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Back The Mother Next Door Save as PDF
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

She turned on the television so they could watch It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. They love this story, no matter how many times they see it, and Daphne loves it, too. She is sitting on the floor with them, holding Nora Hendricks’s hand. They are just at the part where the gang goes trick-or-treating in their sad ghost costumes when the voice calls her.

A mom is coming up the stairs. Daphne checks the time. It’s early. She thought they’d be at the party for longer. She’s disappointed because this is the easiest time to babysit, this here, when they are quiet and settled. When they are all on the verge of sleep.

But here is the mom, still dressed as a witch. Which witch is she? Daphne can’t tell at first. It’s hard to distinguish them with those pointed hats and big brims that shadow their faces.

“Daphne,” the witch says. “Mrs. Hendricks needs you to take Nora home now. She asked if you could walk her back to her house.”

“Now?”

The witch nods. She comes closer, tipping up her hat, and Daphne sees her. It’s Alice, the younger woman, the pregnant one. The one who keeps asking her about helping out once her child comes into the world.

“I—I can’t leave them,” Daphne says, gesturing to the kids sprawled out on their sleeping bags and blankets, watching as Snoopy appears in the pumpkin patch and makes poor Linus faint.

“It’s okay. I’ll stay with them. Go now. Quick. I’ll watch them.”

Something’s not right, but she doesn’t know what. She doesn’t want to upset the moms, so she gathers her long bridal skirt.

“Come on, Care Bear,” she says to Nora. “Time to go home.”

“No!” cries Cole. He and Nora are inseparable lately. He grabs her hand. He doesn’t want to let go.

Daphne walks over to the crib and kisses her own sleeping baby girl on the head. “I’ll be right back,” she whispers.

She gently tugs Cole from Nora and helps her down the stairs. She doesn’t turn back. She doesn’t see the witch fall into her chair, remove her pointy shoes with a sigh.

She doesn’t sense Cole slip away, follow her quietly down and out of the house.

She doesn’t hear her baby cry.

THIRTY-EIGHT

Theresa

I raced upstairs after Maggie left. Found my phone. Texted Greg.

I need to talk to you. Can we meet in our spot by the lake?

I deleted the text as soon as I sent it so no one would see it. I felt terrible. If Adam found out... But also, I needed to know. And I couldn’t very well talk to him at the party, in front of everyone.

Not about this.