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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

‘Curtis Ritchie had a photograph of Justin outside Dr Smeltz’s office,’ Peach said. ‘He’d stolen someone’s file. Is it a duplicate of what I found? Is it Ms Fairmont’s file?’

She shook her head. ‘No, it’s not hers.’

‘Then whose is it?’

Lala looked at Peach. ‘Yours,’ she said.

48

Tarla tipped her champagne glass into the circle with Caprice and Diane. Their crystal glasses clinked together.

‘To Governor Diane,’ Tarla said with a smile.

Caprice repeated the toast, but Diane said nothing. Her smile was forced. They drank, and then Diane turned away toward the windows looking out on the garden. Candles lit the room, flickering and throwing shadows on the walls. The power was out.

Caprice leaned close to Tarla’s ear. ‘Do you know where Cab is?’

‘No, I haven’t talked to him.’

‘You know how much I like him, Tarla, but he’s going to ruin Diane’s campaign if he’s not more careful. He doesn’t seem to appreciate the collateral damage we could face if certain things are exposed.’

‘My son never met a sleeping dog he didn’t want to wake up,’ Tarla commented.

‘Well, I’d still feel better with him in the house today.’

‘Does Cab believe there’s a serious threat?’ Tarla asked.

‘He can’t be sure, but some bad things happened overnight. I’m worried.’

Tarla nodded and sipped champagne. Caprice wandered away to an armchair in the corner of the sunroom, where she tried to get storm updates on her cell phone. Signal came and went.

The threat of violence didn’t feel real to Tarla. Something so foreign never felt real until it happened. It made her think about the warm Labor Day night ten years ago. A holiday then, a holiday now. Her only concerns then had been Diane’s health, and her annoyance with Birch, and her frustration with Cab shutting her out of his life. Then, in the blink of an eye, blood had been spilled. People had died. A man who smelled of sweat and fear shoved the barrel of a gun in her face.

She didn’t believe something like that could happen again. Could it?

She studied Diane, who was unusually quiet. They hadn’t had any real chance to talk, and the unspoken things hung between them. Tarla felt guilty about what she’d told Cab. The money changing hands between Diane and Frank Macy. She felt angry, too, that Diane had never told her that the baby she’d lost had been fathered by Cab. Even between good friends, there were secrets that could cost everything.