by Regan Black
“In my professional opinion,” Ana continued, “Sylvia was not disposed to violence.” Ana rolled her shoulders. “As her friend, I can assure you she never told me she wanted to toss anyone in a river, much less an employee she delighted in. Assuming the remains belong to Josie.”
“I’m not attacking you, Ana,” Laney said, her voice cool. “Just looking for insight.”
Ana supposed between them, she and Dana and Laney knew most of Shutter Lake’s secrets. People tended to trust the three of them. If only Sylvia’s killer would confide in one of them, by accident or design, they might make some progress.
“I understand.” Ana stayed calm as three pairs of eyes studied her. “This is difficult for all of us.” She sipped her wine. “What made you go down to the river?” Ana asked Julia.
“Dana,” Julia replied. “You know she asked me to dust off my investigative reporting skills and dig into Josie’s disappearance.”
Ana nodded. Nothing mattered to Dana as much as the safety and welfare of her students.
“So you could focus on Sylvia,” Dana said to Laney.
“I was never offended,” Laney replied with a warm, confident smile.
It was a lovely expression that nurtured trust and defused tension whether Laney was taking a statement on a missing dog or dealing with a fender bender. Until Sylvia’s murder that had been the worst of crimes to cope with in Shutter Lake.
Unfortunately, it was not the expression Laney aimed Ana’s way tonight. She couldn’t decipher what her friend was thinking, only the unsettling reaction it created. Had the investigation turned up something—past or present—that pointed to Ana as a suspect?
Run.
She wanted to rip that voice out of her head. Fear, panic, or knee-jerk reactions never solved anything.
“Ana?” Julia tapped her fingernail on the table.
She blinked rapidly, clearing away the cobwebs of her past. “Yes, sorry. You were saying?”
“A witness remembered seeing a man standing alone on the Mill River bridge, staring at the water a few weeks back,” Julia explained. “She couldn’t pin down the exact date and she didn’t have much of a description since it was late at night, but like you with the cold meds, we followed intuition and went to look around.”
“Are you all right?” Ana’s question was for all of them.
“Finding that shoe tangled in the brush didn’t leave me much hope for a positive outcome,” Julia admitted. “I wanted so badly to be wrong and have you three accuse me of turning back into a cynical reporter.”
The laughter around the table was brittle and brief.
“I can’t imagine the shock of it,” Ana said. Except she could, having faced the grim finality of death before her twelfth birthday, long before her studies in medical school.
Julia twisted her wineglass side to side, watching the golden liquid roll and glide. “Now we just need to find Special Agent Adler.”
“The hunk’s missing partner?” she asked, trying to make Julia smile.
It almost worked. Julia’s old flame, Special Agent Patrick Richards had come to town less than a week ago on the trail of his partner Evan Adler who seemed to have disappeared. Julia had adamantly sworn off rekindling any romance with Rick but Ana recognized the telltale signs of Julia struggling with old memories. The fall season troubled her enough without having her ex around.
When asked, she’d told Julia she hadn’t seen Adler. It wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the full truth either. Sylvia had mentioned the FBI agent was coming to town to visit with her about Josie’s disappearance. Ana’s stomach twisted. Recognizing the signs of anxiety, she once again coached herself away from the abyss of full disclosure.
If she blurted out everything right now, she wouldn’t be able to help people who needed her still. Patients like Yolanda, wrecked by grief, and Troy Duval who was dealing with the progression of his Multiple Sclerosis.
Better to wait for the facts to come in. If the girl from the river wasn’t Josie, Ana would have exposed herself to persecution—and worse—for no reason.
“If the girl you found is Josie, why would the Windermeres cover up her disappearance?” Ana queried.
“They didn’t know,” Julia said. “They believed the family emergency thing. Quentin saw her through security. Then poof.” She flicked her fingers.
Ana had her doubts. She met Laney’s gaze. “What about her family?”
“Her parents came up to Grass Valley when she got the exchange student spot,” Laney said. “After so much time without any word, they’d gone to the local police to list her as missing.”
“Naturally, they haven’t looked too hard,” Julia muttered. “Lumping her in with the typical angst-ridden teenagers who turn into runaways. Her mother recently met with Mr. and Mrs. Windermere too, begging for help to find her.”
