New Book Release on the Way! (Read 178 times)

[booksoapwriter81]

Since it is coming time for the new and improved version of Take Me To Court!, my tenth Welcome to Keystone novel, to be released for sale, I will be spending the month of February sharing scenes that will allow everyone to have a preview of the four main storylines that occur in this book. This week, the Lawrence and Riches families literally enter the courtroom as Keri Ann and Jody Lawrence fight to gain restitution for a car accident that was caused by Cahuenga Riches and her boyfriend when they were driving under the influence of alcohol. But while she and Jody initially have the upper hand against Cahuenga, will Keri Ann's own testimony hold up once shrewd and cunning Sapphire Riches cross examines her? Find out in the excerpt below!

Grilled By The Enemy

As Jody gave her sister a grateful smile, up on the bench, Judge Miller, who had paused in order to ask a court officer to take the medical report to the copier, looked up and cleared his throat again. “Mr. Darski,” he said, “you may call your next witness.”


Standing up, Kevin straightened his suit jacket and announced, “Your Honor, I call Miss Keri Ann Lawrence to the stand.”


Pushing back her chair, Keri Ann stood up and brushed her loose wavy hair behind her ears. Then she turned and began to make her way up to the witness stand, the black pumps that she was wearing with a black knee-length skirt and a black long-sleeve blazer, which had gold buttons, that was open over a white silk short-sleeve blouse clicking against the floor as she walked.


As Keri Ann reached the witness stand, the bailiff, who was once again waiting with the Bible, stepped forward and thrust it out in front of her. “Please place your right hand on the Bible,” he requested. After Keri Ann had done so, he asked, “Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?”


Keri Ann nodded. “I do,” she replied.


As the bailiff removed the Bible and turned to head back to his seat, Kevin stepped up to the witness stand. “Miss Lawrence,” he said, clasping his hands behind
his back as he stopped in front of her, “can you tell the court what happened on the night of the accident from your point of view?”


“Well,” began Keri Ann as she settled into the chair on the witness stand and crossed her legs, “as Jody said before, we were coming back from her acting audition, and we had to drive through most of Citrus Grand because of the downed trees and power lines that were blocking the main road between Keystone and San Pepe.” Taking a deep breath, she folded her hands in her lap and continued with, “When I reached Busy Lane, I drove to the intersection of it, Fashion Boulevard, and Sucrose Road. The light was red when I got there, but I pulled into the intersection as soon as it turned green.”


“And what direction did you intend to go?” asked Kevin.


“Right,” replied Keri Ann. “Right onto Fashion Boulevard since that’s the road that would have taken me east toward Sunny Brook where we live.” Shaking her head, she continued with, “But I wasn’t able to complete the turn because a stray cat ran out in front of me, and I had to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting it.”


“So when the SUV hit you…” Kevin prompted.


“The back end of my car was out in the intersection,” Keri Ann confirmed. “The SUV slammed into the back bumper first and then sent us sailing out into the intersection where it collided with us a few more times before I hit my head on the steering wheel and passed out.”


“So did you see it coming?” asked Kevin.


Keri Ann shook her head. “Not at first since I was focused on the cat,” she admitted. “But Jody got my attention by screaming at me to look out because she heard the roaring noise she mentioned earlier and turned to see what it was. And the minute I turned around and saw that car speeding toward us, I did everything I could to swerve my car away from it.” Looking down at her lap, she sighed and regretfully said, “Unfortunately, none of my efforts were enough since the SUV was just going too fast for me to be able to get us out of the way in time.”


A sympathetic expression on his face, Kevin took a deep breath and declared, “You say that you didn’t pass out right away. That you had time to try to maneuver the car out of the way.”


Looking back up at her lawyer, Keri Ann nodded. “Yes,” she confirmed. “That’s right.”


“Now since you were in close proximity with it,” Kevin continued, “were you at anytime able to see who was inside the SUV?”


