Somewhere, Northwest, 1951
Sue Lee could smell gasoline; apparently, they stopped for fuel. She was about to shout when she heard the creaking sound of the trailer door opening.
"Dammit, he must have a set of extra ears. He's going to use that blasted peek hole again." She quickly tore a piece of her blouse, shoving it down the hole, watching it drop onto the pavement before rolling back into bed, moaning to cover up her movements, hoping he would assume she was still in a drug-induced state. Sue Lee's head was turned toward the wall but could see a small circle of light from the peek hole when he opened it. "Come in here, you bastard, I will kill you." The peek hole light went out. In a short time, they were moving again. They seem to be driving endlessly. "When did he sleep? Dammit, at this rate, I'll run out of clothing." She looked again where he must have torn her blouse, carrying her into the trailer. Tearing it once more, she shoved another piece of clothing through the hole, hoping to leave a trail. "Maybe I should leave something more provocative, but I need my bra to choke the bastard."
When Jane Madarang's neighbor Natalie kills herself and leaves behind cryptic instructions, it's up to Jane and her classmates to unearth deadly secrets.
*****
Natalie Driscoll is dead.
She threw herself out a window and left her neighbor Jane to unravel their town's darkest secrets. Following Natalie's instructions leads Jane to three other high school students who all have something to hide. The four of them must carry out Natalie's final errand while solving the mysteries written in her diary. But the secrets they unearth may be far more dangerous than what they ever imagined.
Content and/or trigger warning: This story contains scenes of suicide, violence and murder that may be triggering for some readers.
[[word count: 100,000-150,000 words]]