Murder Thy Neighbor by James Patterson

Author:James Patterson
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3
Tags: None
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Published: 2020-09-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 3

Main Street in Mountain City is little more than a bank, a library, a greasy spoon, a hardware store, a combination convenience store and gas station, plus an old family pharmacy that’s been serving the community since the Nixon administration.

This is the building that Jenelle enters.

All by herself.

She makes her way down the center aisle, past the mouthwash and shampoo, past the Band-Aids and laxatives, until she reaches the pharmacist counter in back.

A kindly, portly older man in a white lab coat and wire-rimmed glasses asks how he can help. She’s there to pick up some prescriptions, she tells him. A lot of them. Not only for herself—Jenelle takes multiple medications to control her type 1 diabetes, among other chronic conditions—but for both of her aging parents.

It takes the pharmacist a good few minutes to gather up all of the Potter family’s prescriptions and set the nearly dozen white paper bags along the counter. Jenelle pays for them, stuffs them into her knapsack, and heads out.

But she gets waylaid as she passes the cosmetics section.

Jenelle has never been much into makeup. Or fashion. Or manicures or skin treatments or hairstyling or any of that superficial stuff. It’s not because she doesn’t enjoy looking her best. Who doesn’t? It’s because, even when she puts in the effort, she’s never very pleased with the results.

Still, Jenelle idly inspects some of the items on display. She opens a pot of indigo eye shadow. Uncaps some lash-lengthening black mascara. Twists a tube of reddish-pink lipstick.

“That coral goes great with your skin tone.”

Jenelle startles, as if she’d just been caught shoplifting, and drops the lipstick to the floor like it’s on fire.

She turns to see a pretty, youngish brunette standing beside her. The woman is wearing an oversized blue vest, a name tag that says TRACY pinned on one side, and a warm, friendly smile.

“Oh, sorry…I wasn’t…I mean, I was just…”

“It’s okay,” Tracy says, bending down to pick up the lipstick tube that has since rolled in her direction. “I didn’t mean to scare you or nothin’. I just thought that color would look nice on you.” Tracy’s smile gets even bigger.

“Really?”

“Were you lookin’ for something in particular, or just browsing?”

“Neither, to tell you the truth. I’m only supposed to be picking up prescriptions. I’m not allowed to stay too long. Or buy anything else.”

Tracy nods. “Gosh, I wish I had that kinda discipline. Me? I’m practically addicted to buying makeup I don’t need. You should see my bathroom. It’s so cluttered, sometimes I can’t even find my toothbrush.”

Tracy laughs—so Jenelle does, too.

“I’m Tracy, by the way,” she says, extending her hand. Jenelle eyes her nails—painted canary yellow, bedazzled with shiny little baubles—as they shake.

“I’m Jenelle. It’s nice to meet you.”

“I think I’ve seen you in here before. You live in town?”

“A little bit outside it. We’re up on Hospital Road.”

“But you didn’t grow up around here, did you?”

Suddenly self-conscious, Jenelle shakes her head.

“Aw, I didn’t mean it like that,” Tracy says. “There were, like, a hundred kids in my high school class.

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