Warily watching Sapphire and Cahuenga out of the corner of her eye, Keri Ann took a deep breath and replied, “I didn’t realize it at the time since everything was happening so fast, but as the memories of the accident came back to me in the days following it, I distinctly remembered seeing a girl with blond hair in the car. And my subconscious told me that the girl was Cahuenga Riches.”


Just as Keri Ann had expected, within milliseconds of her mentioning Cahuenga’s name, Sapphire shot up out of her chair and shouted, “Objection, Your Honor!”


Turning his attention to the outraged lawyer, Judge Miller asked, “Yes, Miss Riches? To what do you object here?”


“First of all,” began Sapphire as she straightened her blazer, “if the car was speeding the way Miss Lawrence claims, how could she possibly get a glimpse of anyone inside it? And if, by chance, she really did see a flash of blond hair, how can the court take her assumption that the girl to whom it belonged was my sister?” Crossing her arms over her chest, she looked the judge straight in the face and continued with, “I’ll have you know, Your Honor, that there is a long-standing feud between my family and the Lawrence family. And more than likely, Miss Lawrence’s mixed-up mind decided that someone from my family had to be responsible for harming her because she apparently doesn’t believe in coincidence.”


As a gasp rose from everyone in the room, Judge Miller picked up his gavel and rapped it against the bench. “Order!” he shouted, immediately silencing the wave of murmuring that had started to crest. Setting his gavel down, he turned back to Sapphire, narrowed his eyes at her, and declared, “Miss Riches, you are out of line. Family feuds don’t have a part in this. Yet.” But nevertheless, he turned back to Kevin and declared, “Objection sustained. Now, Mr. Darski, have you anything else to ask the witness?”


Kevin nodded. “Yes, Your Honor,” he replied. “I have one more question.” Turning back to Keri Ann, he declared, “As was mentioned before, the accident supplied your sister with a hefty hospital bill. Did it result in the same sort of expenses for you?”


Keri Ann nodded. “Yes,” she replied. “While my own injuries did not result in a hospital stay, I was still billed for an MRI and a physical examination that were given when we were brought to the hospital on the night of the accident. And in addition to the hospital bill, I now must pay a bill for extensive car repairs.”


“And we have evidence of all of those costs,” announced Kevin as he walked back over to the plaintiff’s table and removed a couple more documents from his folder. “Costs that we are hoping will be covered by the defendant as restitution for victimizing my clients.”


“Thank you, Mr. Darski,” said Judge Miller as the lawyer turned and carried the documents up to the bench. “Have you now finished your line of questioning?”


After handing the documents up to the judge, Kevin nodded. “Yes, Your Honor,” he replied as he took a step backward. “I have nothing further to ask Miss Lawrence.”


Judge Miller nodded. “Very good,” he said. Turning to Sapphire as Kevin turned and started walking back to his chair, he announced, “Miss Riches, if you wish to cross examine this witness, you may begin now.”


And here it is, thought Keri Ann as Sapphire, who had remained standing following her outburst, came out from behind her table and began to briskly walk toward the witness stand. The moment Sapphire’s most likely been waiting for ever since she learned that she would be defending Cahuenga against Jody and me. The moment when she gets to grill me in front of an audience and do everything she can to trip me up and make me look like a complete fool.


“Miss Lawrence,” began Sapphire as she stopped in front of the witness stand and crossed her arms again. “Your sister stated earlier that she and you stayed at the restaurant that you went to with some of her classmates until a pretty late hour.”


“Yes,” Keri Ann slowly confirmed, a distrustful look crossing her face as she tried to figure out where exactly Sapphire was going with a question related to a fact that had not been mentioned in her own testimony.


“And because you stayed out late and then had to take a detour back to Keystone, you most likely arrived in town at some odd hour of the morning,” continued Sapphire. “So do you remember exactly what time it was when the accident occurred?”


“Somewhere between one-thirty and one-forty-five AM,” Keri Ann automatically replied.


“Yes,” Sapphire agreed with a nod. “One thirty-seven AM is what is written on the accident report. Now what I would like to know is whether or not that is a time when you are normally awake.”