Josie hadn’t been typical. She’d been responsible, smart, and determined to make a better life by following Sylvia’s example. “Venezuela isn’t exactly known for reliable infrastructure.” Ana’s mind was spinning. “If her parents were here, so close…” She looked to Dana.
The school principal brushed at the red fringe of her bangs. “Josie would’ve lost her position at our school if we’d found out her parents lived nearby. I can’t blame her and the Windermeres for hiding that fact and I commend her for finding a job to help out her parents.”
“Sylvia thought the world of Josie.” At Laney’s sharp glance Ana wished she could reel the words back in. “They cleaned the clinic together a couple of times.” Ana traced the curve of her wine glass, wondering how best to proceed. Jumping the gun could cost her, yes, but it could also be a detriment to the investigation if she sent Laney down the wrong path.
This town needed answers about the crisis, not more drama from the doctor they counted on to be calm and collected. When no one else seemed eager to continue the discussion about Josie or Sylvia, Ana steered the conversation in a less volatile direction, grateful when Dana picked up the cues with talk of the upcoming Fall Carnival for the school. Dana even managed to wrangle a few volunteer hours out of each of them for the event.
“I’m going by Batter Up tomorrow,” Dana said. “Hopefully Heidi is willing to donate a cake for the cake walk booth and,” she crossed her fingers, “cupcakes for the bake sale table.”
“Better you than me,” Julia said. “The woman can hardly be civil to me.”
“I need to speak with her as well,” Laney said. “Let me know when you’re done.”
“What did she do, shoplift butter?” Julia joked.
Ana hoped not. At her last physical, Heidi’s bad cholesterol levels were on the high end.
Laney gave them her I’m-not-at-liberty-to-say look. “Nothing like that. Considering how prickly she’s been lately, I don’t want her turning down Dana because I put her in a bad mood.”
“She’s either prickly or chattering like a hen.” Julia flicked her fingers. “There’s a reason I prefer The Grind. Nolan and his staff are steady.”
“The investigation has everyone on edge,” Ana said. Her hours meant she didn’t get to the bakery often, thank goodness. One taste of Heidi’s chocolate delight frosting and she’d been hooked. Well aware of her weakness for decadent sweets, Ana typically saved Batter Up treats for the quarterly birthday parties at the clinic.
The rain had finally moved out of the area by the time the four of them settled the check and headed to the parking lot to go their separate ways. Ana stopped Laney before she could move toward her vehicle. “I didn’t want to ask in front of the others. When do you think the Coles can claim Sylvia’s body?”
She couldn’t breach confidentiality and tell Laney outright that it would help Yolanda, but it was a no-brainer that a mother would want to lay her only child to rest.
“I’m sure it will be soon. The report was filed and evidence collected. I’ll call the coroner first thing in the morning and lean a little.”
“Thank you, Laney.”
Then she’d leave before Laney was forced to lock her up. It wasn’t ideal, deceiving her friends, but it was her only hope to stay ahead of the nightmares she’d been running from for the past twenty-six years.
* * *
Get a copy of what she knew by Regan Black
What Is Breakdown?
What happens when you get four USA Today bestselling authors together and they let their imaginations run wild?
If those authors are Debra Webb, Vicki Hinze, Peggy Webb and Regan Black, they talk about books . . . and their muses awaken and join in the play. That’s when something magical happens.
It’s extraordinary, and we can’t really explain it. We first talked about one of our favorite creepy movies, The Stepford Wives, which somehow led down a winding path to us discussing the concept for a suspense mini-series that revolves around the "perfect" small town falling apart. Piece by piece.
Of course, we wanted the women in our stories to be strong, determined and capable—truly, we wanted these women to be the heroes. And so in our novels, these four amazing females—no matter the wounds of their pasts—stop at nothing to find the truth.
So, in short, when you get these authors together, you end up with an exciting new mini-series of suspense books.
And what happens when these authors enjoy writing those books so much they don’t want to stop?
They expand the Breakdown project and each create a short read about the one moment in time that changed the life of the woman who experienced it. That single event that was so momentous it defined the life of the woman from then on—the main character in each of the Breakdown books.
The authors love these collaborative events and the strong stories that result. And they hope that you’ll love them, too.
