All Hallow's Eve: The One Day It's BAD to Be Good (29 page)
Read All Hallow's Eve: The One Day It's BAD to Be Good Online
Authors: Carolyn McCray
* * *
Paxton fished the key from his pocket and opened the front door. He wasn’t quite sure what kind of reception Susan was going to give him, but he didn’t care. Paxton let Cecilia and Jeremy in first, and then gently closed the door behind them. They all walked into the kitchen to find Susan pouring herself a drink.
“Where have you been?” she slurred. “I’ve been worried sick about you!”
“For what?” Jeremy countered. “The whole ten minutes you’ve been conscious?”
“Jeremy!” Paxton barked. “I’ll handle this.”
Susan went to stand, but nearly spilled the whole bottle of wine. Cecilia rushed over to her mother.
“Jeremy, don’t make this any harder—”
“Oh, no!” Jeremy stated. “Not after everything we’ve just been through! I can’t take this—”
“You won’t have to,” Paxton stated firmly. He guided Cecilia away from her mother, and then herded both kids toward the staircase. “You two go to bed. I’ve got this.”
“Uncle Pax, you don’t understand,” Cecilia said. “She’s going to need—”
But Paxton cut her off. “I know what she needs.”
Did he ever. The kids didn’t know it, but he had grown up in far worse circumstances. Both he and Susan had. He knew all too well what an unreformed drunk needed. “Now. Go. To. Bed.”
They both looked at him as though he were crazy. “Scram!” he added, sending them scurrying up the stairs.
Paxton turned to his sister, who was still trying to pour that glass of wine. He took the bottle away from her.
“Give me that!” she slurred, but Paxton set the bottle on the counter and sat down next to his sister.
“Susan, we need to talk.”
His sister snorted. “I don’t need any of your sanctimonious lectures, Pax.”
“You are right. You don’t. So I am just going to tell you how it is going to be. Either I move in here, or the kids move in with me.”
And the possibly half-starved cockatiel, but he would cross that bridge when he came to it.
“So we are in our knight-in-shining-armor mode,” Susan sneered. “I am sure it will pass by the morning.”
Paxton took his sister’s hand. “I’m not joking, Susan. You are going to get some help, and I am taking charge of the kids.”
She snatched her hand back. “You don’t have the right.”
He leaned back in the kitchen chair. “You don’t think that, as a detective, that I can’t get temporary custody of the kids? If you do, then you are drunker than I thought.”
Tears sprang to his sister’s eyes. “I’m as bad as Dad, aren’t I?”
“No,” Paxton answered. “No, Susan, but you are pretty messed up, and those kids deserve better. From both of us.”
He got up as Susan sobbed, and held her. Paxton was as much to blame as Susan. He had seen her teeter after her husband’s death. He had seen the signs, but he pulled back into himself. A part of him refused to live that life again.
Paxton knew that none of this was going to be easy—for any of them. He had seen their father try to give up the bottle more times than he could count. But after the island?
Nothing seemed quite so daunting anymore.
* * *
Cecilia put her arm around her brother as they sat just out of sight on the stairs.
“You know what?” she asked Jeremy.
“What?”
“I think we are going to be okay.”
Her brother hugged her back. “Maybe, but not until I dump everything Dahmer in my life!”
They both jumped up and ran into his room. The Dahmer shrine took on a whole new creepy level. It felt so very good to tear down all those stupid posters and stomp on the CDs.
Nearly frenzied, she and Jeremy purged the room of anything black and sinister. Finally, they stood in a barely recognizable room. The walls were a light blue, except, of course, where the paint stuck to the tape, revealing white underneath.
“So? How are you going to decorate now?” Cecilia asked her brother.
“I was thinking about old-school Pokemon.” Jeremy said, and then he tilted his head. “And I’m gonna start listening to the Carpenters.”
“You
and
me, Jeremy,” Cecilia agreed. “You and me both.”
###
Afterword
Thank you so much for reading
All Hallow’s Eve
! I hope you loved reading it as much as I loved researching all those martyr’s deaths.
