Chapters
A small, dark place was filled with swirling smoke and colorful lights. The air smelled like spilled drinks and a bit of old wood. The lights from neon signs flickered, showing worn-out posters on the walls.
CHAPTER 01One-Hit Wonder 
They walked into the broad, wide living room with a thick carpet in the shade of light autumn. Owen and his nurse were sitting next to each other. He was in his wheelchair, and she was………
CHAPTER 02Ghosts of the Town
Alex glanced outside the window; moonlight sculpted the hills, painting silver streaks across Evan’s lawn as a visual counterpoint to the nearby stream beyond Eden Hills.
He turned and climbed the stairs….
CHAPTER 03The Comedian’s Set He turned and climbed the stairs….
The university campus had evolved into a hotbed of activism and opposition, even from the students at the local high schools. The major university was ground zero for activism. Surrounded by………
CHAPTER 04Protest and Pain
Alex had parked his motorbike far from Andrea Lucado’s house, yet it was close enough for a clear view. He waited for her for quite a while, and as time slipped by………….
CHAPTER 05Irish Blood
Moving with jerky urgency in his room, Alex was fueled by a growing sense of desperation. Clothes were piled on a rickety chair, empty fast-food wrappers littered the floor, and an……………..
CHAPTER 06Dealer’s Den
Eleanor gripped the steering wheel tightly while her gaze was fixed on the road ahead. Margaret was sitting beside her, perfectly still like a statue carved from silence. The rhythmic whir of the tires….
CHAPTER 07Deep End Gig
Carson was sitting hunched on the worn leather sofa, holding a half-empty bottle of whiskey. The room was a mess; overturned furniture cushions littered the floor, and an antique lamp lay…..
CHAPTER 08A Lover’s Lament
Margaret was sitting alone in the interrogation room. A single bare table and, next to it, another single chair, which were the only pieces of furniture in this small room.
The….
CHAPTER 09Memories and Mourning The….
Leah’s mother, Grace, lives in a Section 8 project. When Leah arrives, Grace opens the door, and they embrace warmly. They go to the kitchen, where Grace puts the kettle……
CHAPTER 10Mother’s Day
Alex and his father were watching the local TV news station. A reporter asks Caleb, “Has Margaret Bailey been charged with the murder of Carson Finley?”
Caleb answers, “This is an……
CHAPTER 11A New Day’s Sunday Caleb answers, “This is an……
Alex tries frantically to call Leah, but he gets no answer. He leaves her an urgent voice to call him right away. Too nervous and too excited to wait to call her again, Alex gets…….
CHAPTER 12A Bitter Farewell