The Shop by J. Carson Black Read Free Book Online

had been there for every flare-up, every temper tantrum, every romance, every act of subterfuge and double-dealing.
    He would follow the lives of those who were killed—the four finalists, the producer, and Brienne Cross herself—and propel them to their moment with destiny. At the same time, he would tell his own story.
    He had eight-thousand-plus followers on Twitter, and over five thousand on his Facebook author page.
    He announced: “By the end of this week, I’ll be living in Aspen for the summer. I’ll be in and out, because I plan to meet with the families of the dead. I’m going to tell their story because until now, they’ve had no voice.”
    A follower asked if he had contacted the family members. “Yes I have, and I will be interviewing all of them for the book.”
    More questions: “Who was the guy you talked to out on the deck? Was he the one who saved you?”
    Nick said, “He said his name was Mars. Weird name—maybe I dreamed it.”
    “Are you going to thank him?”
    “If I can find him.”
    “Is that going to be hard?”
    “I think he said his dad is a congressman from Colorado. I’ll start there. Nick Holloway, intrepid reporter! Seriously, I have no idea how Mars knew what was going to happen, or why he saved me, but you can bet it’ll be in my book. I’ll keep you posted. Ciao for now!”

13
    They didn’t find the guns or the cell phone, and probably never would. No money in the budget to drag ponds, even if Maddy could remember where she’d been.
    It was late afternoon by the time Jolie drove into Meridian Beach.
    The town still had the ability to charm. The sand was white as sugar. The Gulf changed color according to its mood—olive-green, jade, dark blue, gray, and gold at sunset. Gift shops were strung along the two-lane highway. The locally owned supermarket sold groceries, sunscreen, beach towels, and beer. But every day, more pine forests went under the bulldozer and another multiple-family rental went up on the beach. It was starting to get giddy here, and Jolie wasn’t surprised that her estranged family had gotten on board in a big way.
    The first thing she did was run a bath. Interrogating Maddy had taken its toll. It took her back in time to the day she got the call from her supervisor, breaking the news. Earlier in the day she’d heard about a man shooting himself in a cabin in the Apalachicola National Forest, but she would never have made the connection. Life was good. She and Danny were happy. He was a cop, she was a cop. They understood each other.
    When someone you loved committed suicide, there was no refuge from it. You couldn’t help but take it personally. It was as if someone threw acid on you, and the acid stayed, eating its way through your soul.
    It shamed you.
    If you only did this, if you only did that. You played that game over and over until you thought you’d go mad.
    The phone rang. Kay McPeek’s name showed up on the readout—her cousin.
    Kay came with a very large string attached. She was a Haddox. True, Kay led a relatively normal lifestyle—she didn’t live on Indigo, for one thing—but she’d managed to drag Jolie to the Haddox compound not once, but twice. Jolie had mixed feelings about that.
    It was hard not to be impressed by all that power and ostentatious wealth. The family lived on a private island. Jolie found herself wondering what her life would have been like if she’d been part of the family. But when her mother married her father, a working man and artist with little money and fewer prospects, the family turned their backs on her. These were difficult thoughts to entertain, because Jolie couldn’t help feeling she was being untrue to her father’s memory.
    Jolie answered, and Kay said, “Forty-eight days and counting.”
    The goal was for her daughter Zoe to reach the first day of classes at Brown University. “Just hope she doesn’t get knocked up before then.”
    “You don’t honestly think that would