Monster Love by Jeana E. Mann

Author:Jeana E. Mann
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781943938254
Publisher: Ishkadiddle Publishing, LLC

We didn’t speak to each other at all the next day. When Dad and the boys arrived, I set up a table on the back porch and served coffee and donuts to the crew. Owen stayed by the garage, staring at me with dark, pensive eyes. His brooding gaze made me want to scream. The tension between us escalated until I couldn’t do anything but fret about his confessions. For distraction, I threw my anger and frustration into cleaning.

In my heart of hearts, I knew Owen hadn’t killed Chris, and that meant the killer was out there somewhere. While I worked, I ran through the events leading up to the murder. No matter how hard I tried to remember, the details remained fuzzy. The pain of those days stayed with me, however. The ache of Marianne’s death, Stan’s illness, leaving Owen without the chance to say goodbye—all those things tumbled around in my head, the facts distorted and confused by emotions and time.

Only one other person could help reconcile the situation. I called up Lanie’s number in my phone. She answered on the fourth ring, sounding out of breath and irritated. “Hey, Sis, can I call you right back?”

“No.” After eighteen years of misery, I didn’t want to wait another second.

“Hang on.” She put me on hold before I could draw breath to continue.

With a sigh, I took a seat on the third stair. Humidity coated the walls and my skin. I dragged a clean rag over my face. A fly buzzed in lazy circles around the room before taking refuge on the ceiling, out of my reach. After five minutes passed, I hung up. Lanie called back immediately.

“Sorry,” she said without greeting. “I had the landlord on the other line. He’s hounding me for rent. You never sent that check.”

Lanie’s financial situation had been the last thing on my mind over the past week. I rolled my eyes. She wasn’t going to change unless I forced her to take responsibility for her life. “Seriously, Lanie. You need to figure out a way to handle this on your own. I can’t keep cleaning up your messes.” Her anger transferred through the phone in the form of silence. Even though my chest ached for her situation, I held my ground. “You know I’d do anything for you.”

“Obviously, not anything,” she huffed.

I ignored the jab and tried to soften my tone. “If the kids need clothes or school supplies, I’m happy to buy them. Do you need food? I’ll send you a gift card for the grocery store.”

“They’re fine. I’ll manage.” Her clipped tone signaled the end of the topic. “What’s up with Owen? Did you get rid of him?”

Owen. The sound of his name awakened butterflies in my stomach and a throb in my center. I pressed my thighs together. “That’s why I’m calling. He’s outside, working on the back porch.”

“Seriously! What are you thinking?” The pitch of her voice climbed higher.

“Look, we talked about Chris last night. He didn’t do it.

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