Latham's Landing by Tara Fox Hall

yelled. At once, the noise lowered
slightly.
    Carolyn adjusted herself on the seat, bracing
for the long bumpy ride home. This bus had the worst shocks this
side of Hell. At least it let her avoid the catty clique who called
themselves her friends. Yes, they were her social group here, and
had been since kindergarden. But she despised them, their need to
control others, and their cruelty to those they found wanting in
spite of all their professed love of Christian values. She’d never
been able to be herself with them, unwilling to let them get too
close.
    Only another month until school was over, she
reminded herself. Then college awaited, a bastion of open minds and
no more dress codes. She would finally be free to be herself.
Better yet, her boyfriend Rob would finally be with her.
    She relaxed, letting her thoughts linger, his
handsome face forming in her mind. His blond hair, effortlessly
styled in natural curls, a hand of luck he’d been dealt at birth.
His eyes were blue, cut from the sky of a perfect clear day. But
best of all, he was head over heels for her, the same way she was
for him. Though they hadn’t talked of marriage, they’d already
arranged to live together during college. Rob was sure to propose
before the semester was out…
    Carolyn smirked. Her parents weren’t too
happy about that, and neither were his, especially his pastor
father. But it was past time they stopped letting other people tell
them what to do. Bad enough she’d had Jesus crammed down her throat
for eleven long years in this place…
    The bus lurched to a stop. “Miss Stone,” the
driver called sarcastically. “Would you care to get off?”
    Blushing, Carolyn got to her feet. As regally
as she could muster, she walked past the giggling children, and off
the bus.
    That was odd. Her parents were home. She
strode up her front stairs, then went inside, dropping her purse
and books on the hall table. “Dad?”
    “ In here, Caro. Please come
in.”
    Worried at the tone in her father’s voice,
she hurried into the living room. Her parents were there, along
with her priest. Rob’s parents were there, too.
    Was this an intervention? Had they found out
about the marijuana she’d smoked with Rob last fall? “What is
this?”
    “ There’s been a boating accident,
Caro,” her stepmother said hesitantly. “Rob was up looking at
Latham College with some friends. You know, the one you were
thinking of attending—”
    “ What happened?” Caroline said loudly,
looking from person to person. “Boating accident? Did he get hurt?
What happened?”
    “ I’m sorry, child,” her priest said,
standing and coming toward her. “Rob’s dead.”
    An unwavering scream of denial and fury burst
from Carolyn’s throat. She flailed as they surrounded her, fighting
and screaming as they tried to console her.
     
    Sirens pierced the calm night air, ringing
shrilly through the streets of Cedar. A few residents sleepily
looked out their windows as the police cars flashed past. Then they
went back to bed, stifling yawns. The cars were headed out of town,
so it was none of their concern. Besides, it was close to midnight,
when decent people should be asleep.
    Officer James Bowman was anything but sleepy.
As the police cruiser picked up speed, he went over the scant
details in his mind. The young female voice on the phone, pleading
with him to hurry, her fear and anguish evident. Steven Stone was
hurt, maybe dead. So was his wife.
    A burning pain jolted him, making him curse
as he swerved, the coffee spilling over him again in an arc.
    His partner looked at him apologetically.
“Sorry, Jim.”
    “ Damn it, be more careful,” he said
with a glare, then revved the gas again.
    It wasn’t Drake’s fault, really. He was just
nervous. Jim knew why. His own gut instinct was telling him to turn
back.
    “ There’s the house, Bowman.”
    “ No shit. There’s no one else around
for miles,” Bowman said, slamming the door shut.
    “ Stone liked his