House of the Hanging Jade (29 page)

Authors: Amy M. Reade

BOOK: House of the Hanging Jade

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Epilogue

A
nd eventually, everything will be okay.

Marcus was sentenced to three years in a juvenile-justice center, where he currently lives and studies. He even has a new math tutor. We're allowed to visit him three times a week. He expresses deep remorse for what he did, and I believe he's relieved he doesn't have to keep his terrible secret any longer. He's also come to accept my presence in Lars's life. He's had a lot of time to think and understands now that his parents were headed for divorce long before I came into their lives.

Justine is growing into a talented athlete who loves to play tennis and swim. She eventually went kayaking again, though she was initially worried about sharks. She's become more relaxed when she's paddling and seems to enjoy both the serenity and hard work of the sport. Like Marcus, she has accepted me as part of her family and we get along beautifully. She misses Marcus, but understands that he has to face the consequences of his actions. She counts the days until he can live at home again.

Barbie and Callie moved to San Diego shortly after Callie's birth. Justine visits them twice a year, but otherwise stays with us in the house where she grew up. She tells us that Barbie dates lots of different men, but doesn't want to get married again. Barbie has not returned to Hawaii to visit Marcus, but Justine tells us Barbie writes to him regularly. Liko visits Barbie and Callie too, but never when Justine is there. I do stay in touch with Liko via email, but I never see him. It would hurt Lars too much.

The divorce was finalized about a year after Barbie moved to San Diego. We stayed in the big house with the hanging jade and the beautiful views of the Pacific. Lars was concerned that being in the house would bother me, but it doesn't. And we worried that Marcus might find it too difficult to return to the house, but he insists that he loves it there and is looking forward to returning to the home he knows. We decided not to replace Akela, so I do both the cooking and the cleaning for the three of us. I have looked into opening a food truck too. My hope is to cater to surfers by moving the truck each day, depending on where the best surf is, but that's a dream for another day.

Right now, I'm just waiting for the wedding, which won't take place until Marcus is home. But he'll join us before too long, and our family will finally be complete.

Glossary

âAumakua: a family god (
ow-mah-koo-ah
)
Haliaka: leader (
Hah-lee-ah-kah
)
Haole: term, often pejorative, which refers to Caucasians in contrast
to locals of Hawaiian ancestry (
how-lay
)
he'e: Hawaiian octopus, commonly called squid (
hay-ay
)
honu: sea turtle (
ho-new
)
Kailani: chieftain or warrior queen (
Kai-lah-nee
)
kiele: gardenia (
kee-ay-lay
)
lanai: patio, balcony (
lan-eye
)
lilikoi: passionfruit (
lee-lee-koy
)
mahalo: thank you (
mah-hah-low
)
makai: toward the sea (
mah-kai
)
malasada: Portuguese doughnut (
mah-lah-sah-dah
)
mauka: toward the mountain (
mow-kah
)
meli: honey (
May-lee
)
ono: great or delicious (
oh-no
)
pali: steep cliff (
pah-lee
)
paniolo: Hawaiian cowboy (
pah-nee-oh-loh
)
poke: raw fish salad (
poh-kay
)
Punalu'u: town on Big Island of Hawaii (
Poo-nah-loo-oo
)
pupule: crazy (
poo-poo-lay
)
pupus: hors d'oeuvres, appetizers (
poo-poos
)
tako: Japanese word for octopus (
tah-koh
)
ti: type of Hawaiian plant (
tee
)
Tutu: familiar name for grandparent (
Too-too
)

Book Club Discussion Questions

1.
Two overt signs of Geoffrey's personality before he moved to the island of Hawaii were Meli's refusal to let him pet her and his behavior in following Kailani home one night after work. Did you notice any others?

2.
How did you feel about Liko? Did you like him? Why or why not? How about Lars?

3.
Is there anything Kailani should have done differently to deal with Geoffrey? Should she have gone to the police earlier?

4.
What did you think of the setting of the book? Do you think the setting added to the story or detracted from it? Do you consider the setting to be one of the characters of the book?

5.
What do you think were the themes of the story? What do you think the author is trying to say?

6.
How does Kailani change and grow throughout the book? How about Barbie?

7.
How would the story be different if Kailani and Liko hadn't been friends since childhood?

8.
Were you satisfied with the book's ending? What do you think the future holds for Liko? Barbie? Marcus?

Turn the page for a special excerpt of Amy M. Reade's

THE GHOSTS OF PEPPERNELL MANOR

“
Do you know what stories Sarah could tell you about the things that happened in these little cabins? They'd curl that pretty red hair of yours.”