BREAKDOWN READS
Short Reads:
no looking back by Debra Webb
her deepest fear by Vicki Hinze
her hidden terror by Peggy Webb
trust no one by Regan Black
Look for all of the Breakdown Short Reads September 7th.
Then Buckle Up for October!
Every Thursday during the month of October, a new Breakdown novel will be released!
4th: the dead girl by Debra Webb
11th: so many secrets by Vicki Hinze
18th: all the lies by Peggy Webb
26th: what she knew by Regan Black
Welcome to Shutter Lake
Downtown Shutter Lake is the nerve-center of the community. Designed with a vintage feel, shops range from Victorian to Craftsman. Sidewalks and streets are cobblestone. Green spaces heavily dot the landscape.
Shutter Lake was specifically created to be the epitome of small-town, tranquil, clean living. Farmers in the area have taken organic farming to the next level. Most of the pubs brew their own beer. From the bakery to the coffee shop and everything in between, residents pride themselves on living clean and healthy and just plain good. Seven years ago, Shutter Lake opened its own private entity school and hired Dr. Dana Perkins to run it. Since then, it’s been awarded a prestigious blue ribbon of excellence every year. In no small part, that’s due to the brilliant minds who call Shutter Lake home—leaders in innovative industries—and freely share their knowledge and expertise with students. Even the good doctor, Ana Perez, operates a wellness center three nights a week in the community gathering hall. A healthy lifestyle is key for most residents.
Walking trails cut through the center-square park. Moms or dads are often seen pushing strollers and children enjoy the playground. Benches are littered throughout the park. Old men gather to play chess, and in the park’s center is a fountain where people young and old often pause and toss in a coin and make wishes.
There is little crime in Shutter Lake. The police chief and his assistant chief, Laney Holt, work hard to keep it that way. The founders provide ample funds to keep everything—safety, medical facilities, educational requirements the best. Even the weekly paper, The Shutterfly, covers a diverse collection of topics of interest to residents and hires top-notch people, like the Loeb Award winner and Pulitzer nominee, Julia Ford.
In short, the founders and residents are determined Shutter Lake be and remain the most idyllic town in the country—and it had . . . until someone killed the owner of Sparkle Cleaning Service, Sylvia Cole.
No one could have predicted the fallout of that single event. Or that it would leave no resident unscathed. But when four women seek answers—Laney Holt, Dana Perkins, Julia Ford, and Luciana (Ana) Perez—their revelations result in a calamitous breakdown…
The Breakdown Books
The Novels
the dead girl by Debra Webb
so many secrets by Vicki Hinze
all the lies by Peggy Webb
what she knew by Regan Black
The Short Reads
no looking back by Debra Webb
her deepest fear by Vicki Hinze
just one look by Peggy Webb
trust no one by Regan Black
About the Author
Regan Black, a USA Today and internationally bestselling author, writes award-winning, action-packed romances featuring kick-butt heroines and the sexy heroes who fall in love with them. Raised in the Midwest and California, she and her family, along with their adopted greyhound and two arrogant cats now reside in the South Carolina Lowcountry where the rich blend of legend, romance, and history fuels her imagination.
For early access to new releases, exclusive prizes, and much more, subscribe to the monthly newsletter at ReganBlack.com/perks.
Keep up with Regan online:
www.ReganBlack.com
Also by Regan Black
Unknown Identities Series
Bulletproof
Double Vision
Sandman
Death-Trap Date
Unknown Identities - Brotherhood Protectors crossover novellas:
Moving Target | Lost Signal | Off The Radar
Escape Club Heroes Romantic Suspense
Escape Club, prequel
Safe In His Sight | A Stranger She Can Trust
Escape Club: Justice, novella
Escape Club: Sabotage, novella
Protecting Her Secret Son | Braving The Heat
More Romantic Suspense
Killer Colton Christmas | Colton P.I. Protector
Runaway Secret
Romantic Suspense written with Debra Webb
Against The Wall
Too Far Gone
Nothing to Lose
The Hunk Next Door | Heart of a Hero | To Honor and To Protect
Her Undercover Defender | Gunning For The Groom | Heavy-Artillery Husband | Investigating Christmas | Marriage Confidential | Reluctant Hero
For a full list of Regan’s books visit ReganBlack.com
Click here to subscribe to her newsletter and never miss a new release!