Sarah raised her glass. “To everyone who couldn’t be with us tonight.”
“To Kate.” Jordyn lifted her glass as well.
“And Lauren,” Henry said.
“And Kinley and Rebecca.”
“Cecilia.”
“Erin,” Mike said solemnly.
“Melissa.”
“Dylan.”
“Lindsey.”
“Anna.”
The list went on and on as the table named lives that had ended too soon. Finally, they all raised their glasses a final time and took a sip of their drinks.
“And to the woman who’s the only reason any of us are still here,” Carrie said, tipping her glass toward Jordyn. They all mumbled in agreement, beginning to eat.
The town of Bates had begun to rebuild: new people began to move there, industries came in, friends found each other once again. The residents, those who stayed, no longer lived in fear. They had festivals again and on nearly every corner you could find children playing and laughing, a sight that had nearly been extinct only ten years before.
“Hey, Dad?” Ollie said.
“Yeah?” Derek asked, scooping a helping of potatoes onto his son’s plate.
“Can we get ice cream after this?”
“Ice cream?” Henry chuckled. “In December?”
Ollie nodded. “Grandpa Henry, it’s never too cold for ice cream!”
Bethany giggled. “I want ice cream too, Momma.”
“Well then.” Carrie smiled. “We’ll have to ask the mayor about that.”
All eyes at the table fell on Jordyn, who flushed, still getting used to her new title. “I think we can manage that.”
The children cheered, their hearts full of love and happiness, blissfully unaware of the pain and loss they had been destined to endure only a few years ago. This Christmas, like the past nine before it, was perfect, and it was going to stay that way.
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Acknowledgements
I have a list of people to thank for making this book possible:
To my husband, Michael, for all of your support, advice, and love. This book has been your favorite so far. I will never forget your excitement as I wrote it, and how that only pushed me to keep going. For being my first book order, my first reader, and for celebrating each success, big or little, that comes along. I can never thank you enough for everything you do for me every day. I love you.
To Mom, Dad, Kaitie, Kortnee, Kyleigh, Granny, Papa, Nan, Pop, Ashley, Zach, Uncle Tommy, Alexis, Mackenzie, Uncle Mike, Aunt Kim, Cheyenne, Aidan, Aunt Marilyn, Aunt Lori, and so many other countless relatives who have helped and supported me with If It Walks Like A Killer and who continue to share my excitement as my career furthers, I love you and appreciate you all more than you could ever know. You guys read my first stories long before they were books and believed in me before they were good. How could I ever thank you enough?
To Cherie, for being my unofficial agent and helping to make me famous in a small town.
To Jennifer, Jessica, Lori, Dixie, Lydia, Elise and so many others in the Limitless Publishing family—thank you for believing in this story like I do and for helping to bring it to life.
To my insanely talented editor, Laura, for working so hard to get this book into shape.
To my author friends, Cora Kenborn, Luke Swanson, Erin Lee, and so many others: Thank you for making this otherwise lonely job a little less lonely. I wish you all so much continued success.
To Justin Lawson, for being my personal cheerleader and publicist through every step of this process. I miss you every day and am so thankful for your friendship.
To every single person who has come to my signings, shared the story with friends, posted a review, or helped to get the word out about my work in any way—thank you, thank you, thank you. Each day I’m just so thankful that I can continue to do what I love by bringing new stories to each of you. Without your support, it wouldn’t be possible.
And to you, as always, if you bought this book and enjoyed my story. None of this would be possible without you. I wished for this.
About the Author
Kiersten Modglin lives in Nashville, TN with her husband and their two Boston Terriers, Cedric and Chloe. A psychology fanatic, lover of Netflix, coffee and all things Harry Potter, Kiersten can almost always be found curled up in her favorite writing chair with a good book. Kiersten writes psychological suspense novels that explore the darkest parts of human nature and the inner workings of twisted minds. Writing has always been an important part of Kiersten’s life; for her, this is just the beginning.
Facebook:
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Website:
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The List (The Carolina Killer Files Book 2) Page 21