Chapters (97)
- Cover
- Back Cover Text
- Praise
- Booklist
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Forty-Eight
- Forty-Nine
- Fifty
- Fifty-One
- Fifty-Two
- Fifty-Three
- Fifty-Four
- Fifty-Five
- Fifty-Six
- Fifty-Seven
- Fifty-Eight
- Fifty-Nine
- Sixty
- Sixty-One
- Sixty-Two
- Sixty-Three
- Sixty-Four
- Sixty-Five
- Sixty-Six
- Sixty-Seven
- Sixty-Eight
- Sixty-Nine
- Seventy
- Seventy-One
- Seventy-Two
- Seventy-Three
- Seventy-Four
- Seventy-Five
- Seventy-Six
- Seventy-Seven
- Seventy-Eight
- Seventy-Nine
- Eighty
- Eighty-One
- Eighty-Two
- Eighty-Three
- Eighty-Four
- Eighty-Five
- Eighty-Six
- Eighty-Seven
- Eighty-Eight
- Eighty-Nine
- Acknowledgments & A Personal Note
- Excerpt
Marie shook her head and placed the jar into the cart, then turned when her mother’s name was called.
“Flo!”
The slender woman wearing oversize black framed glasses approaching them with her cart was Eva Bellday, former librarian, local historian and gossip. She knew everyone in Eternity and their business.
“Oh goodness, Flo, have you heard the terrible news?”
“Hi, Eva. What terrible news?”
Exercising a measure of caution, Eva glanced at Marie, then said: “I suppose with all the violence on TV, the web and those music videos these days, Marie’s old enough to hear.”
“Hear what, Eva?” Flo asked. “What’s happened?”
“It’s the Tullock family.”
“What about them?”
“Roy, Connie, the kids,” Eva reached out and put her hand on Flo’s arm. “They were murdered in their home on Old Pioneer! Connie died in the hospital. My niece Rhonda told me. Her friend’s cousin was one of the first officers who got there. They don’t know who did it.”
“Oh no, oh my God!” Flo cupped her face with her hands. “Murdered?”
Eva nodded big nods.
Marie’s attention bounced with intensity between her mother and Eva Bellday.
“And the children, too?” Flo asked.
Marie tightened her hold on the shopping cart handle.
“Yes, Neal and Linda,” Eva said. “I’m not sure of their ages but they were young.”
Marie’s mother turned to her. “Your friend Janie would know. She’s their babysitter.”
Tears were flowing down Marie’s face as she nodded.
“I know, honey. It’s so sad,” her mother said.
Marie lowered her head as she cried. “They were five and six,” Marie said.
“Five and six?” Eva repeated. “So young—” Eva caught herself suddenly, realizing that Marie and her mother had been struck by their own tragedy.
“Neal was…he was…” Marie began sobbing harder, her body shaking as she hugged herself and bent her knees, until she was on the floor, rocking on her heels and sobbing uncontrollably. “Neal was the same age as Pike when he died.”
Marie’s mother knelt down and wrapped her arms around her daughter. Flo’s eyes burned with tears as she stared up helplessly at Eva Bellday, whose mouth was agape.
“Dear Lord.” Eva put her hands on Flo’s shoulders. “Tragedy after tragedy. What’s our world coming to?”
“You’re flying with the Sparrow on 101 Radio News in Alden…”
Tapping on his calculator, Telforde Rahynes made notes at the kitchen table for his next painting job. His girlfriend, Nancy Gorman, had gotten up early to make his breakfast, along with lunch and a thermos of coffee for his drive to Virden and Brandon to provide estimates. But Nancy liked listening to the radio on the counter as she went about her tasks and it made it hard for Telforde to concentrate.
“You need to have that thing on now? Can’t you see I’m working?”