“No,” Keri Ann slowly replied. “Depending on what day of the week it is, I usually go to bed sometime between ten and midnight.”


“Uh-huh,” said Sapphire. “So since you were forced to stay up approximately three hours past your normal bedtime on the night of the accident, one can assume that you were very tired when you were driving your sister back from her audition. Would that be correct?”


Keri Ann shrugged. “Well, sure,” she said. “I was tired since it was a long day and a long evening.” Shaking her head after a moment, she added, “But that didn’t mean that I wasn’t alert enough to drive safely. I mean, I was so worried about the babysitting disaster that my younger sister, Kaitlin, was experiencing at home that night that my adrenaline was running high, and I actually felt wide awake for the whole trip.”


“And can one assume that you were rushing?” asked Sapphire, a small ironic smirk playing at the corners of her mouth as she found yet another way to twist the words that Keri Ann had just used to defend herself. “Rushing to get home to help your sister?”


But Keri Ann shook her head. “No,” she replied. “I mean, I definitely wanted to get there quickly, but I didn’t speed or break any traffic laws in order to do so.”


“But you were still distracted,” Sapphire surmised. “Distracted and tired. And you yourself stated that you hit your head, passed out, and later had to have an MRI, which would imply that not all was right with your head following the accident.”


“I lost some memories,” Keri Ann admitted. “That’s true.” Shaking her head after a moment, she added, “But as I also said, I regained them over the next few days after I had had a chance to rest and recover.”


“And are you sure the memories you regained are an accurate representation of what actually happened that night?” asked Sapphire.


Keri Ann frowned. “Excuse me?” she asked.


“Simply this,” replied Sapphire. “Based on the memories you recalled, can you one hundred percent without a doubt identify my sister as the driver of the vehicle that hit you? I mean, did you see her face?”


Swallowing hard, Keri Ann shook her head. “No,” she admitted after a minute.


“And there you have it,” Sapphire triumphantly declared as she turned to face the jury. “Proof that the plaintiff’s assertion that the blond girl in the vehicle was my sister is based solely on a set of fractured memories that were created when she was in a very exhausted and anxious state of mind.”


As the jury began to furiously jot down some notes, Keri Ann, whose mouth had dropped open in shock at how quickly and skillfully Sapphire had been able to manipulate the truth into looking like a complete falsehood, quickly shook herself back into reality. “It doesn’t even matter!” she insisted. “Not now when the police have DNA evidence that clearly proves that…”


But before Keri Ann could finish her sentence, Judge Miller picked up his gavel and pounded it against his bench. “Order!” he called out, causing Keri Ann to jump slightly. Looking down at the young woman after he had set down his gavel, he declared, “Miss Lawrence, it is not your place to tell the court what evidence the police have uncovered regarding this situation. Instead, it will be up to the officers themselves to present that.”


Her cheeks flushing red, Keri Ann looked down at her lap and quietly nodded. “Yes, Your Honor,” she softly said.


Folding his hands on the bench, Judge Miller turned back to Sapphire and asked, “Have you any more questions for Miss Lawrence, Miss Riches?”


But Sapphire shook her head. “No, Your Honor,” she replied as she turned to face him. “I am finished.”

Copyright 2021 

[fluffysmom]

Congratulations booksoapwriter81!

[booksoapwriter81]

Feb 2, 2021 23:49:34 GMT -5 fluffysmom said:

Congratulations booksoapwriter81 !

Thanks, fluffysmom!

[booksoapwriter81]

And here is the second excerpt.  In this storyline, Kiki Canon has decided to introduce her first serious boyfriend, Devin Cambridge, to her parents. But how will Blake and Cloey react when they realize that Devin is is the opposite of everything they ever envisioned in a mate for their daughter? Find out in the excerpt below!

