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Amazon
T. L. Haddix
Category:
Mystery/Suspense
Publisher: Streetlight Graphics Publishing
ISBN-10: 0984528105
Type: Fiction
Pages: 352
Copyright: 2010
ISBN-13: 9780984528103
Everyone has secrets. Don’t you? Most of our secrets are harmless. Sometimes, however, those hidden truths come back to haunt us. Sometimes they even kill…
When long-held secrets come to light in the small town of Leroy, Indiana, death and destruction aren’t far behind. Can the residents overcome their pasts, enabling them to rebuild and face the future, or will the secrets lurking in the shadows rise up to swallow them whole?
Gallery owner Charity Vaughn had a closet full of secrets. Hiding underneath her polished exterior was a terrified girl with a past. When the life she’d tried so hard to make disappear is revealed, Charity won’t be the only one to feel the repercussions.
Lauren Grant didn’t expect her inner demon to rear its ugly head, threatening to destroy everything she had worked so hard to build, but that is exactly what happened. She never expected her secrets to be revealed for all the world to see, but they were. Now the single mother has to try and put the pieces of her life back together. Hopefully she won’t die trying.
Charlie Clark moved back to his hometown to repay an old debt, still looking for that elusive ‘something’ his heart was calling for. He never expected to find that ‘something’ in Leroy, the town he had left years before because of the heartache and memories. Now that hope for the future is being threatened. Will Charlie be able to stop the threat in time, or will he lose everything again?
Come to Leroy, Indiana, and find out who survives…and who doesn’t.
Everyone has secrets. Don’t you? Most of our secrets are harmless. Sometimes, however, those hidden truths come back to haunt us. Sometimes they even kill, as Lauren Grant was finding out the hard way. Thirteen years ago, she was the innocent victim of a crime that still shaped her life to this day. Just as she is starting to move on and build a new life for herself and her daughter, the past comes calling with a violence she could not have imagined. Her shop is vandalized, another female business owner is brutally murdered, and Lauren can’t shake the feeling that the past is catching up to her. Will she have the strength to finally face her demons and fight for the future, or will the past overwhelm her once and for all?
Excerpt
Prologue
As dawn reached its fingers out over the Midwest, the sun creating pink trails that stretched toward the rivers and fields, the woman’s sleep was disturbed by haunting images of quiet violence. The dream started innocuously enough, as she was walking through a sunlit meadow, the warm summer breezes gently teasing her hair away from her face. As she turned her face toward the sky, eyes closed against the glare of the sun, a sudden chill coursed across her skin, and a shadow fell across her face. Opening her eyes, she was startled to see that ugly black clouds had covered the sky from horizon to horizon, roiling, churning things, filled with a malevolence she could sense in her core.
Turning, she ran toward the house, the place that had always been a safe haven. As she reached the worn steps, she stopped, hesitating and confused. A growing sense of unease was moving through her, telling her to not open the door, to not go in the house. Unable to stop her body, she watched as she raised her hand and opened the door, stepping over the threshold and into the gloomy darkness.
Suddenly, as dreams often do, she was in another place, but still aware of the growing storm outside the windows, as well as of the fear that was growing inside her body. It was night, and the lightning was flashing, but all she could hear was her heartbeat and the sound of her own breathing. Her pulse was racing, pounding in her ears, and her breath was sawing in and out of her lungs as though she had run for miles. As she looked around her, she discovered that she was standing in her own room, now faded and gray, the surfaces covered in dust. Staring at the bed, she realized there was someone in it, cowering under the covers. She could see the bedspread shaking with tremors, and she knew that whoever the person was in the bed, they were terrified. A dim light slowly grew across the bed, light from the hall that was quickly extinguished as whoever had entered her room closed the door rapidly behind them.
As her breathing and pulse quieted down, she was finally able to hear the sounds outside her body, and as she listened, heavy boot steps made their way across the room from the door. A sick and queasy feeling started in the pit of her stomach, growing stronger as each step fell, and as the person crossing the room became visible in the flashes of lightning, she desperately tried to shut her eyes, to close out the sight and the knowledge. Unable to look away, she could feel hot tears falling from her eyes. Grief, anger and fear all combined in a greasy ball, rising up and choking her as she watched the figure sit down on the bed, bedsprings creaking with his weight. As he reached out to touch the still-covered bundle on the bed, she was finally able to break the nightmare’s grip on her body, and was jolted awake. Throwing the covers off, she ran to the bathroom, barely making it to the toilet before she was violently ill. Retching, she clung to the cold porcelain for dear life, relying on its solidness to anchor her firmly in reality.
