Posts from the ‘Valley of Shadows (Novel)’ category
Harriet wanted to come up with a convincing excuse to get out of visiting Reverend Mother. The last thing she felt up to was being lectured or cross-examined. On the other hand, the longer she put off visiting, the angrier her mother would be. Harriet…
Harriet waited for what felt like an eternity, while her call went through to the psychiatrist’s office. The receptionist was cheerful but brisk, cutting off Harriet’s explanation of why she needed to see her psychiatrist right away. The earliest available appointment was two weeks away.…
Harriet tossed and turned in her bed. She had been awake most of the night, unable to stem the flow of tumultuous thoughts racing through her mind. Stryker’s demands were wearing her down. Unless Harriet found a way out, her luck would run out and…
Reverend Mother lie in a narrow nursing home bed and tried to make sense of the events which landed her there. One moment, she was at the doctor’s office with her son Joshua and daughter Rachel getting the wound on her abdomen treated. The next…
Reverend Mother, Richard, and Rachel sat in the doctor’s office waiting room. Joshua was quiet and preoccupied, unable to focus on anything but the dread of receiving bad news about his mother. Rachel seemed completely unfazed, brightly chattering away as though she had not a…
The family meeting had been productive. They were all in agreement that their little investigation had unearthed some important facts. Even though at the moment, the significance of those facts escaped them. Like the outer pieces of a puzzle, they were sure those facts were…
The next morning, Harriet was in the throes of a nightmare. Richard’s knocking on her bedroom door fell on deaf ears. Not sure if she was in her room, he opened the door. His sister was tossing and turning in bed. Richard walked to Harriet’s…
Joshua was in the kitchen making himself a grilled cheese sandwich when Richard and Rachel walked in. They took a seat at the table and accepted sandwiches from him. Joshua poured drinks and joined them at the table. The trio ate in preoccupied silence for…
Richard eased his car onto the shoulder of the highway and cut the engine. Rachel watched him reach into the back seat and retrieve a pair of binoculars. She waited, but no explanation was forthcoming. He set about adjusting the binoculars. “Are you going to…
Harriet left Reverend Mother’s house and walked two blocks to the car that she had requested from Ryker when he issued his latest order. It was important that no one knew she was using the car. If anyone should come looking for her or try…