The Evidence of a First Impression

Out in the Canon foyer where she had been waiting nearly twenty minutes for her mother to track down her father, Kiki sat with Devin on the mahogany wood bench that stood just outside the entryway to the living room anxiously bouncing her right knee up and down as she continued to warily look back and forth for any signs of her parents. We should just make a run for it instead of sitting here waiting for them to crucify us, she thought. Because based on the way Mom looked at Devin when she first saw him, it was obvious that she wasn’t impressed. And since she’s going to have a chance to talk to Dad about that first impression before he ever meets Devin, then his reaction to him is probably going to be ten times worse!


Noticing the look of absolute terror that was now marring Kiki’s normally pretty and happy face, Devin reached over and gently took her hand. “Hey,” he said, giving her a reassuring smile. “You don’t need to be so scared. Because it’s all going to work out okay.”


Finally turning her eyes on him, Kiki gave Devin a disbelieving look. “Really?” she asked. “You actually believe that when the first thing my mom did when she saw you was look at you like you were illegally trespassing on our property?”


Devin shrugged. “I’ll admit that that was a little disturbing,” he declared. “And not the reaction I was hoping to get.” Shaking his head after a moment, he added, “But the way I see it, Kiki, meeting your parents is just a formality. And no matter what they do or say tonight, it’s not going to be enough to make me want to break up with you.”


“Really?” Kiki hopefully asked, her face brightening with the first bit of hope that she had felt all night.


Nodding, Devin reached up and affectionately placed a hand on her cheek. “Really,” he confirmed as he looked into her eyes. “Because not only are you sweet and talented, but you’re also extremely beautiful. Especially in that dress.”


As Devin’s eyes briefly drifted down to her dress, Kiki felt herself beaming with pride. “Oh, Devin,” she said. “That’s so sweet!”


Devin grinned. “And I mean every word,” he declared as he lifted his eyes back to her face.


Now feeling so exhilarated that all thoughts of her parents and their impending entrance had completely flown out of her mind for the moment, Kiki closed her eyes and eagerly pursed her lips in anticipation of the kiss that usually followed whenever her loving boyfriend spoke those kinds of compliments to her. But just as she felt his face beginning to draw in toward hers, the loud sound of someone clearing his throat suddenly punctuated the air, completely shattering the romantic moment.


“Well, well,” said Blake, who was now standing across the foyer from the bench with his hands clasped behind his back, as his daughter immediately opened her eyes, pulled away from her boyfriend, and turned to look at him and her mother, who was standing beside him, in horror. “Intimate public displays of affection in the middle of my home when I have yet to be formally introduced to this young man. Should I be worried about what has happened when you two have been alone together in private?”


As Devin’s cheeks flushed bright red with embarrassment, Kiki adamantly shook her head and quickly rose to her feet. “Nothing’s happened, Dad,” she assured her father as she smoothed the hem of her dress and took a few steps forward.


“Well, I should hope not,” declared Blake as he and Cloey began to walk over to the bench. “Because as you know, Kiki, as Puerto Ricans, our faith is Catholicism. And Catholicism states that such intimate behavior should not be practiced outside the bond of marriage.” Stopping a few feet from the bench, he turned to Devin, who had also risen to his feet, and added, “No matter what those who practice mainstream American culture believe.”


As Kiki flashed red herself and looked down at the silver-trimmed white tiles that comprised the foyer floor, Devin stepped up next to her and cleared his throat. “I assure you, sir,” he began, “that Kiki and I have never gone beyond what you just saw when it comes to expressing how we feel about each other.”


Feeling slightly bolstered by the fact that Devin had decided to stand up to her father instead of immediately making a beeline for the door, Kiki looked up and gave him a grateful smile. “Yes, Dad,” she said. “Devin has always been a perfect gentleman with me.”


“Well, if you’re a gentleman,” began Cloey, “then that means that you must be a member of a country club. So which one does your family belong to? I mean, I assume that it’s not the one in Citrus Grand being as we would certainly know you and your parents by now if it was.”


His cheeks paling despite the fact that he had just flawlessly handled a much tougher line of interrogation, Devin nervously clasped his hands behind his back and swallowed hard. “Um,” he said. “None actually.”


