BooksBarbecue
Back When the Stars Go Dark
Chapters (83)
  1. Epigraph
  2. Maps
  3. (prologue)
  4. Part 1: Signs and Vapors
  5. (one)
  6. (two)
  7. (three)
  8. (four)
  9. (five)
  10. (six)
  11. (seven)
  12. (eight)
  13. (nine)
  14. (ten)
  15. (eleven)
  16. (twelve)
  17. Part 2: Secret Things
  18. (thirteen)
  19. (fourteen)
  20. (fifteen)
  21. (sixteen)
  22. (seventeen)
  23. (eighteen)
  24. (nineteen)
  25. (twenty)
  26. (twenty-one)
  27. (twenty-two)
  28. (twenty-three)
  29. (twenty-four)
  30. (twenty-five)
  31. (twenty-six)
  32. (twenty-seven)
  33. (twenty-eight)
  34. (twenty-nine)
  35. (thirty)
  36. (thirty-one)
  37. (thirty-two)
  38. (thirty-three)
  39. (thirty-four)
  40. (thirty-five)
  41. (thirty-six)
  42. (thirty-seven)
  43. (thirty-eight)
  44. (thirty-nine)
  45. Part 3: Time and the Maiden
  46. (forty)
  47. (forty-one)
  48. (forty-two)
  49. (forty-three)
  50. (forty-four)
  51. (forty-five)
  52. (forty-six)
  53. (forty-seven)
  54. (forty-eight)
  55. (forty-nine)
  56. (fifty)
  57. (fifty-one)
  58. (fifty-two)
  59. (fifty-three)
  60. Part 4: The Bent Grove
  61. (fifty-four)
  62. (fifty-five)
  63. (fifty-six)
  64. (fifty-seven)
  65. (fifty-eight)
  66. (fifty-nine)
  67. (sixty)
  68. (sixty-one)
  69. (sixty-two)
  70. (sixty-three)
  71. (sixty-four)
  72. (sixty-five)
  73. (sixty-six)
  74. (sixty-seven)
  75. (sixty-eight)
  76. (sixty-nine)
  77. (seventy)
  78. Dedication
  79. (acknowledgments)
  80. (author’s note)
  81. BY PAULA MCLAIN
  82. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  83. What’s next onyour reading list?

Her niece is missing and she wants to talk about sugar levels? “Cameron’s in real trouble,” I say, feeling annoyed. “He’ll need to make himself available.”

I’m ready for an argument, but Lydia only nods soberly and then reaches for the house phone. “Drew’s on one of the tractors,” she says once she’s hung up, “but Janice will try to reach him.”

Janice is the stripe-suited assistant, I assume.

She gestures to the seating area in front of the fire, plush and oversize. “Of course we’re worried sick about Cameron. How can we help?”

Will and I share a look before sitting down. It’s hard to get a bead on Lydia or this place. There’s a glaring disconnect between how she looks and the palace she lives in, between her initial distractedness and her steadiness now. What’s the story?

“Can you describe your relationship with your niece?” Will asks her once we’re settled. “Would you say you’re close?”

“We were a lot closer when she was young. Our son, Ashton, is two years older, so they grew up together, at least at holidays. We moved out here five years ago.”

“Before Emily and Troy relocated to Mendocino,” I fill in.

“That’s right. The idea was to see each other more, but that hasn’t happened as much as we’d like. We’re so busy now, and Ashton is out east most of the year.”

Her tone is steady, but her body language has changed and stiffened. I have a sense she’s holding something back. “When did you see Cameron last?”

“In July, I guess, for Emily’s birthday.”

“How did she seem then?”

“Cameron? A little checked out, actually. She seemed to be going through something, but the whole day was sort of a train wreck.”

I study Lydia, feeling beads of sweat pearl on my forehead. Now that I’m closer to the fire, it seems even more ridiculous and overpowering. I lean back, blotting the perspiration with my sleeve. “Would you say you and your husband have things in common with Emily and Troy?”

Lydia’s brows lift. “Not really. They’ve made certain choices….” She lets the rest of her sentence drop.

“Choices?” Will prompts.

“Emily hasn’t had a typical life, I know. I try not to judge.”

“But?” I encourage her.

“But we’ve never really understood why she stays with Troy, honestly. He’s incapable of being faithful, even when they were first dating. A man like that doesn’t change, and Emily should have so much more, should have her pick of anyone. It’s never made any sense.”