As the spasms passed, she fell back against the cold tile, her back coming to rest against the side of the tub, knees drawn up to her chest. After a few minutes she was able to reach up and flush the toilet, shakily making her way to her feet. Going to the sink, she rinsed her mouth out repeatedly, trying to get rid of the bilious taste the vomit had left behind. Avoiding the mirror, she turned and headed back into the bedroom. She sat down on the bed, remaining there for a few minutes until most of the weakness had passed. She released her breath with a deep sigh, finally feeling the nightmare’s talon-sharp grip ease. Rising, she turned, grimacing at the sheets, which were soaked in sweat and tangled. Pulling them off the bed, she made her way to the laundry room, putting the sheets in the washer and starting a load. Glancing out the window as she passed, she saw that it was nearly light outside, and resigned herself to being up for the day. Thinking about the nightmare, she shuddered a little and decided that going back to sleep was not an option she wanted to consider. She walked to the bathroom and turned the shower on, scalding hot. As she pulled a fresh towel down from the rack, she grimaced, thinking that she began her days this same way too often, and holding out no hope that the future would change that.
Chapter 1
The summer Lauren Taylor Grant turned 16 started out filled with promise and excitement. School was finally out, and she had worked hard to keep up with her advanced placement classes. She had been helping her mother in the kitchen and garden, learning about preserving and baking, surprised to find out that she really enjoyed the work. Serious contemplation of what the future might hold had begun, and she was considering what schools to apply to. A couple of schools in Tennessee sounded appealing, as did a university in Texas, and Lauren was considering business as a major, knowing that she could take any number of paths with a business degree in her pocket.
She had also gotten her first car that year. It was a ratty old red hatchback, about 10 years old, but still in decent shape. It wasn’t much to look at but it got her where she needed to go safely and without guzzling gas. Her parents had extended her curfew to 11 o’clock, and Lauren had been very careful not to abuse that privilege.
Every year her mother’s family, the Seatons, held a big reunion at the state park in Madison, Indiana, just about an hour away from Leroy. It was usually held the last weekend in June, and was attended by a large crowd, including other families that had married into the Seatons. Lauren was particularly excited because she would be meeting with her cousin, Margie Vernon. Nearly a year older than Lauren, they were related through Lauren’s aunt Shannon, who was married to Margie’s uncle Earl. Since the Vernons were a small family, they were nearly always included in the Seatons’ events, holidays, parties, weddings and the like, and over the years the two girls had forged a strong bond. They had quickly become friends, despite the fact that they lived over an hour away from each other. They exchanged letters regularly, and while they might go months without seeing one another, the time would always melt away when they reunited. Over the years, it had become tradition for the girls to meet at the reunion and then spend a few weeks with together, either at Lauren’s home or at Margie’s.
Lauren was particularly looking forward to this reunion because she had not been hearing from Margie as often as usual. There had been rumors within the family that something was going on with Margie, that she had gotten involved with the wrong crowd. The third of six children, Margie had always been a happy person, making good grades and quietly setting goals for her future. She had plans that did not mesh well with the ideals her parents had in mind for her. Very traditional people, they were devoutly religious and somewhat rigid in their beliefs. They believed firmly that the man was the head of the household, and that a woman’s place was that of helpmate and mother. They did not allow their daughters to wear pants or cut their hair, and marriage before the age of 20 was encouraged, if not expected. Their sons were not allowed to wear shorts or have long hair, and all their children were expected to attend church services every Sunday. Drinking alcohol and smoking were strictly prohibited, and while Carl and Mary Margaret were good people, they had the tendency to come across as superior when questioned about their beliefs. As Margie grew into her teen years, she expressed interest in going to college to become a teacher. Her parents were taken aback. They could not understand where her independent streak came from, and were dismissive about her wants and desires, blaming outside influences for her disregard of the traditional woman’s role. Margie quickly learned to keep her ideals and opinions to herself, keeping her head down and quietly planning the course her future would take.
