WHO KILLED EMMALINE? by Dani Matthews Read Free Book Online Page B

bunch of crap.”
    “They were suspects, Kris. Suspects.”
    “I know.”
    Sidney falls silent again. “Okay, so you’ve made some valid points. It is a public store, and if something happened to you, they’re the first ones that would get the blame. They know that, and you know that. They could be innocent… You’re really not getting any sinister vibes from them?” she asks suspiciously.
    “No. I mean, I’ve heard some really twisted stuff like Cord liking masks during sex. Other than that, I haven’t seen anything for myself that would cause me to run in the opposite direction.”
    “I guess that’s good. Hmm. Well, keep the job, keep your eyes open, and if you feel any hint of apprehension working there, you quit. Immediately. Got it?” Sidney demands.
    “I hear you, loud and clear,” I murmur, smiling at her protectiveness.
    “Now that we have that out of the way, tell me more! Do you have to wear a uniform?”
    “It was recommended that I wear their clothing. Dane said I could get away with jeans and dark shirts, but he’d prefer I wear some of the store’s clothing, too. I get fifty percent off full-priced clothing, and thirty percent on sale items,” I explain.
    “Not bad. What kind of clothing do they sell?”
    “Dresses, corsets, hoodies, jeans and pants, shirts, you name it. It’s all really dark-themed, though.”
    “And you have to wear some of this stuff? You have to take some selfies and send me what you wear. I just can’t imagine you in anything other than your usual tanks and hoodies,” Sidney muses.
    “I can’t either,” I laugh. I am definitely going to be way outside my comfort zone, but that’ll be the whole point.

Four
    I’m feeling anxious the next morning. It’s another day that I have to suffer through school, but today is different. Dane had immediately added me to the schedule, so today is my first shift at the store. Since I don’t plan on stopping by the house before leaving for Manchester later, I grab the extra cash I’d saved up from back in South Bend. After my shift, I’ll have to buy some of the store’s clothing so that I can fit in better.
    When I enter the kitchen for breakfast, my mom is already sitting at the table, sipping coffee. Her hazel eyes lift to meet mine, and she doesn’t smile. “I hope you’ve had some time to reconsider the job you accepted.”
    I pause, my hand tightening on my backpack strap. “Nothing is going to happen to me, Mom.”
    Her lips twist with concern. “I just think it’s a bad idea, sweetie. I’ll support you working anywhere else, just not there.”
    “It’s a public store,” I remind.
    “For Heaven’s sake, Mitch told me that Dane Bodine drives a hearse. A hearse , Krista!”
    My eyebrows lift. Now this is news that I haven’t heard before. “You mean the kind they put dead people in to take them to the cemetery?”
    “Yes!”
    Okay, that ups their creep-to-meter slightly. Cord wears masks during sex; Dane drives a hearse. No wonder why everyone calls them freaks. I school my expression into one of cheerful curiosity. “That’s kinda cool. Think he’ll show me it?”
    “Krista!”
    I laugh, shaking my head as I walk to the door. “Mom, I’m kidding. And I’ll be fine,” I assure.
    “We are not done with this conversation.”
    I look her straight in the eye and hold her gaze steadily. “I’m not quitting. I’m going to give it a chance, because that’s what people are supposed to do when it comes to new things or new people. I am going to show Cordane’s more curtesy than what the student body is currently showing me. I’ll see you tonight.”
    I turn and open the door, stepping out onto the porch.
     

* * *
    Lunch is shaping up to be just as I’d expected. After dealing with catcalls and lewd gestures in the lunch line, I am now sitting on the school lawn by myself, eating chips and sipping soda. I still can’t get over how easily Riley ruined things for me at this school.
    Speaking of