The Seaside Library by Brenda Novak

Author:Brenda Novak
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HQ Fiction
Published: 2023-02-06T20:55:10+00:00

* * *

Jewel sat on the bed in her hotel room, which cost a fortune even though it was tiny—at least by Iowa standards—and stared at the screen on her laptop. She’d been recording every piece of information she learned about Emily’s case. The timeline. What had been done so far. Who had said what. She needed to make sure she kept it all straight and nothing was missing that could be used to close the case. After twenty years, she knew she couldn’t rely on the police to take care of it. Almost nothing had happened, which was why, once her sister’s remains had been found, she’d jumped in to make it happen herself.

She’d have to stay on top of Livingston, but she’d done what she could for today. Because she’d been able to remember Delilah’s name, and she’d returned to the beach herself that night, she’d also provided them with a witness they would’ve missed otherwise. And she’d confronted Ariana and Ivy, hoping to make them rethink their lies, which would protect her own.

She supposed that was progress. But it still felt as though the case was moving at a snail’s pace—or worse, not moving at all.

What more could she do?

With a sigh, she leaned back and rested her head against the wall. This whole thing had to be over soon. She simply couldn’t take it any longer. She was desperate to kick free of the past, which had hung on to her ankle for twenty years, threatening to pull her under and drown her in a sea of despair.

Too restless to remain sitting, she got up and went to the window where she could see a portion of the stylish, expensive shops and restaurants in town, and simply watched the people who were on the street one story below her. Some were shopping. Others were visiting the art museums, eating at the restaurants or getting ice cream. But most were just arriving. Car after car, many of them Jeeps, inched through traffic—all coming from the wharf or the airport, which emptied onto the same road, as summer vacationers flocked to the various rental homes around the island.

She couldn’t help remembering her excitement the day she first arrived here at sixteen. Her mother had always wanted to see Mariners; it’d been the setting for one of her favorite books. So she’d saved up, arranged the trip and meticulously scheduled what they would do each day. Because they lived in Iowa and had never seen New York City or Boston, Karen had planned to spend some time in those cities, as well, which was why Jewel had been left at the beach with Emily. After their meeting with the pastor who headed up a different branch of her father’s church, Karen and Blaine were going to Manhattan to see a show.

At first, Jewel had asked to go with them. She hated being left out, especially if it meant babysitting again. But her mother said the play wasn’t something she’d enjoy, and the tickets were too expensive, anyway.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.