Heartstopper (52 page)

I even fooled the sheriff, although he proved to be far more capable at his job than I’d initially suspected. Yes, sir, I’m the first to admit I seriously underestimated that man. Not that I was the only one to do so. I think the whole town felt he was decidedly past his prime. Maybe even Sheriff Weber felt that way. At any rate, it was interesting to watch him grow in stature as his investigation proceeded, the natural way he assumed control, the dramatic way he came through in the end. My mother claims he’s a shoo-in for reelection, unlike our tiny, perfect mayor, who she says the town now regards as a tiny, perfect ass. No, if there’s room in this story for a hero, I think John Weber, with all his flaws, is it. And I like to think I can take at least part of the credit for that.

Which brings us back to me.

Things didn’t turn out quite the way I’d planned. I certainly didn’t anticipate getting caught. And I sure didn’t envision being locked away for the rest of my life. Not that that’s likely to happen. As it turns out, that’s not the way things work in our criminal justice system.

When I was sent to the Maple Downs Mental Health Center, it was my assumption, as well as, I’m sure, the assumption of most of the good people of Torrance, that I’d be here for the rest of my days. I’d received a life sentence after all. But as luck would have it, a life sentence doesn’t
necessarily mean they put you away for life. My situation will be reviewed every couple of years. If I keep going to therapy, and taking my meds, and cooperating with the doctors, and behaving myself, well, I could be out a lot sooner than anyone realizes.

I’m only eighteen after all.

What’s that old song?
I’ve got a lot of living to do?

Stay tuned.

After spending a year in prison, Ralph has explicit plans for his first night of freedom: tonight, someone will be held accountable. He goes to murderous lengths to learn the address of his former wife—the woman he blames for his fate, and has sworn vengeance against. Determined to bring her to his idea of justice, Ralph’s next step is to travel from Florida to Ohio to find his ex-wife’s house on Mad River Road.

Also in Florida, Jamie Kellogg wakes from an agonizing nightmare of her mother’s funeral, and assesses her life: a twenty-nine-year-old woman in a dead-end job, with an ex-husband in Atlanta, a married lover in the hospital, and a virtual stranger in her bed. But this stranger is everything the previous men in her life weren’t: tender, attentive and adventurous. After convincing Jamie to quit her miserable job and ditch her judgmental, perfectionist sister, Ralph proposes a romantic getaway. While Jamie wonders if this thrilling man might finally be her Prince Charming, they plan a road trip to visit his son, who lives with his mother on a street called Mad River Road….

SEAL BOOKS
/
ISBN: 978-0-7704-2959

Amanda Travis is a beautiful twenty-eight-year-old criminal attorney who wins just about every case for her less than admirable clientele. She races through her glamorous life, her only concerns being herself, a good bottle of red, and her pristine Palm Beach condo. Her estranged mother, dead father, two ex-husbands, and countless one-night stands have since lagged far, far behind.

But when ex #1 won’t stop calling, Amanda finally gives in and learns that her mother has shot a man in the lobby of Toronto’s Four Seasons hotel. Despite her best arguments, Amanda knows she must return to her hometown to face her demons and uncover the truth about the dark, strange power her mother seems to hold over everyone. Her childhood nickname, Puppet, echoing in her ears, Amanda must finally confront the past and learn to stand on her own.

SEAL BOOKS
/
ISBN: 978-0-7704-2958-4

Losing Julia has become a constant in Cindy Carver’s life. The first time Julia disappeared, she was five years old and vanished at the playground. That inspired motherly paranoia. The second was when, at age fourteen, Julia decided to move in with her father. That broke Cindy’s heart. But when twenty-one-year-old Julia disappears without a trace after a promising audition with one of Hollywood’s most powerful and influential directors, Cindy begins a frantic search. Secrets are revealed, lives are forever altered, and Cindy is forced to acknowledge the disturbing truth about the young woman she realizes she never really knew….

SEAL BOOKS
/
ISBN: 978-0-7704-2920-1

Jane Whittaker finds herself on a downtown street, her pockets stuffed with a large number of crisp $100 bills, the front of her dress soaked with blood. She has no idea of her identity.

After a terrifying night of hiding, Jane ends up in hospital. There, while undergoing a battery of medical tests, she is recognized by one of the nurses. Soon her husband comes to claim her. He is every woman’s dream: popular, respected, wealthy, a tall, blond doctor. He takes Jane home and vows to cure her with loving care and modern medicine.

But Jane doesn’t get any better. The medication seems to be turing her into a zombie, and she begins to feel that her private nurse is holding her a virtual prisoner in her own home, isolating her from friends who might help her recover. Can Jane remember her past in time … in time to stop whatever it is that is happening to her, whatever made her lose her memory in the first place, whatever is trying to destroy her and her family? …

SEAL BOOKS
/
ISBN: 978-0-7704-2985-0