“Well, then,” said Cloey, her eyebrows rising with chagrin as she turned to look at her husband. “I suppose that explains the fact that he thought it would be appropriate to show up to our party dressed so casually.”


“Yes, son, where do you live?” asked Blake as his wife meaningfully eyed Devin’s sneakers, khaki pants, and light blue short-sleeve button-down shirt, which had thin yellow and yellow-green crisscrosses printed on it. “I mean, if you can’t afford at least one decent suit, your home certainly can’t be up here or over in Citrus Grand, correct?”


Looking Kiki’s father directly in the eye, Devin replied, “I live in the Birdhouses development, sir. On Cardinal Avenue. And even though my house is much smaller than this one, it’s still a perfectly comfortable place to live.”


“Hmm,” said Blake, his brow furrowing with a frown as he crossed his arms over his chest. “Well, if it’s so nice and comfortable, then why don’t you head back down there?”


As her father turned, walked over to the white front door, which had an intricate glass panel in the middle, and pulled it open for Devin, Kiki’s mouth dropped open in shock. “Seriously?” she demanded. “You’re kicking him out?”


But Blake shook his head. “I’m not kicking him out,” he assured his daughter. “He came over to meet us, and now that he has, there’s no longer any reason for him to stay here. So goodnight, Mr. Cambridge.”


Turning to Kiki, Devin gave her a look somewhere between uncertainty and sadness. “I’ll, uh…see you at school tomorrow, I guess,” he declared.


“Yeah,” muttered Kiki, tightly crossing her arms over her chest as her boyfriend turned and started defeatedly trudging toward the open door like a wounded puppy dog. “See you then.”


As Devin stepped through the doorway, stopped, and looked over his shoulder so that he could catch one last glimpse of Kiki, Blake swung the door shut and turned to the small crowd, who had gathered in the entryway of the dining room in order to watch the scene, with a smile. “Well, then,” he said. “Now that that’s settled, shall we get back to the party?”


From his spot next to Milena, Jerry Pardinsky, who was dressed in a black long-sleeve suit jacket, which was open over matching black pants and a white long-sleeve dress shirt that was accessorized with a purple bowtie, a purple cummerbund, and black dress shoes, approvingly grinned. “Absolutely,” he agreed as he toasted his glass of sangria to Blake. “Because all of us here are ready to head into the ballroom for a little dancing.”


“Excellent,” said Blake. “And perhaps if Georgia is still around, she can play us a few pieces on the grand piano.”


“Ooh, that would be wonderful!” exclaimed Milena as she and the rest of the crowd turned and started to head off in the direction of the Canon ballroom.


As her husband turned and started to follow the group of party guests, Cloey turned to her daughter and said, “Come along, Kiki. There are plenty of boys from the country club here tonight. And I’m sure that many of them will be willing to dance with you.”


But instead of complying with her mother’s request, Kiki, who had been standing in shock since the moment when her father had so callously asked Devin to leave the house, only shook her head in anguish. “No!” she cried, angrily stomping her foot as tears began to rapidly form in her eyes. “I don’t want to! You guys didn’t care about me enough to give Devin, the sweetest guy I’ve even known, a fair chance just because he’s not rich, so I’m definitely not going to do what you want and try to get to know those rich and snotty country-club boys just to make you happy!” And with that, she turned and went racing up the plush light-gray-carpeted stairs, leaving her mother to stand staring after her in openmouthed shock.

Copyright 2021

[booksoapwriter81]

Third excerpt: In this storyline, Buzz Sharlin has come up with the perfect plot to finally uncover the evidence that Johnny and Caterina Lawrence need to prove that they did not willingly become intoxicated at Cahuenga Riches's rave. But will the person he needs to enact it agree to go along with it? Find out in the excerpt below!

