Jennifer and Justin
Barnes have been raised by their older brother Jacob since they were
teenagers…little did Jacob know, he was raising a third personality as well.
The Barnes have been through it all. The loss of their
parents in a car crash, rape, and incarceration. But nothing could prepare them
for what they are about to deal with.
When Jacob decides to run for mayor of Springwood, Ohio
someone else decides to haunt him and his family, using his younger sister’s
alter personality as leverage in their game.
After Jen’s mental disorder is made public, the first of
many shocking revelations are made, including who her biological father really
is. She is ordered into custody in the mental health wing of Springwood
Memorial as a case is built against her for the murder of Davis Cauley, a
former local news anchor
Jacob gets his sister released in time for the holidays,
only for another murder to occur. The body of Brenda Sowers, Davis Cauley’s
sister is found in Mercy Park, the same area where her brother was found—in a
storage shed, with hedge clippers in his back, and Jen across from him with no
memory of what happened.
More incriminating evidence links Jen to Brenda’s murder, as
Black Friday looms. The big weekend draws Jacob to the mall, where he’s in for
another surprise. A photo of his brother sent to his phone reveals another huge
secret, involving all of Springwood.
As the Barnes recover from what has been a very turbulent
Fall, other secrets are lurking and waiting to be revealed as a family faces a
trial of issues to come.
About the Author:
Jennifer Brown lives in Springfield Ohio, and has written
since third grade. She was taught to read at an early age and fell in love with
books, mainly mysteries. Her love of books grew, and in the summer before she
started high school she wrote her longest story, halfway filling an old school
notebook. In high school she started to enter writing contests, and in her
junior and senior years joined the Herald staff becoming entertainment editor
over her high school newspaper.
After graduating, with a few writing contest awards under
her belt she attended college a year later, and was urged by her English
instructor to join the college paper. She did, writing a few reviews of
restaraunts and movies, as well as writing a review of her first Alanis
Morissette concert. A few years later she was asked to take the position of
entertainment editor.
At 37, Jennifer has written several stories and has many
more in store for readers. When she is
not writing she likes reading, working on computer graphics, editing photos,
listening to music, and brainstorming for new ideas!
Excerpt:
After speaking his sister’s name several times into the
receiver, with no response, Jacob hung up. He tried calling back, but got a
busy signal.
He hadn’t talked to Danny for more than five minutes. She
couldn’t have gotten tired of waiting for him.
He sat down on an armchair nearby, trying to tell himself
this was nothing. But ever since Scott had shown up at the store earlier, he
felt a little on edge. Scott was the last person either of them needed to see
at this time. Just seeing him brought back all the anger he felt back then.
He could still remember that night. He was at work, trying
to close up for the evening. He had been running late because Dan had gone home
sick and he had gotten swamped with computers needing repaired.
Justin had been the one to reach him. He had been home and
got the call from the police. Their sister had been raped. They needed Jacob to
come to the hospital. He had been so upset, he nearly forgot to lock up the
store when he left.
The moment he laid eyes on Jen, he could have crumbled. She
had a few cuts and bruises on her arms and face, but she said she had done that
on some bushes trying to get away from Scott. The police had said the cuts were
consistent with those of a thorn bush. But it didn’t matter to Jacob. He had
been responsible for her, and he screwed up. Even though she was of age, and
she was no longer his responsibility, he still felt every bit that she was.
What would ensue from that moment on, was months of tension
and emotional turmoil. The case went to court, and the argument went back and
forth. His sister said she told him no, she passed out and he did it anyway.
She woke up to find him pulling out of her. Scott said she seemed to become a
totally different person and gave in to him, was willing. He never forced
anything on her, even though he did admit to being drunk. His arrest report
said his blood alcohol level was .12, while his sister’s barely made it to .08.
It seemed to be a sure thing he would go down for the crime, until one of the
jurors posted a blog about the trial. As a consequence, Adams’ lawyer got the
judge to declare a mistrial.
Jacob willed himself to stop thinking about it. Just because
Scott was in his store didn’t mean something had happened to his sister. Shaking inside, he got up, grabbed his keys
and went out the door.
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