Appearing before the Senate Select Committee on Eastern European crime, Josie Bates testifies passionately about the brutal Albanian blood feud that has sent Hannah into hiding with Billy Zuni and Archer on a quest to find them. While Senator Patriota, the man sure to be the next president of the United States, promises his patronage Josie isn't convinced he was even listening - but someone was.
Charging through the crush of bodies, evading security, a frantic man launches himself at Josie. Toppling her to the ground, he pushes something into her hands, puts his lips against her ear and whispers five words that will send her from the icy winter of Washington, D.C. to the tropical warmth of Hawaii in search of Hannah. What Josie finds is a horrific, long buried truth that will change her life forever - if she stays alive long enough to live it.
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]]