Family Plotting

While his stepmother was attempting to leave the Canon party and head home, Buzz was hoping to soon be sending another family member back to the Hadly mansion with her as he sat at his mother’s light brown wood kitchen table munching on a piece of the garlic bread that had been set out along with a large bowl of spaghetti. Ros always said she was probably going to move back in with Dad and Eliza after the holidays were over anyway, he thought, eyeing his sister, who was sitting to his right scooping some spaghetti and meatballs onto her plate, as he took another bite of his bread. And it’s a few weeks past that now, so it’s time she got going, isn’t it?


As Buzz sat considering the best way to broach the subject, his mother, Maureen Sharlin, walked over to the table and set down a smaller serving bowl that was filled with salad. “I’m sorry dinner is so late tonight, guys,” she apologized as she tucked her loose short curly red hair behind her ear, plopped down onto the slate-blue cushion of the light brown chair that stood at the head of the table, and pulled the seat in closer to the table. “But after work today and getting my hair cut this afternoon, I had to go do some grocery shopping. And since there’re three of us here now, that takes a little longer than it used to.”


Recognizing the perfect opening to present his idea, Buzz popped the remainder of his bread piece into his mouth and turned to his mother. “Well,” he said after he had taken a moment to chew and swallow, “maybe if you’re lucky, it’ll just be you and me again soon, Mom.”


As the implication behind her brother’s words hung in the air, Rosalind, who had set down the spaghetti bowl, froze in the middle of reaching for a piece of garlic bread. “Wow, Buzz,” she said, frowning as she slowly turned to look at him, “I didn’t know you wanted to get rid of me that badly.”


Buzz shook his head. “I don’t,” he assured her as she pulled her chosen piece of bread from the basket that was holding the sliced loaf.


“Then what’s this about, Buzz?” asked Maureen, shooting her son the same confused frown as she picked up her fork and dug into the plate of spaghetti that she had already prepared for herself. “Why does it sound like you suddenly want your sister out of this house?”


“Well,” said Buzz, shrugging as he looked down at his lap, “when Ros first moved back in with us, she said that she was only going to be here for a little while and that she planned to go back to Dad’s eventually. So I figure that since she’s been here for a couple of months, that’s going to happen pretty soon, isn’t it?”


As Buzz looked up and gave Rosalind a hopeful look, Maureen solemnly nodded in agreement. “Yes,” she said. “I do remember that this arrangement was only supposed to be temporary.” Turning to her daughter, she asked, “So is that what this is about? Is Buzz trying to unsubtly tell me that you’ve officially made plans to move back into your father’s house because you’re too afraid to tell me yourself?”


As her mother set down her fork, sat back in her chair, crossed her arms, and gave her an expectant look, Rosalind turned to her and shook her head. “Come on, Mom,” she chastised her. “You know I don’t play games like that. When I’m good and ready to go back to Dad’s house, I plan to be totally up front with you about it and tell you immediately.”


“Well, can you maybe be good and ready tomorrow?” pleaded Buzz. “Because I really need you back in that house right now.”


Both their faces now contorting with confusion, Maureen and Rosalind slowly turned to look at Buzz as if he had dropped in from another planet. But before either of them could once again question him about his insistence that Rosalind suddenly switch homes, the white phone that was mounted to the kitchen wall suddenly began to ring.


Letting out a groan, Maureen pushed back her chair and stood up. “Sorry, guys,” she said as she pulled down on the hem of the teal V-neck short-sleeve top that she was wearing with sneakers and dark blue jeans. “But I have to answer that. I’ve been trying to get in touch with a plumber to fix the sink in my bathroom all day, and the last time I called, they said that someone might be able to call me back around seven, so…”


As their mother trailed off, turned, and wandered across the room to answer the phone, Rosalind, who had turned her attention to her when she had started speaking, turned back to Buzz. “All right, Buzz,” she quietly said as she dropped her bread onto her plate, reached up, and rested her left arm on the back of her chair. “What’s really going on? Why do you want me back in Dad’s house so badly that you’re basically asking me to pack up and move out of here tonight?”


