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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 been wrong.

Dearest Queen Bee... Those words. Jackie’s words. I knew it. It had to be her.

When had she first started calling me that as a joke? Our Queen, she’d said. What would we do without you? She’d meant it in an affectionate way—I’d been the one to organize the book club, the holiday party, and later, the playdates. One year for my birthday, she’d even bought me a gilt crown that I still had somewhere in the back on my closet, half its plastic “jewels” fallen off.

That nickname didn’t seem affectionate now, though. Jackie was trying to open a crack in what we’d sealed. I wasn’t sure why, or what she hoped to gain. But I did know I wasn’t going to let it happen.

I hoped Jimmy-O would be able to track her down and give us more information. Because Bettina had been right—Jackie was hard to find online. Oh there were headshots of her, cast photos from some of the plays she’d been in years ago. An outdated actor résumé on a theater association website. But unless she was using a different name, she had no accounts on any of the major social media apps, no email address or phone number.

I didn’t know how long it would take Jimmy-O to get back to us, but until then, I’d stay calm. Be vigilant. Continue planning and decorating and moving forward. If Jackie was nearby, I wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of showing her threats unsettled me.

I could handle myself. And I knew Bettina could hold her own. Even Pia was pretty steady. It was Alice I worried about, Alice who wore her emotions on her sleeve. The woman sobbed at dog food commercials and couldn’t lie to save her kids’ lives. She’d always been the weakest link, and I couldn’t let her collapse now. Not after all this time.

Pia had gifted me expensive lavender sea salts last year for my birthday, and I relished the feeling of the slick oil coating my skin and soaking into my pores. I was a deep sea creature, powerful and steady, suspended in a safe pool. But ready to attack, to strike, to sting, whenever necessary.

We had twenty-five days left until Halloween. Twenty-five days to find out what Jackie was up to. She’d better be ready for a fight.

HALLOWEEN

It’s been a very strange month for the Ivy Five. So many things to be stressed about. So many worries and suspicions. Even now, when the party seems to have gone off without a hitch, they wonder. They worry.

Can they trust one of their own?