If you enjoyed
All Hallow’s Eve
I would ask you a little favor to go back to wherever you purchased this book (Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, etc) and please leave an honest review.
Authors live and die by their reviews and the few extra seconds it takes you, really helps us authors out!
And if you are looking for more great mystery thrillers read on to the next section!
Other Works by Carolyn
If you enjoyed the twists and turns of
All Hallow’s Eve
, you might want to try my #1 Bestselling (under Police Procedurals and Hard-Boiled Mysteries)…
In the words of
New York Times
best-selling author,
James Rollins
(
Altar of Eden
and
Devil Colony
)…
“
Wickedly macabre and blisteringly paced,
PLAIN JANE
marks the debut of a thriller for the new millennium. Brash, funny, terrifying, and shocking, here is a story best enjoyed with all the lights on. Don’t say I didn't warn you!”
More praise for
Plain Jane: Brunettes Beware
.
"This book is so creepy. I made the mistake of starting in one night before bed. Not only did the story line keep me turning pages, it freaked me out to the point that I didn't want to turn off my light."
The Book Goddess
Book Reviewer
"This one had me flipping pages until 2 in the morning. I knew when I saw the quote from James Rollins (one of my favorites) that I would get at least my money's worth out of the book, but I had NO idea what laid in store for me."
Mimi - Novel Ideas
The purchase or sample Plain Jane: Brunettes Beware simply click here.
* * *
If you like your thrillers with a supernatural twist, check out
Widowmaker: Read It If You Dare
by Carolyn McCray and Elena Gray.
Praise for
WidowMaker: Read it if you Dare
…
"If you are tired of the same old horror formulas, and like wit and originality as much as you like gore, grab a copy of
Widowmaker
, pop up some popcorn (suggestion, don't add that oily ersatz butter stuff that can occasionally mimic blood...) and settle in for a movie buff's treat
of a horror story."
Romantichick
Book Reviewer
"From the first page to the last,
WidowMaker
rocks, out loud. Part thriller, part horror and completely awesome,
WidowMaker
is filled with great characters and situations that are just impossible enough to believe. You can't find a better read."
ThrillersRockT
Book Reviewer
"A film that kills people? Yep, we were right there for it. And how West and Gray weave such a great suspense tale amongst all the carnage is truly brilliant. And of course, we appreciated the sexual tension between the F.B.I. agent and his ex-fiance. I have no idea how you could create a sequel, but we want one!"
ParaYourNormal
Book Reviewer
Overview
Terror in the Trees
, the latest uber-low budget slasher flick is slaying people... literally. But is it all hype or is there an evil force behind the supposed deaths? Special Agent Bolder had best find out before the President attends the Hollywood premiere...
To purchase or sample
WidowMaker: Read if you Dare
, simply click here.
* * *
Like your mystery with some Mixed Martial Arts Kick? Then
Full Body Contact: Is He a Fighter or a Killer? is for you!
Praise for
Full Body Contact: A Thriller with some MMA Kick!
“Wow! The chemistry between a by-the-book detective and a bad boy MMA fighter was hot! I found myself questioning if I would make the same choices in Alexis' position. Stayed up late reading this one!”
Bookdiva
“Carolyn McCray is known for her ability to write taut, intelligent thrillers, but wow, she and Elena Grey have written a smart but physical thriller this time. The fight scenes are incredible and let's just say you should have a cold shower ready after the sex scene. Definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes thrillers, not just those involving the mixed martial arts.”
Thrillers RockT
Book Reviewer
Overview:
As broken bodies pile up in back alleys, a disgraced Mixed Martial Arts champion is the prime suspect.
Can a rookie detective use her beauty and fighting skills to seduce the truth or will she pay the ultimate price for believing in him?
More praise for
Full Body Contact
“I seldom read martial arts thrillers, but I couldn't resist
Full Body Contact
. The pages flew by. I just had to know. Did he do it? Was he playing Alexis or truly reformed? And the conclusion? Suspense at its very best.?