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Back The Mother Next Door
Chapters (84)
  1. Cover
  2. Praise
  3. Dedication
  4. About the Author
  5. HALLOWEEN
  6. Seven Weeks Before Halloween
  7. ONE
  8. TWO
  9. THREE
  10. HALLOWEEN
  11. Six Weeks Before Halloween
  12. FOUR
  13. FIVE
  14. SIX
  15. HALLOWEEN
  16. Five Weeks Before Halloween
  17. SEVEN
  18. EIGHT
  19. HALLOWEEN
  20. NINE
  21. TEN
  22. HALLOWEEN
  23. ELEVEN
  24. TWELVE
  25. Twenty-Five Days Until Halloween
  26. THIRTEEN
  27. FOURTEEN
  28. HALLOWEEN
  29. FIFTEEN
  30. SIXTEEN
  31. SEVENTEEN
  32. EIGHTEEN
  33. NINETEEN
  34. TWENTY
  35. HALLOWEEN
  36. Eighteen Days Until Halloween
  37. TWENTY-ONE
  38. TWENTY-TWO
  39. HALLOWEEN
  40. TWENTY-THREE
  41. TWENTY-FOUR
  42. Eleven Days Until Halloween
  43. TWENTY-FIVE
  44. TWENTY-SIX
  45. Eight Days Until Halloween
  46. TWENTY-SEVEN
  47. TWENTY-EIGHT
  48. TWENTY-NINE
  49. HALLOWEEN
  50. THIRTY
  51. Four Days Until Halloween
  52. THIRTY-ONE
  53. HALLOWEEN
  54. THIRTY-TWO
  55. Two Days Until Halloween
  56. THIRTY-THREE
  57. The Night Before Halloween
  58. THIRTY-FOUR
  59. HALLOWEEN
  60. THIRTY-FIVE
  61. Halloween, Present Day
  62. THIRTY-SIX
  63. THIRTY-SEVEN
  64. HALLOWEEN
  65. THIRTY-EIGHT
  66. HALLOWEEN
  67. THIRTY-NINE
  68. HALLOWEEN
  69. FORTY
  70. HALLOWEEN
  71. FORTY-ONE
  72. FORTY-TWO
  73. FORTY-THREE
  74. FORTY-FOUR
  75. HALLOWEEN... NOW
  76. FORTY-FIVE
  77. Seven Months Later
  78. FORTY-SIX
  79. FORTY-SEVEN
  80. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  81. ALICE SWANSON’S
  82. Reader's Guide
  83. Questions for Discussion
  84. Booklist

“So what?” Pia asked. “It’s a nice place to live. And we’re gorgeous people. Who wouldn’t want to be here?” She fluttered her eyelashes.

Bettina ignored her. “Sharita sent me her résumé after they turned her down for the job.” Bettina had made sure of that. “She was in school right here, just two miles from us, the same year Daphne died, yet she claims to never have heard about it. I say bullshit. I say she and Jackie are somehow in this together.”

“I can’t stand it,” Alice moaned. “Maybe Bettina was right and we should cancel the party.”

“Oh yeah. Okay,” I said. “I’ll just go rip down the tent. Call the band and say thanks, but no thanks. Easy peasy.”

“Alright, everybody calm down,” Pia said. “I just don’t get why Theresa would—”

“Shh,” I said, gesturing toward the darkness.

The gate creaked. We all turned in sync. Alice’s motion sensor light went on, and there was Theresa, spotlighted, trying to lift the lever.

“Okay,” I said, low enough so Theresa couldn’t hear. “Remember the plan.”

“Hi, guys.” Theresa moved into the light of the fire. Her hair was down tonight, curling over her shoulders. Coat open, scarf hanging down to her knees, like she’d rushed off without thinking.

Just how we wanted her.

“We haven’t seen you in a while,” I said. “Thought maybe you skipped town on us.”

Theresa smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“Well, hey, it’s cold out here and we all have stuff to do for tomorrow, so I’ll just get right to it,” I said. “I think we should talk about Jackie.”

Theresa’s eyes flashed in panic, like I’d swift-kicked her in the teeth. “Jackie? Why?”

“Come.” I scooted a lawn chair over for her. She sat next to me near the fire so that together we all formed a tight circle in front of it. She leaned as far back as she could without tipping over, as if we were going to bite. I kept a close watch on her face. “She’s not in Europe,” I said.

“She came back?” Theresa asked. Was she just trying to feel out what we already knew so she could formulate new lies?

“She was never there,” Alice erupted. “Why did you lie?”

Theresa looked at all of us, wounded. “I didn’t.” She clearly wasn’t used to being on the defensive. I almost—almost—felt bad for her. “Greg must’ve been mistaken. Or maybe I misheard. If I misunderstood, I’m so sorry.”