. 33
  41. 34
  42. 35
  43. 36
  44. 37
  45. 38
  46. 39
  47. 40
  48. 41
  49. 42
  50. 43
  51. PART FOURHIT AND RUN
  52. 44
  53. 45
  54. 46
  55. 47
  56. 48
  57. 49
  58. 50
  59. 51
  60. 52
  61. 53
  62. 54
  63. 55
  64. 56
  65. 57
  66. EPILOGUE
  67. AUTHOR’S NOTE

‘I can’t do that. I’m sorry. I don’t care what this does to the campaign.’

‘Well, I do care. So does Diane.’

‘What really happened that Saturday night, Caprice? What are you people hiding?’

She stood up languidly from her chair. Every movement she made had grace; her body was a seamless extension of her sexuality. She leaned toward him, close enough to engulf him in a sweet breath of perfume. With a little smirk, she took his earlobe in her mouth and bit him.

‘Go to hell, Cab,’ she whispered.

28

The rain lashed the windshield of her Thunderbird. An ash tree bowing over the roof of the Lake Wales Library twisted in the wind like a drunken dancer. Peach opened the car door, which wrenched out of her hand. She ran for the library entrance, and in the doorway, safe from the downpour, she smoothed her hair, adjusted her fake black glasses, and made sure that her tan blouse was properly tucked into her brown skirt.

She looked like a librarian. Everyone was more comfortable talking to people who looked like they did.

Peach knew that Justin would have come here first. He always said that libraries held the answers to every question that could be asked in the world. If he was digging into the events in Lake Wales, he would have started at the Lake Wales Library. Someone was bound to remember him.

Inside, the thump of rain on the roof was as loud as thunder. The building was mostly empty. She saw a lone librarian at the registration desk eyeing the oversized front windows as they shook in the wind. The woman was in her fifties, plump, with strawberry hair and a round face.

Peach gave her a shy smile. ‘Hello.’

‘Can I help you?’ The woman’s voice had a trace of a German accent.

‘Oh, well, I don’t know. It’s personal.’

‘Yes?’

‘My boyfriend was here a few weeks ago,’ Peach said. ‘I was hoping someone here talked to him.’

The librarian came up to the counter. ‘And what is this about?’

Peach displayed a photograph on her phone of her and Justin near the lake just blocks from the library. Arms around one another; big smiles. ‘See, that’s us,’ she said.

The woman squinted. The picture softened her, because it was two young people who were obviously in love. Peach could also tell from her expression that she remembered Justin, with his weird mustache and hat.

‘You saw him, didn’t you?’ Peach asked.

‘Well, yes, I do remember him,’ the librarian admitted. ‘A young person with an old-fashioned mustache like that, so unusual. He was funny, too. He had a lot to say about life. I liked him.’

Peach nodded. Her eyes stung with tears, which she didn’t need to fake at all. ‘He was a philosopher.’

‘Oh, dear,’ the librarian replied immediately. ‘Did something happen?’

‘He died.’