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CHAPTER ONE
LIZ SUTTON HAD ALWAYS KNOWN the past would come back and bite her in the butt—she just hadn’t known it was going to happen today
Herher son on the bus to school, then going down the hall to her hoes before stopping for so three of the last five pages She was figuring out who to murder in the first chapter of her new book, not to mention how he or she would be murdered Was decapitation just too predictable? Luckily her assistant knocked on her door, sparing her fro a decision
“Sorry to interrupt,” Peggy said, frowning slightly as she held out a piece of paper “But I thought you’d want to read this”
Liz took the single sheet It was an e-mail, sent to her Web site There was a link there for fans to get in touch with her Peggy handled most of the e- she didn’t knohat to do with
“A crazed stalker type?” Liz asked, pathetically grateful for the interruption When the writing was slow, even a death threat was ress
“Not exactly She says she’s your niece”
Niece?
Liz scanned the sheet
Dear Aunt Liz,
My name is Melissa Sutton My dad is your brother Roy I’m fourteen years old and o, our dad went to prison His neife, our steped her ht Abby and e My teachers say that all the time
She’s been gone a while now and I’m really scared I haven’t told Abby because she’s still a kid, but I don’t knoe can make it I don’t want to tell Dad what happened because he really liked Bettina and he’ll be sad she didn’t wait for him
So I thought maybe you could help I knoe haven’t met before, but I’ve read all your books and I really like them
Hope to hear from you soon Your niece, Melissa
PS I’ the computer at the library, so you can’t e-hts are off, the phone still works at home
PPS We’re living in your old house in Fool’s Gold
Liz read the e-et the words to make sense Roy was back in Fool’s Gold Or at least he had been, before heading off to prison
She hadn’t seen her brother in nearly eighteen years He was a lot older and had left the suain Apparently he’d hters Girls ere living alone in a house that had been run-down and disgusting twelve years ago She doubted there had been many improvements since
Questions tuh her brain Questions about her brother and why he’d returned to Fool’s Gold after being gone so long Why he was in prison and what on earth was she supposed to do with two nieces she’d never met?
She glanced at her watch It was barely eleven As it was Tyler’s last day before suot the car packed in time, they could leave directly from his school and be in Fool’s Gold in about four hours
“I need to deal with this,” Liz told her assistant, as she wrote an address on a piece of paper “Call the electric coet the power turned back on They should take a credit card for payirls and let the”
“Are they really your nieces?” Peggy asked
“I guess I haven’t seen e, but I can’t let the what else had to be done Her next book wouldn’t be published until the fall, so she didn’t have to worry about publicity and book tours She could work on her new story anywhere she had her laptop At least that was the theory
“I don’t kno long we’ll be gone,” she continued “I’ straightened out”
Peggy stared at her “Just like that?”
“What do you mean?”
“Aren’t you going to think about it? Most people would hesitate You don’t even know these girls”
True, Liz thought But what choice did she have? “They’re kids, by the”
“Which is just like you,” Peggy said “You leap in and do what you think is right which is admirable But not always smart”
“Sorown up having to take care of things Her ”
“Don’t worry either way I can handle things here”
Liz forced a set Tyler We’ll drive to Fool’s Gold today”
“Maybe it will be nice to go home”
Liz did her best to look norirls”
She waited until Peggy left before picking up the phone She dialed the fa up No answer Of course, it was a weekday The girls were probably still in school She would try again later, from her cell
She had to pack for herself and her son, phone a few friends and let theone for a couple weeks, e-istics, she thought as she collected the notes she’d istics The ability to plan and deal with proble her detective ood at the work It was the rest of life that caused her to stumble time after time
“Introspection later,” she murmured aloud “Action now”
She powered off her laptop, then disconnected it fro her notes, a few pens, pads of paper and her address book, she went down the hall to her bedroom
A little over an hour later, she’d packed what she hoped was enough, loaded the car and gone over everything with Peggy Her assistant would take care of the house and make sure the bills were paid
“Are you all right?” Peggy asked
“Sure Great Why?”
Peggy, a forty-so This is a lot to take in” She hesitated “You know if there’s no one else to take care of the girls…”
Liz ht suddenly be responsible for two nieces she’d never met “I know I’ll deal with that when I have more information”
“Mac and I went to Fool’s Gold on our honey I didn’t know you were from there”