By the Time You Read This I'll Be Gone (Murder, She Wrote #1) by Stephanie Kuehn

Author:Stephanie Kuehn [Kuehn, Stephanie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Scholastic Inc.
Published: 2022-10-02T00:00:00+00:00

Leisl’s reaction is a letdown. “An HOA? You mean those busybodies that yell at people for not mowing their lawn or leaving their Christmas lights up in January? That doesn’t sound very sinister.”

“But they are,” I insist. “The Seacrest group is notorious for how much power they wield and how self-serving they are. They’re not interested in stuff like Christmas lights. They act like they’re better than everyone and they want to control this whole town. I swear, it’s the closest thing to a real live posse comitatus that we have around here. Only rather than militia men, it’s a bunch of white women with blowouts.”

“Examples, please. Of what they’ve done.”

“Sure.” I rub my hands together. “Okay, first off, Seacrest is the oldest and wealthiest section of Cabot Cove. It’s gated and you have to pay to drive through it, thanks to their HOA. Anyone who wants to live there has to have approval of the board in order to purchase a home—no short-term rentals allowed. And the board is a nightmare. It’s like, all the girls you hate in high school grew up and started an exclusive club that they won’t let you join. Although I bet anyone would let you join.”

“You’d be surprised,” Leisl says lightly. “My brother’s reputation precedes me.”

“Well, in recent years the HOA got the town to put up video cameras to record every license plate that comes into their neighborhood, even though it’s illegal per our state’s constitution. Their argument is that someone would have to sue to get the cameras taken down and that the city has more than enough money to tie up the case in court for years and no one would bother to challenge it. So far, they’ve been right. They also hire and pay for their own security guards who respond to any neighborhood complaints well before the sheriff’s deputies can get there. Oh, and did I mention they can carry guns? You might think this is meant to keep them safe, but it’s also a way to shield their own from actual law enforcement, who they look down on. Can’t have an unsightly domestic incident end up in the paper if there’s no record of said incident. And obviously there’s no recourse for their kids if their parents are abusing them.” I pause. “You know, Jackson once told me he thought the private security guards were spying on him. That they were how his parents knew when he snuck out.”

Leisl is silent for a moment. “Your friend, was he being abused?”

I nod, shrug, blink back a threatening flood of tears. “Yeah. In a way.”

“I’m sorry. I had no idea it was that serious.”

“Carlos didn’t tell you anything?”

“What about Carlos?”

“Nothing, really.” I swipe at my eyes. “He, uh, just texted earlier, to check in, and he asked about Jackson and how I was doing. It was nice.”

Leisl snorts. “That’s one way of putting it.”

“What else would it be?”

“Strategic,” she says.

“You’re saying he’s still playing the game?”

“We’re all playing the game.

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