Read Online The 2014 R.L. Mathewson Chronicle Collection by R.L. Mathewson - Free Book Online Page A

parking lot and making her wonder how they knew that he was there.
                  “We’ll just go and sit with him,” Sebastian said, whistling a jaunty tune that had the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end.
                  She loved Trevor and Zoe’s kids, truly she did, but sometimes they just scared the hell out of her. Now, being one of those times.
                  “Oh,” Johnny said offhandedly as he stepped aside to let his brother walk through the front door, “you might want to untie Uncle Jason.”
                  Almost too afraid to ask, she asked, “Why is he tied up?”
                  With a careless shrug, Johnny waltzed out the door, throwing over his shoulder, “We needed someone to take the fall.”
                  Oh, that couldn’t be good………
     

VII
                “They’re just kids!”
                  “They’re demons!” Jason shouted, struggling to get free and forcing Trevor and Jared to take him to the ground and hold him there.
                  “I think I need a drink,” Haley said, resting her head in her trembling hands while Zoe sat there beside her at the table, trying to pretend that the last three hours never happened.
                  “Can we go watch TV, Mom?” Sebastian asked, sounding a little bored.
                  Zoe looked up to find Sebastian and Johnnie standing in front of her, holding a family size bag of potato chips between them, seemingly unaware that their favorite “Uncle” was currently struggling to break free so that he could wring their necks.
                  She opened her mouth, but nothing would come out. She just, she just couldn’t talk right now, not with the terrifying images still floating around in her head. She nodded, wrapping her arms around herself, wondering how this happened. All she did was send her husband and sons grocery shopping and now…..
                  Now she just wanted to break out her stash of chocolate, curl up in bed and pretend that the last four hours never happened. She just wanted to-
                  “Mom, the police are here!” Sebastian yelled from the living room, destroying her dreams of an escape.
                  Knowing what was coming and that there was absolutely no way that she could avoid it, she got to her feet and headed to the front door where four police officers stood, holding a small stack of envelopes.
                  “Good evening, John,” she said, forcing a small smile.
                  “Sorry to do this, Zoe,” John said with a wince as he handed her the envelopes.
                  “It’s okay,” she said, taking the envelopes. “Do we need to go to court?” she asked, not sure that she could handle another trip in front of Judge Burns this year.
                  “Not this time,” Tom, another officer they were well acquainted with, said.
                  “They’re willing to drop the charges as long as you and the rest of your family stays away from the store.”
                  “Wait…….,” she said, giving her head a little shake, sure that she’d misheard him. “Me?”
                  “I’m afraid so,” Tom said with an apologetic smile.
                  “But I didn’t do anything,” she groaned, already knowing that there was no point in arguing.
                  “You were at the store during the………. incident ,” John said, clearly searching for a polite way to describe what happened earlier today.
                  “And the boys?” she asked on a defeated sigh as she looked through the envelopes in her hand.
                  “Lifetime bans.”
                  While most mothers would probably argue that they were