BooksBarbecue
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

Cab slid a penlight from his pocket and cast a beam around the garage. He spotted the cork bulletin board on the east wall and recognized it from the photographs Justin had taken. When he examined the bulletin board, he saw that only one article remained, thumb-tacked in the very center. He recognized a gauzy picture of Diane, and he saw the message written across the paper in red marker.

Revenge.

Gray ash lay at his feet. With the garage door open, the wind scattered the ash into a cloud. He bent down and could still see burnt fragments of paper that had survived the char. When he caught one, it was fresh and warm.

‘Cab,’ Lala said.

She crouched near the trunk of the car. He came closer, and he said, ‘Yeah, I smell it, too.’

Cab opened the driver’s door of the sedan and pulled the trunk release lever. The trunk popped open with a soft click. He heard Lala suck in her breath, and he knew what she’d found.

‘Is it Deacon?’ he asked.

Lala shook her head. Her face was screwed up in puzzlement.

He came around the back of the car. The first thing he saw was an aluminum pistol case, which was open and empty, with a slot in the foam where the gun had been. The next thing he saw were bugs crawling across a large sheet of plastic wrap, feeding on the belly of the body that stared up at him. He recognized the face.

It was Frank Macy.

50

Peach felt abandoned.

She’d wanted to go with Cab and Lala, but they had refused to let her join them in Tampa. They told her to go home, but she couldn’t bear to set foot inside her own house. She couldn’t stay here either, not when everything in this place reminded her of Justin. Cab had given her a key to his mother’s condominium in Clearwater, but she didn’t want to head west into the teeth of the storm. So she perched on Justin’s sofa as stiffly as one of her mannequins, listening to Chayla beat on the house like a hip-hop singer.

Justin on hip-hip. If Beethoven were alive today, he’d probably be a rapper. I think I’m glad he’s dead.

Justin.

Her medical file sat on the table in front of her, unopened. Her records. Her history. Everything about her was in there. Dr Smeltz had been her doctor from the day she was born, and he had been her doctor until she and Deacon moved to the Gulf. Really, he was still her doctor. She had never chosen a new physician; she hadn’t seen a doctor in years. Other girls went to the doctor to deal with birth control, but that wasn’t an issue for her.

Everything.