Outside of Charleston, South Carolina, beyond hanging curtains of Spanish moss, at the end of a shaded tunnel of overarching oaks, stands the antebellum mansion of Peppernell Manor in all its faded grandeur. At the request of her friend Evie Peppernell, recently divorced Carleigh Warner and her young daughter Lucy have come to the plantation house to refurbish the interior. But the tall white columns and black shutters hide a dark history of slavery, violence, and greed. The ghost of a former slave is said to haunt the home, and Carleigh is told she
disapproves
of her restoration efforts. And beneath the polite hospitality of the Peppernell family lie simmering resentments and poisonous secrets that culminate in murderâand place Carleigh and her child in grave danger . . .

A Lyrical Press e-book on sale now!

CHAPTER 1

I
t had been a long drive to South Carolina, but Lucy and I had made the best of it, giggling through nursery rhymes, eating fast food, making silly faces at each other in the rearview mirror, and playing I Spy on every highway between Chicago and Charleston.

We arrived one sultry afternoon in late August last year. I barely remembered the back roads from Charleston to Peppernell Manor, so it was like watching the scenery unfold over the miles for the first time. Spanish moss hung low to the ground from stately trees over a century old. Perfectly still water reflected the magnolias and camellias and the hazy sky in the Lowcountry lakes and waterways that we passed. Lacy clumps of wildflowers nodded languidly as we drove by. Lucy was interested in everything that whizzed past the windows of the car, commenting excitedly on all the new sights as we drove toward Peppernell Manor.

“Look at the cows! Moo!”

“Look at the pretty flowers!” she would pipe up from the backseat in her high-pitched little-girl voice. I loved driving with her because she helped me see all the things I missed with my adult eyes.

As we got closer to Peppernell Manor, I found myself sharing her excitement. I hadn't been there since college. My thoughts stretched back to the only other time I had visited South Carolina, when Evie took me to her home for a long weekend. We had gone sightseeing in Charleston, horseback riding, boating on the Ashley River, and on a tour of an old Confederate field hospital nearby. But despite all the fun we had, it wasn't the activities I remembered best about that tripâit was her house.

Manor, actually. Peppernell Manor had been in her family for generations and even though it had seen better days and was in need of some work, it was exquisite. As a lover of art I could appreciate its romance and graceful architecture, but as a history major I was more interested in the home's past as a plantation house.

It was to this plantation house that I was returning, this time with my daughter.

Photo by John A. Reade, Jr.

Amy M. Reade
is also the author of
Secrets of Hallstead House
and
The Ghosts of Peppernell Manor
. She grew up in northern New York, just south of the Canadian border, and spent her weekends and summers on the St. Lawrence River. She graduated from Cornell University and then went on to law school at Indiana University in Bloomington. She practiced law in New York City before moving to southern New Jersey, where, in addition to writing, she is a wife, a full-time mom, and a volunteer in school, church, and community groups. She lives just a stone's throw from the Atlantic Ocean with her husband and three children, as well as a dog and two cats. She loves cooking and all things Hawaii and is currently at work on her next novel. Visit her on the Web at
www.amymreade.com
or at
www.amreade.wordpress.com
.

“You are not wanted here. Go away from Hallstead Island or you will be very sorry you stayed.”

* * *

Macy Stoddard had hoped to ease the grief of losing her parents in a fiery car crash by accepting a job as a private nurse to the wealthy and widowed Alexandria Hallstead. But her first sight of Hallstead House is of a dark and forbidding home. She quickly finds its winding halls and shadowy rooms filled with secrets and suspicions. Alex seems happy to have Macy's help, but others on the island, including Alex's sinister servants and hostile relatives, are far less welcoming. Watching eyes, veiled threats . . . slowly, surely, the menacing spirit of Hallstead Island closes in around Macy. And she can only wonder if her story will become just one of the many secrets of Hallstead House . . .

To the extent that the image or images on the cover of this book depict a person or persons, such person or persons are merely models, and are not intended to portray any character or characters featured in the book.

LYRICAL UNDERGROUND BOOKS are published by

Kensington Publishing Corp.
119 West 40th Street
New York, NY 10018

Lyrical Underground and Lyrical Underground Reg. US Pat. & TM Off.

First Electronic Edition: April 2016

ISBN: 978-1-6018-3558-1

ISBN-13: 978-1-60183-559-8
ISBN-10: 1-60183-559-0