Looking down at his lap again, Buzz let out a defeated sigh. “Because I need a favor,” he admitted, squeezing his hands together as their mother, who had picked up the phone by that point, wandered out into the living room with it. “And you’re the only one I know who can maybe get it done for me.”


“Favor?” repeated Rosalind, frowning as she crossed her arms over the silky cerulean-blue long-sleeve shirt, which had a black lace-up placket on the front, that she was wearing with black belted pants that matched her black heeled boots. “What favor? And why can’t I do it here?”


Taking a deep breath, Buzz looked back up at her. “You know how I told you about Johnny?” he asked. “And how his reputation is totally in the toilet because his drink got spiked at that rave we all went to, and people took pictures of him acting stupid and posted them all over the Internet.”


Rosalind nodded. “Uh-huh,” she replied. “And you guys think that Cahuenga and her friends, including our lovely stepsister, Bridget, did it.”


Buzz nodded. “Right,” he confirmed. Shaking his head after a moment, he continued with, “But the only problem is that we don’t have any hard solid proof that they did. And until we do, Johnny’s not getting his rep or his girlfriend back.”


“Mm,” said Rosalind, thoughtfully nodding as her brother finished reiterating the situation to her. “I think I see where this is going now. You think that if I’m back in Dad and Eliza’s house with Bridget, then I just might be able to uncover this proof you need to set everything right.”


Buzz grinned. “Exactly!” he exclaimed. “So will you do it?”


Narrowing her blue eyes at her brother as he fixed her with an eager look, Rosalind frowned. “Why can’t you just do it yourself?” she asked. “I mean, you have a room there too from when Dad and Eliza first got married, and you lived there for two months, so…”


But Buzz just adamantly shook his head. “No way,” he said, holding up a hand in order to signal his refusal. “That’ll look way too suspicious. Everyone there knows how much I hated living there the first time around, so they’ll never buy that I want to move back in.” Dropping his hand into his lap, he shook his head and continued with, “But you, Ros…well, they’re expecting you to come back eventually. So why don’t you just do it now?”


Turning back around as their mother wandered back into the kitchen with the phone in hand and started to wrap up her conversation with the plumber, Rosalind sighed. “I guess you have a point,” she admitted. “I did pretty much promise Dad that I’d come back after the holidays. And I’ve really only stayed a few extra weeks since Mom’s been so happy having me here, so…”


“Plus you know that Bridget deserves to go down,” Buzz reminded her. “Especially after she’s the one who manipulated things so that you would move out in the first place.”


Turning back to her brother, Rosalind determinedly nodded, causing her loose red curls, which ended about an inch beneath her shoulders, to bounce a little. “You’re right,” she agreed. “If it hadn’t been for her messing with my mind and making me believe that I was being a total hypocrite by protesting Lucifer Riches while also living in his neighborhood last fall, then I never would have moved out. And it’s about time she learned that being rich doesn’t give her the power to manipulate my life or anyone else’s for her own needs and entertainment.”


Upon hearing the same fiery and furious determination that had been present in his sister’s voice when she had led those protests against Lucifer two and a half months earlier, Buzz grinned. “So you’re going to do it,” he realized. “You’re going to find proof that Bridget and her friends messed with Johnny at the rave and then bring it straight back to us.”


“Well,” said Rosalind, shaking her head as she turned back to her food and picked up her fork, “I’m not going to purposely spy on her or raid her room. But if I just so happen to be in the right place at the right time and have the means to capture evidence, then…yeah. I’ll pass it along to you.”


“Great!” exclaimed Buzz as he sat up and grabbed his own fork. “So when are you going to head back there?”


Looking over at their mother, who was now hanging up the phone, Rosalind let out a sad sigh. “Tomorrow, I guess,” she decided as she started to wind some spaghetti noodles onto her fork. “If you can do one thing first.”


“What’s that?” asked Buzz.


Turning back to her brother, Rosalind replied, “Figure out a way to explain all of this to Mom.”


Copyright 2021