BooksBarbecue
Back The Copycat
Chapters (68)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. Epigraph
  4. One
  5. Two
  6. Chapter One
  7. Three
  8. Four
  9. Five
  10. Six
  11. Chapter Two
  12. Seven
  13. Eight
  14. Nine
  15. Chapter Three
  16. Ten
  17. Eleven
  18. Chapter Four
  19. Twelve
  20. Thirteen
  21. Fourteen
  22. Chapter Five
  23. Fifteen
  24. Sixteen
  25. Chapter Six
  26. Seventeen
  27. Eighteen
  28. Nineteen
  29. Chapter Seven
  30. Twenty
  31. Twenty-One
  32. Twenty-Two
  33. Chapter Eight
  34. Twenty-Three
  35. Twenty-Four
  36. Twenty-Five
  37. Chapter Nine
  38. Twenty-Six
  39. Twenty-Seven
  40. Chapter Ten
  41. Twenty-Eight
  42. Twenty-Nine
  43. Thirty
  44. Thirty-One
  45. Chapter Eleven
  46. Thirty-Two
  47. Thirty-Three
  48. Thirty-Four
  49. Thirty-Five
  50. Chapter Twelve
  51. Thirty-Six
  52. Thirty-Seven
  53. Thirty-Eight
  54. Chapter Thirteen
  55. Thirty-Nine
  56. Forty
  57. Forty-One
  58. Forty-Two
  59. Chapter Fourteen
  60. Forty-Three
  61. Forty-Four
  62. Forty-Five
  63. Forty-Six
  64. Forty-Seven
  65. Chapter Fifteen
  66. The Following Summer
  67. About the Author
  68. About the Publisher

“Uh-huh. Yesterday I went to see him, because I’m throwing our great-grandmother a one hundredth birthday party this coming Saturday, and I want to reunite the family.”

“Let me guess—he turned you down.”

Alfie picked up the story. “He turned her down, and he’s furious at me for hanging out with her. Said I should have told him. He thinks I’m being disloyal to my dad’s memory by even talking to you,” he said, turning toward Ali. “We had a big argument. Then he and my mom had an argument, and now he’s not talking to either of us.”

Making things worse was not part of the plan. Ali slumped back in her chair.

“What does your dad have to do with the feud?” Murray asked.

“He’s the reason they’re fighting. My grandfather thinks Ali’s dad and our great-grandmother caused his death.”

“Seriously? Wow, this is like a movie or something. Did they?”

“I don’t know,” Ali said. “I don’t actually know how Alfie’s dad died.”

Alfie stared down at his food. “My mom told me everything last night.” His voice was low, but to Ali, it sounded like he was shouting. “Our dads always wanted to take a boat through the Reversing Falls at high tide; you know, run the rapids. I guess it was on their bucket list or something. Anyway, on my dad’s thirtieth birthday, they did it. Then the boat flipped over and my dad drowned.”

ALI’S RULES WHEN YOU FIND OUT DEEP DARK FAMILY SECRETS

  1. Wish you didn’t know the truth.

Ali gasped. How could Digger have been so stupid? “But why is he mad at Gigi?”

“She bought my dad the boat as a gift. Granddad says she was always encouraging your dad and mine to be adventurous, even if what they wanted to do was reckless.”

Murray nodded. “I get why your grandfather is mad, but it sounds like an accident.”

Alfie nodded. “Plus, no one made my dad run the rapids. He wanted to go.”

Murray popped another chip into his mouth. “How long ago did this happen?”

“A few months before I was born.”

“How did Ali’s dad survive?”

Ali had a pretty good idea of how Digger had survived. She pictured him turning into a fish and swimming away. Why hadn’t he saved Teddy?

“I dunno,” said Alfie. “Luck? I just wish our family would let it go. Fighting about it won’t bring my dad back.”

“Were you living in Saint John then?” Murray asked Ali.

“Nope, I wasn’t born yet. I’d never set foot in Saint John until a couple of weeks ago. After Alfie’s dad died, my parents left town. My dad refused to even visit Saint John, which makes sense, now that I know the whole story. He must have felt so guilty. They were best friends.”