BooksBarbecue
Back Season of Fear
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

‘They argued. There was a lot of shouting. Then he got physical. He started punching her. Kicking her. It was vicious. There was blood everywhere.’

Peach stopped and felt a sudden wave of nausea that was so strong it almost dropped her to her knees. She backed up to the wall and covered her mouth with her hand. Her eyes squeezed shut. She could smell her own panic and fear.

‘Are you all right?’ Cab asked, concerned.

‘Yeah. It’s just – so horrible that he could do that. She never said a word.’

‘Even strong women sometimes stay silent,’ Cab said.

‘Drew found out,’ Peach went on. ‘He went crazy. He wanted to kill Birch. He was completely out of control. Dr Smeltz put him in rehab.’

‘He got out right before Labor Day,’ Cab said.

‘Yes.’

‘Still burning for revenge.’

‘Yes.’ Peach stared at Cab and whispered: ‘Do you think Drew killed Birch? And my brother?’

‘I don’t know, Peach, but it’s possible.’

She tried to imagine the horror Drew must have felt. The fury. He would have been about the same age then that Peach was now. An adult, but still tethered to his childhood.

‘It was terrible, but I’m not sure I can bring myself to blame him,’ she said. ‘Birch nearly killed his mother. He murdered her unborn child. It must have driven Drew insane. How do you live with something like that?’

The room fell silent, except for the roaring of the rain, which was like a furious heartbeat. Peach stared at the floor, thinking of loss. Her loss. Ms Fairmont’s loss. Things that couldn’t be undone. She kept thinking about Ms Fairmont and felt a kinship with her that she’d never felt before. Knowing what she’d endured, she felt they were joined somehow.

Peach felt a chill from somewhere and realized it was Cab. When she looked at him, he was suddenly a stranger. He’d stood up from the chair, ghostly white, his handsome face stripped of life. She could see him trembling with an emotion that had opened up like a fissure in the earth. Anger. Or grief. Something inconsolable. He was not the same man he’d been moments earlier.

‘What did you say?’ he asked. ‘Birch murdered her child?’

Peach realized she hadn’t told him the worst part of the story. It was as if she could barely say it out loud. ‘Yes, Ms Fairmont was pregnant,’ she explained. ‘It was in her medical file. That was what started everything. Birch knew the baby wasn’t his. That’s when he started kicking her and when she started screaming. He was punishing her for what she’d done. By the time he stopped, she’d miscarried. She lost the baby.’

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