The Daily Novel

Chapter 25
Cathy tried to walk, fell, then dragged herself across the lawn. “Jennifer!”
The young officer ran to her side. “What’s wrong?”
“My daughter . . . she went back inside!”
“I’ll get her,” he said. “Stay here.” Holding his hand over his nose and mouth, he rushed into the inferno.
Long moments passed before he carried Jennifer’s limp [...]

Chapter 24
Thanks to an overabundance of beer the previous night, the man arrived later than usual to Lauren’s street. His throat grated, raw from cigarettes. He lit another.
Lauren and Cathy would already be on their way to work, he knew—never suspecting what lay ahead for Jennifer. The girl would still be preparing for school. He [...]

Chapter 23
Saturday morning, Lauren drove Cathy and Jennifer to shop for the raw materials they needed to create Cathy’s handicrafts. They returned home with the trunk bulging and Jennifer sandwiched between numerous bags in the back seat; then Lauren left the two, already at work, in the garage and drove to her father’s home. She [...]

Chapter 22
As Ben made rounds, checking patient charts, ordering new tests and medications, or signing release forms for those well enough to go home, he found himself preoccupied with Lauren. On the surface, her rebuff for lunch could be, as she said, because she was tired. But on a deeper level, he felt her old [...]

Chapter 21
The man parked at the curb six houses down from Lauren’s home and waited, drinking coffee straight from a battered thermos. He saw Lauren back out of her garage and drive away, then, a short time later, watched as Cathy left the house and walked to the corner. Ten minutes passed before her bus [...]

Chapter 20
In the three weeks following Halloween, winter roared into the state and dug in its icy claws, stubbornly refusing to budge. Not that Lauren felt the cold—a new warmth filled her as her relationship with Ben Tolson continued to bloom.
With their hectic schedules, they could spend significant time together only on weekends. Then, regardless [...]

Chapter 18
Ten minutes into their drive, Lauren sighed heavily, wondering what favor Cathy wanted now.
“Something bothering you, Lauren?” Ben asked.
“No. I’m fine.” Another sigh.
“Ouch. I’ve found that when women say they’re ‘fine’, it usually means they aren’t.”
“Really, I’m—”
Ben interrupted her. “There are walls of stone and steel, walls of wood and brick, there are also [...]

Chapter 17
Jennifer climbed from the truck, still giggling. Since catching Frank Miles flirting, she’d been teasing him mercilessly. “Get out, you little pest,” Frank said lovingly. “You need to respect your elders.”
“Okay, sport. My Coney Island Casanova. My drive-in Romeo,” Jennifer joked, batting her long lashes.
“Brat!”
“Love you, Grampa.”
“I love you, too. Call me . . [...]

Chapter 16
A mild southerly wind lifted Cathy’s dress as she waited for the bus. In her previous jobs, waitressing, she always hated working Saturdays, but she found herself happy to be going to the shop, no matter the day of the week.     Granted, Charlie became more persistent every day in his clumsy attempts to [...]

Chapter 15
The restaurant reeked of cliché. Red and white checkered tablecloths, wax-dripped Chianti bottles with tall candles stuck in the tops, and plastic grapevines adorning the ceiling and walls—Charlie’s concept of swanky.
Cathy still recalled the way Charlie had devoured Lauren with his eyes. She lifted a mental shovel and dug for a compliment. “I’ll just [...]