flyer, unfold it and extend it to him. “Here. Explain this.”
He takes the paper and gazes down at it, lines creasing his forehead. I can’t tell for sure under the artificial light, but it seems like his face turns even paler than usual.
“So you’re the one who was snooping through my backpack,” he says.
“It doesn’t matter where I got the flyer. What matters is you’ve been lying to me.”
The moon peeks out from behind a cloud. Max looks almost inhuman with his midnight black hair and alabaster skin, like one of those impossibly good-looking mannequins in a clothing store. He indicates the duplex with a nod. “I’m renting a place right over there. There are some things I should tell you, and I’d rather not do it in the middle of the street.”
“You’re crazy if you think I’m going anywhere with you.”
“Suit yourself.” Max walks toward his duplex, taking the flyer with him. The message is clear that I need to follow if I want answers. I hesitate for the space of a few second before I head after him, clutching the keys tightly in my hand. The right side of the dwelling has a porch light on. Max heads for the left unit, which is mostly in darkness. He lowers himself onto a bench spacious enough for two.
The duplex isn’t spooky at all, unlike the funhouse or the cabin in the woods. But there are no homey touches. No doormat imprinted with the word Welcome . No flowers in a hanging basket. No sun catchers on the windows. No nefarious clown lurking in the darkness.
I join him on the bench, careful that our bodies don’t touch. “What do you need to tell me?”
“I didn’t decide to try to get a job in Midway Beach until I’d played tourist for a few days.” His gaze zeroes in on me with that narrow focus. “Until I heard about what happened to you.”
“Why would anybody in town tell you about me?”
He stretches his long legs in front of him, as though we’re discussing nothing more serious than the weather. “I talked to people, asked questions. You of all people should know how gossip spreads in Midway Beach. When I found out about you, I started to think I was on the right track.”
My head was starting to hurt. “You’re not making sense.”
My heart beats three times before he answers.
“You’re not the only one who went missing and lost hours.” He pauses for long moments before he continues. “I think what happened to you happened to me, too.”
###
MORE DEAD RINGERS
INVERTIGO
Volume Two of the Dead Ringers serial
Do you know who you can trust?
Max insists Jade’s best chance to find out why she remembers so little of her abduction is to team up with him. But can she trust him?
THE SPIDER
Volume Three of the Dead Ringers serial
Do you know where the Black Widow is?
Someone in Midway Beach isn’t who they seem and unless Jade and Max can figure out what’s going on, they could become the next victims.
Coming soon!
SHELL GAME
Volume four of the Dead Ringers Serial
Should you listen to your heart — or your head?
If Max is playing a shell game, Jade needs to figure out what he’s hiding and why he’s in Midway Beach.
He takes the paper and gazes down at it, lines creasing his forehead. I can’t tell for sure under the artificial light, but it seems like his face turns even paler than usual.
“So you’re the one who was snooping through my backpack,” he says.
“It doesn’t matter where I got the flyer. What matters is you’ve been lying to me.”
The moon peeks out from behind a cloud. Max looks almost inhuman with his midnight black hair and alabaster skin, like one of those impossibly good-looking mannequins in a clothing store. He indicates the duplex with a nod. “I’m renting a place right over there. There are some things I should tell you, and I’d rather not do it in the middle of the street.”
“You’re crazy if you think I’m going anywhere with you.”
“Suit yourself.” Max walks toward his duplex, taking the flyer with him. The message is clear that I need to follow if I want answers. I hesitate for the space of a few second before I head after him, clutching the keys tightly in my hand. The right side of the dwelling has a porch light on. Max heads for the left unit, which is mostly in darkness. He lowers himself onto a bench spacious enough for two.
The duplex isn’t spooky at all, unlike the funhouse or the cabin in the woods. But there are no homey touches. No doormat imprinted with the word Welcome . No flowers in a hanging basket. No sun catchers on the windows. No nefarious clown lurking in the darkness.
I join him on the bench, careful that our bodies don’t touch. “What do you need to tell me?”
“I didn’t decide to try to get a job in Midway Beach until I’d played tourist for a few days.” His gaze zeroes in on me with that narrow focus. “Until I heard about what happened to you.”
“Why would anybody in town tell you about me?”
He stretches his long legs in front of him, as though we’re discussing nothing more serious than the weather. “I talked to people, asked questions. You of all people should know how gossip spreads in Midway Beach. When I found out about you, I started to think I was on the right track.”
My head was starting to hurt. “You’re not making sense.”
My heart beats three times before he answers.
“You’re not the only one who went missing and lost hours.” He pauses for long moments before he continues. “I think what happened to you happened to me, too.”
###
MORE DEAD RINGERS
INVERTIGO
Volume Two of the Dead Ringers serial
Do you know who you can trust?
Max insists Jade’s best chance to find out why she remembers so little of her abduction is to team up with him. But can she trust him?
THE SPIDER
Volume Three of the Dead Ringers serial
Do you know where the Black Widow is?
Someone in Midway Beach isn’t who they seem and unless Jade and Max can figure out what’s going on, they could become the next victims.
Coming soon!
SHELL GAME
Volume four of the Dead Ringers Serial
Should you listen to your heart — or your head?
If Max is playing a shell game, Jade needs to figure out what he’s hiding and why he’s in Midway Beach.
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