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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

I’d never meant to kill Daphne. I’d never intended to even hurt her. I’d just wanted to get her alone, away from our children, and scare her. Warn her that she wasn’t going to destroy our families. Not in Ivy Woods.

We’d all assumed it was Daphne. I wanted it to be her. Daphne had swooped into our lives, and I began to hate her for how perfect she was, how all the dads adored her. She’d been so good with the kids, so goddamn good. But they were our babies, not hers. She was not a better mother than me, no matter how much she acted like it.

And I’d been upset that night. Drunk. I’d heard my kids call Daphne their mother. And she had let it go. Reveled in it. Who did she think she was?

But it wasn’t her. If Jackie had only confronted Greg about his cheating before she accused Daphne, none of this would’ve happened. But no. She’d been so certain—the babysitter, she’d said. I should’ve known better than to trust that stupid twit. And then, after Jackie finally did accuse Greg of the affair, after Daphne’s death, and discovered she was wrong—that it was someone else—she couldn’t be consoled.

She’d wanted to confess everything, tell the police what we did—what I did. After I tried to help her, she was going to rat me out? I’d had to calm her down. Tell her to go away. Tell her if she didn’t go away, we’d convince the authorities she did it. They’d believe us over her. They’d put her away.

I didn’t think she’d cut off all ties with her child. She could’ve chosen to have a relationship with Ellen. But she didn’t. She abandoned her.

I needed to make Theresa understand.

A scream. Shouts. Coming from the direction of the bridge.

Of course. That’s where Theresa had been heading, the same way I’d gone thirteen years ago. It could be the same night, almost. Like fate.

I hit the railroad tracks and turned left toward the bridge. It was even darker down here, dark shapes surrounded by darker shapes, but I knew the way. All my senses were heightened. A fox on the hunt.

A flash of white caught my attention. And then I saw her. Down below on the tracks. Running. The ghost girl. In her wedding dress.

Daphne.

Was she running? Or gliding? Her hair billowed out behind her, just like it had that night.