The Shadows Trilogy (Box Set: Edge of Shadows, Shadows Deep, Veiled Shadows) by Cege Smith

notebook out of her pocket and was scribbling notes.
    “The new construction took over a year to complete, and finally Joseph and Lillian settled in to their new home. The Bradfords loved to entertain, and important folks from all over the country would come to visit. Lillian made sure that everyone who visited knew how successful Joseph was. Their dinner parties lit up the shoreline, and laughing and dancing music could be heard blocks away. The Bradfords were comfortable and happy, with just a small smidge of unhappiness that started to overshadow their wonderful life.”
    As Ellie drew closer to Joe, David decided to be bold and put his arm loosely around her waist. She smiled up at him and he relaxed. The agent’s story was like a daydream of being born during a different era to a different life. Then he saw Joe glance at Linda, as if asking permission to continue.
    Linda put her hand on Joe’s arm again. “Oh, it’s fine, dear. Not all homes are happy homes, after all.”
    David found it odd that neither Randall nor Carol Klein were noticing the obvious connection between Linda and Joe. He looked at Ellie to see if she noticed, but she was staring up at the huge chandelier above their heads.
    “Joseph had built this grand home for his bride and to start a large family. He wanted plenty of room for his children to run around in. But alas, Lillian was fragile and the doctors thought that perhaps she wasn’t meant to have a child. She suffered several miscarriages, and finally sunk into a deep depression. She refused to leave her bed, and the wonderful parties that had made the Bradfords like celebrities in this town faded away like a memory. Then came the rumors that Joseph and Lillian were trying alternate, and very questionable methods to conceive. Their fairytale life had turned into a nightmare for them.”
    “That’s awful!” Ellie exclaimed. “What happened to them?”
    “The honest truth, dear, is nobody knows,” Linda said.
    “What do you mean nobody knows?” Melanie demanded. She looked up from her notebook and David felt like they were at a press conference and Melanie was the aggressive reporter who wouldn’t take no for an answer.
    “The Bradfords just disappeared one day. They were gone. Some say that Joseph took Lillian home to the South hoping that the change of scenery would snap her out of her depression. Others say that once the reality set in that children weren’t possible, the Bradfords sold the house and moved into a smaller home somewhere else. The one thing that did come out eventually was that Joseph Bradford had overextended himself financially. Even without the personal issues, they would likely have had to sell the place anyway.” The catch in Joe’s voice at that point told everyone that there was more.
    “There’s something you aren’t telling us,” David said.
    “Joe is being polite, David. He knows that I hate to speak ill of the dead. Even if it is just a silly rumor,” Linda said quietly.
    “C’mon now, you told us everything else,” Melanie pushed.
    Linda turned her head just a bit and looked up at Randall, who shrugged his shoulders. David was almost more fascinated watching the interplay between Randall, Linda, and Joe than he was in hearing the rest of the story.
    “Some say,” Linda paused as if to make sure she had their full attention, “that Joseph and Lillian ran away to escape the debt collectors, which is probably what happened. But the more morbid say that Joseph killed Lillian and went off hoping to find a wife who could give him children, because a friend of the couple, a young widow, also disappeared around the same time. She was supposed to be very good friends with Lillian.”
    “If that was the truth, you’d think that someone would have heard something or seen something odd,” Melanie said.
    “That’s the strange part,” Joe said. “I heard that some of the neighbors claimed that they would hear noises, something that could have been