What Lies in the Darkness (Shadow Cove Book 1) by Jessica Sorensen Read Free Book Online

calm. “I’m feeling really great, actually.”
    “Good.” A hint of wariness floods her eyes before she turns to leave the room.
    “Wait, Mom,” I say, and she pauses. “What happened to the girl? I mean, how did she die?”
    She doesn’t turn around, but her back stiffens. “I’m not sure … Her body … was found in the lake.”
    “The lake?” I whisper. “Shadow Cove Lake?”
    “I’m sure it was just an accident. Nothing we need to worry about. Nothing you need to worry about,” she adds. “Now, I’m going to go take a shower. Don’t stay up too late, okay? I want you to get a full night’s rest.” She doesn’t wait for me to answer before hurrying into her room and shutting the door.
    It’s a suspicious move that leaves me wondering if she’s lying.

LOCATION: THE SECRET SPOT IN MAK’S DAD’S OFFICE
    TIME: 11:54 PM
    DATE: SATURDAY, MARCH 20 TH
     
    There’s a small nook hidden behind a bookcase in my dad’s office that no one knows exists except for me and my dad. This makes for the perfect spot to do some snooping around in my mom’s computer files and emails to find out why the hell she thinks Don Jennings is the reason we’re not homeless.
    The problem is, she recently changed her password. Usually, hers are ridiculously easy to crack. She’s super fond of birthdays, last names, anniversaries, etc. But apparently, she’s upped her A-game. After an hour of punching in every important number and name I can think of, I’m still locked out.
    “All right, Mom, what are you hiding?” I prop my feet up against the wall in front of me, racking my brain for another route, another important date I may have missed, or the name of someone important to her.
    I don’t know why I do it, what the heck comes over me, other than I can’t stop thinking about my mom’s odd behavior earlier, but I end up typing “Don Jennings” into the password box. When the password is accepted, allowing me onto the home screen, my stomach goes kerplunk, and a little bit of puke burns in my throat.
    “Oh, my God, is my mom having an affair with …?” I nearly gag on the name.
    No! There’s no way she’d ever do that. Not when my dad has only been gone for six months. Not with the biggest douchebag in town. There has to be another reason his name is the password. Could it be because he saved us from being homeless? How did he do that, exactly? And why? What would be his ulterior motive? A guy like Don Jennings wouldn’t do something out of the kindness of his heart.
    Clearing my throat several times, I compose myself and get to work. I start by raiding her bill files first and checking our monthly estimated bills Excel reports. Nothing seems different there, so I move on to her monthly bank statement. The last four months look kind of normal, except that her paychecks from the hospital seem a little bit low. Maybe she got a pay cut, or started working less hour. That doesn’t explain why she’s been gone the same amount of time as she always does. And besides, we haven’t been making less money. My confusion only deepens when I get to a deposit made five months ago.
    “Holy jackpot.” I squint at the hefty cash deposit made back in November, about a month after my dad took off. “Ten thousand dollars! What the fuck!” The words leave my mouth way too loudly, and I quickly slap my hand over my mouth. I listen for signs that I’ve alerted my mom, but the house remains quiet.
    Lowering my hand, I scroll through the transactions, wondering where the money went. Half of it went toward the next few months of rent, and then I get a bad taste in my mouth when I see a high amount was spent at Mayfield Luxury Hotel and Spa. I don’t remember her taking off to Mayfield on that weekend. In fact, she supposedly works back-to-back shifts and is usually gone so much I don’t see her for days on end. Apparently, she snuck off on a vacation, though, which I’d be completely fine with—she works her butt off and