When rumors started circulating through the family that Margie was becoming a problem child, everyone had been surprised. Apparently, the straight-A student had lost all interest keeping her grades up, and was openly rebelling against her parents at every turn. Lauren’s aunt Shannon had told Molly that Carl and Mary Margaret were completely baffled as to what was causing their daughter’s problems and were at the end of their rope. Margie’s disruptive behavior was starting to have a negative impact on her siblings, and life within the Vernon household had become an exercise in endurance. Her parents had turned to their pastor, but the older man’s advice to find Margie a husband to control her had caused the situation to deteriorate even further. Lauren was hoping that she would be able to convince Margie to come back to Leroy with her after the reunion, thinking that if she could get to the bottom of what was really going on, she might be able to help Margie work through it.
The day of the reunion finally arrived, and Lauren was excited. She had driven up to Madison separately from her parents, who had gone ahead that morning. Winston and Molly usually arrived at the park early, helping set up for the crowds, and Lauren had begged an extra few hours’ sleep, citing the late night she’d had tutoring a classmate who was having problems with his summer school algebra. The only drawback had been that Lauren’s younger brother, Tristan, had also been granted permission to drive up with Lauren. Even with Tris along for the ride, though, Lauren had enjoyed this new freedom, and by the time the two made it to the state park, they were both laughing and joking. By the time they arrived, it was nearly noon, and the parking areas were full. Lauren had to circle back around to one of the gravel lots up the road some distance from the picnic shelter where the reunion was being held, letting Tristan out at the shelter first with the bags of supplies her mother had stowed in Lauren’s car the night before.
Parking the car, Lauren rolled the windows up, making sure the doors were locked when she got out. She threw her purse in the trunk, not wanting to have to carry it around the reunion with her. As she made her way back to the shelter, she stopped at the building that housed the restrooms. She had nearly finished using the facilities when she heard the door slam open and two sets of footsteps entered the large bathroom. To her surprise, she heard the voice of a man murmuring low as the people made their way noisily to the end of the row of stalls, opposite the end Lauren was in. Shock held Lauren immobile as she listened, hearing a woman’s breathy laugh and the sound of a zipper being undone. Thinking that she must be misunderstanding the sounds she was hearing, Lauren started to get up off the toilet seat, but quickly changed her mind when the quiet murmurs and laughter turned into rhythmic thumping and harsh moans. Mortified, she sank back onto the toilet seat, heart pounding with anxiety. Unsure of what to do, she held perfectly still, hoping that the couple who were having sex in the distant stall would finish quickly and leave without discovering her presence.
After what seemed like hours, but was in fact only a few short minutes, the banging and slapping stopped, and Lauren heard the zipper go back up, accompanied by what sounded like a belt buckle.
“Baby, I heard you were a good ride,” the man said. “I gotta say, you were worth every penny.” The woman gave a throaty laugh, and whispered something low. Lauren strained to hear what she was saying, but her voice was too low. As the couple came out and walked past the stall where Lauren was sitting, knees drawn up to her chest, the woman spoke again.
“I’ll go first and make sure it’s clear,” she said. “Wait here until I look. If we get caught…”
“Yeah, I know,” the man said. “You ain’t exactly legal now, are you, darlin’? I ain’t got no desire to end up in jail, even for a nice piece like you.” Their voices faded away, and Lauren rested her head on her knees, praying they were gone. After a few tense seconds, the woman’s voice came back.
“You can come out now. It’s clear,” she said. Lauren started, trying to figure out how she had been discovered, then realized the woman was still talking to the man. As she listened she could hear their voices growing faint, and finally a large engine started up and roared away. Lauren waited a few more minutes, just to be sure it was really clear, and finally feeling safe enough to emerge from the stall, she stood up shakily and flushed the toilet. Slowly emerging from the stall, she cautiously edged up to the sinks and washed her hands, staring at her reflection in the mirror. She bent over and splashed her face, trying to cool the fiery blush on her cheeks down. She wished she could erase the memory of the last fifteen minutes from her mind, but was very much afraid they would live on for years to come. It wasn’t the sex that had mortified her so much, although that had been terribly embarrassing. The aspect of the encounter that had shocked her to her core was the identity of the couple. While she had no idea who the man was, she had very quickly recognized the woman’s voice. Before today, Lauren had held out hope that she would be able to reach out to Margie. If they could just sit down and talk, she’d thought, they could work out whatever problems Margie was having. The situation wouldn’t be as bleak as it had been painted. Now, however, she knew how deluded that idea had been, because the voice of the woman having sex in the public restroom had been none other than that of her cousin.
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