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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

The message was from Ivy Woods—that same thumbnail photo of Theresa’s house as the profile picture.

My heart started thudding as I accepted the request.

Oh, dearest Queen Bee. Just 28 days until Halloween! Enjoy the spotlight while you still can—soon you will be nothing. Are you going to tell everyone what you did? Or should I do it for you?

I’m watching you! Don’t screw this up.

Attached to the message was a photo. I blew it up. It was pixelated, but large and looming on my screen, and I could still make out the image.

Alice’s firepit.

And the four of us sitting around it, our faces illuminated by the flames licking the black sky.

HALLOWEEN

Let’s take a break from the party for a moment and go down to the lake. It’s dark down here—shh—and the moon isn’t quite full, but it’s still big and bright. It feels like the kind of place where terrible things can happen. So dark. No one’s around. You can still hear the murmur of the party, still feel the faint bass of the music, but you’re on the edges. You’re invisible.

If you stand right by the water and look up, you can see all the houses. Their wooden decks, their fancy grills. The lights inside are blazing. No one ever thinks to close their blinds. No one ever thinks anyone’s watching back here.

I once read a book about a serial killer who chose his victims based on who he could watch. He spent his time, months and months, just standing outside in the dark, observing. Finding routines—because we’re all creatures of habit, we all fall into patterns, we’re all easy to track down—and then plotting his kill. He knew when they ate dinner, when they left for work, and when they returned.

He knew when they went to sleep.

The point is, we’re all predictable. And that makes us vulnerable.

A place like Ivy Woods makes the mothers feel protected, and with that sense of security, they feel invincible.

They begin to think they can do anything they want.

They believe they deserve this perfect life on this perfect street. Their rosebushes grow no thorns. Their roofs spring no leaks. Their husbands always love them. They are heroes to their children. They’ve been planning this life since they were children themselves, working hard to make sure it all unfolds just the way they want it to.

And nothing—or no one—is going to stand in their way.

ELEVEN

Kendra

The photo was taken the night of our bonfire meeting. I could see the geometric pattern of Pia’s sweater and my UGG boots. Someone had been lurking in the woods, watching us, capturing an image with their camera to prove they’d been there, too.