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Back The Newcomer Save as PDF
Chapters (71)
  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Notice
  3. Dedication
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. 46
  50. 47
  51. 48
  52. 49
  53. 50
  54. 51
  55. 52
  56. 53
  57. 54
  58. 55
  59. 56
  60. 57
  61. 58
  62. 59
  63. 60
  64. 61
  65. 62
  66. 63
  67. Epilogue
  68. Acknowledgments
  69. Also by Mary Kay Andrews
  70. About the Author
  71. Newsletter Sign-up

He read it back to her from his clipboard, and she started for the door, key in hand.

“Wait, ma’am?”

She stopped. He pointed at the kitchen counter. “You forgot your champagne.”

“Leave it,” Letty said.

13

AS SHE DRESSED FOR WORK on Friday morning, Letty reflected that it felt good to have a routine again. Or as close to a routine as a person could get, while on the run from the law and a murderous ex—with a frightened four-year-old in tow.

Maya woke up at seven, so that’s when Letty got up, too. She ate a breakfast of cereal topped with local strawberries and watched Curious George on PBS, while Letty had yogurt with strawberries and checked her email.

Earlier in the week, she’d reluctantly bought herself a new iPhone with a new phone number and acquired a new Gmail account, both of which she’d texted to Zoey.

HOW ARE U? HOW’S M? her friend texted back now.

Letty glanced at Maya, who was seated on the bed, dressed in her favorite outfit du jour—a bathing suit top and pink tulle princess skirt—happily sorting through the contents of her plastic pocketbook while softly humming the Peppa Pig theme song.

I’m adjusting. Working. M is okay. Not as many nightmares. Dry bed last night.

She paused typing, wanting to know, but dreading the answer.

Any more E sightings?

No, but that detective lady came back & asked Art for your job application.

Letty’s mind raced, trying to remember the kinds of questions that had been on that long-ago perfunctory job application. Name, age, phone number, address, previous experience. All routine. And then she remembered. Social Security number. Her Social Security number would have been on that job application.

Just as she was considering all those implications, and starting to panic, Zoey texted back.

Don’t worry. Art laughed, told her it’d been nearly 6 years & he didn’t keep files that old.

“Thank God,” Letty breathed. Ava had given her a job application, which she’d promised to fill out and return. She hadn’t yet, and wouldn’t, she decided, unless her new employer made an issue of it.

So far, her arrangement with Ava was extremely casual. She suspected that was because her boss had a casual attitude toward things like unemployment insurance and Social Security deductions. For Letty, this was the ideal situation.

Not having to make decisions about what to wear was a relief, too. She had three pink Murmuring Surf polo shirts in her wardrobe rotation, a pair of jeans, and two pairs of shorts she’d picked up at the big-box store in the nearest shopping center, along with a new pair of white Keds. Today was a shorts day.