Hidden in Shadow Pines (18 page)

Authors: Nancy Roe

CHAPTER FORTY

Monday, June 1, 2015, 9 a.m.
(two years later)

Ten days’ worth of clothes lay spread across the bed. I had socks, undergarments, shoes, belts, scarves, jewelry, and toiletries to pack. I started folding the clothes and layered them gently into the suitcase.

Jaime walked into my bedroom, holding an iPad in one hand and a glass of water in the other. “Is the author ready for her book tour?”

“I’ll be finished packing in a minute. Is my assistant ready for the book tour?”

“Of course. I definitely didn’t pack as much as you. But you’re the star of the moment.” Jaime giggled. “Hurry up. We’ve got to be at the bookstore in an hour. Ed will be bringing breakfast in a few minutes.”

“I’ll be right there.”

The reviews for
Don’t Trust the Shadows
were fabulous.
The New York Times
said, “…
will keep you guessing from the beginning”
and
USA Today
said, “
Intrigue and discovery make this book a page turner
.” My publisher had put together a six-state book tour for me. I was having my first signing at Rae’s Bookstore in Darden in an hour, having done several radio and television interviews over the past week. A large crowd was expected. Pre-orders of my book had been brisk. Today was the official launch day.

I walked down the front stairs, carrying the heavy suitcase. I left it by the door, then walked into the kitchen for breakfast.

“Here’s the beautiful author,” Ed said as he gave me a kiss on the cheek.

I laughed. “You’re prejudiced because I’m your granddaughter.”

Ed winked. “Nonsense.”

Jaime marched into the kitchen, chatting on her iPhone, “Oh, okay. Sure. Right. Bye.” Without missing a beat she switched from iPhone to iPad. “Just got word that they added another stop in the tour. Thursday you’re going to do a morning signing, then two hours away you’ll do an evening signing.” Jaime tapped her iPad. “Guess I know what I’m doing this afternoon. Talking to the bookstore and making sure they have the right arrangements for us.”

“Jaime, relax,” I told her. “Everything will be fine. Sit and have breakfast.”

By noon, the bookstore had sold out of my books. Thirty minutes later, I’d signed the last copy.

“I can’t believe the signing went by so fast. Thanks for sitting with me, Grandfather,” I said.

“Anything for you. And Jaime did a fabulous job. I thought she was going to be hyper all morning, but she calmed down once you started signing books.”

Jaime chimed in, “Okay. Everything is wrapped up on our end. Lunch is on Isabella.”

I laughed. “And why am I buying?”

“You’re the one making all the money today. I’m just an underpaid assistant. And your grandfather sat with you all morning. It’s the least you could do for us.”

We all laughed. “Car is out back. Let’s go,” Jaime said.

We were still laughing when we walked out the back door. Then we all suddenly stopped. Zachary and Oliver stood in front of my car.

“Congratulations on the success of your book, Isabella,” Zachary said.

I stood there feeling stunned. “Thank you. How did you know we’d be here?”

“Things have changed quite a bit since you left,” Oliver added. “We’d like you to come have lunch in Shadow Pines. A lot of people there want to thank you.”

I’d never, ever thought about going back there. Trying to sound polite, I said, “That’s a very nice offer, but…”

Zachary interrupted, “Please. It would mean a great deal to us.”

I looked at Jaime, then at Grandfather. He nodded. Were we all crazy? “Okay. We’ll follow you in our car.”

“Very well. I’ll let them know we’re on our way.”

Zachary reached in his pocket and pulled out a cell phone. “We’ll be there in fifteen minutes.” He hung up and said to me, “I told you things have changed.”

The dirt road that once led to the guard station was now paved. A small sign read “Shadow Pines—1 mile.” A large stone sign stood at the entrance where the gates formerly were.
Welcome to Shadow Pines
. “That’s definitely different,” I said.

Signs lined the streets.
Welcome. Way to Go, Isabella. Congratulations.
Balloons tied to each sign fluttered in the wind.

The church parking lot was now a giant picnic area, and a stage had been set up near the entrance. We parked in front of the church and got out of the car to applause. I felt as though I were having a dream. We followed Zachary and Oliver up the stairs and onto the stage.

“Calm down, people,” Zachary said into the mic. He motioned for me to come to the microphone. “First I want to congratulate Isabella on the success of her book.”

The crowd cheered.

“Second, I want to thank Ed and Jaime for helping put together this luncheon.”

I was shocked. I turned to look at them. They had smiles on their faces.

“And by the look on Isabella’s face, this was a total surprise.” More cheers. “Would you like to say a few words?”

I was in disbelief as I walked to the microphone. “I never thought I’d ever return to Shadow Pines. I’m overwhelmed with the outpouring of appreciation you all have shown me today. Thank you.”

“We’ll let our guests be first in line, then dig in!” Zachary said.

“I’ve been worried for the last month I was going to slip up and say something about this day,” Jaime whispered.

“I’m at a loss for words,” I told her.

“We’ll discuss the town’s transformation when we get home,” Ed said. “Just enjoy your day.”

I saw many familiar faces, clearly remembering Alberta, Rosemary, Dena, Dona, and Louise. Jaime had arranged for the publisher to send books to the town, and I spent an hour autographing copies.

Four hours later, Jaime, Ed, and I were sitting at my dining room table discussing the day’s events.

“Sorry I had you scrambling this morning to pack. The book signing you thought was tonight is actually tomorrow at noon. We’ll leave in the morning,” Jaime said.

“I’m not sure what to think of today. Grandfather, I assume you have a story to tell.”

“Six months after we escaped, I had a visitor. It was Zachary. He told me that the essence of Shadow Pines changed the night Hudson died. The town decided to bring in the Darden police and Devlin, Francine, and Claudia were taken into custody.

“It turns out that Claudia killed Paige. Lincoln asked Paige to spy on Isabella. Paige changed her mind after she got to know you, Isabella. Claudia didn’t like the change of events and decided killing Paige would prevent her from talking. Claudia tried hard to make it look like you’d killed her.

“All three are now in prison. Since the secrecy of Shadow Pines had been shattered, the townspeople voted to become an actual city. A lot of paperwork later, the city of Shadow Pines became official in late 2014. By that time, the gates were gone and outsiders welcome. Even though the townspeople could leave, most of them stayed.”

I said, “I thought the town would be angry that I wrote the book.”

“Only a few people in Shadow Pines and the three of us know it’s based on real happenings,” Ed explained.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Most of the townspeople had nothing to be ashamed of, even though they had a lifetime of deception to put behind them.

“One more thing.” Ed held my hand. “It’s about the money in the Shadow Pines bank account. The bank performed an audit. It’s still there. Over five-hundred-thousand dollars.”

“As if you two weren’t rich enough already.” Jaime laughed. I looked at Ed and we both laughed as well.

“I’d like to give some of the money to Shadow Pines to help them with the revitalization,” I said.

“That’s an excellent idea, sweetheart.”

Jaime cleared her throat. “And if you want to give your fabulous assistant a bonus… I’m just saying.”

“Well, girls, it’s time for this old man to retire for the evening.” Ed stood and gave Jaime and me each a kiss on the forehead. “You have fun on the book tour. I’ll see you when you get back.”

“I’m going to bed as well. Tomorrow promises to be a long day,” Jaime said.

I nodded. “I’m not far behind.”

I held a cup of coffee, reviewing the day’s activities. I couldn’t believe how lucky I was. I put the cup in the sink, then turned off the lights. As I closed the blinds, I looked out the window to see a white van parked across the street. My heart went into high gear.

But I had nothing to be afraid of now. Did I?

ABOUT THE AUTHOR