Page 10 of Into the Shadows

When I realized there were millions of people interested in crime like I was, I began to build the idea of using my degree in a way I’d actually enjoy.

After four years of hard work, dedication, and an incredibly supportive family, I’ve built a large following for my show. I’ve got a couple of assistants and a producer who help me with the ins and outs of running my own show while I get to do the fun stuff of creating content for the podcast.

Sometimes, I struggle to believe I get to do a job I love every single day. It’s everything I’ve always dreamed of… For the most part, anyway.

Now that I’m done covering the Underhill kidnapping, I’ll take the next few months to plan the next season. When I first started, I was putting seasons out back-to-back to build a backlist for listeners to binge. With five under my belt, I can take a little more time between seasons without sacrificing a paycheck.

Gia calls me a workaholic, but I honestly love my job. Diving into new cases excites me. I’ll research two or three at a time to decide which one will hook my followers the fastest. Then, I do all the legwork while I begin to record the episodes. I don’t just share the details of the cases based on what you canread online. I interview witnesses and detectives and even travel around the country to investigate the case in person.

Dad hates it when I travel. He worries I’ll get into something I won’t be able to get myself out of, but I’m always careful. I trust the instincts he’s helped me hone, and Mom has taught me everything she knows about self-defense. I also train in jiujitsu every week to keep my skills sharp. I’m not the delicate flower everyone believes I am.

“Lottie, Carson is going to be here any minute!” Gia hollers from upstairs. Noah’s brother, Carson, is one of our best friends. Gia, Ginny, Carson, and I were all in the same high school class. Our two other best friends, Michael and Ryan, were a year younger than us in school, but it never made a difference in how close we became. Growing up together, we dubbed ourselves the Scooby-Doo Gang because we were constantly trying to solve mysteries, either made up or real. Except for Ginny, we all still live in our hometown and spend a lot of time together.

“I’m coming,” I shout back. I jot down a couple of notes to research before leaving to get ready. The glass French doors of my office open to our foyer, and straight through is our living room, kitchen, and dining room. To the right of my office is our front door, and to the left is a hallway that leads to Gia’s office, as well as the stairs. Both of our bedrooms are on the second floor.

When I decided to move home and start a podcast, Gia told me I was not allowed to leave her to her own devices. The summer we graduated college, we moved into the house my parents have owned since before I was born. We pay them rent to live here, as well as utilities, but I can’t deny how fortunate we are to have the support of our families. Without them, I’d never have been able to pursue my dreams.

I jog up to my room to throw on nicer clothes than the sweats and T-shirt I’m sporting.

“Come on, you two!” Carson shouts from the bottom of the stairs. I didn’t even hear him come into the house. “I’m late picking you up, and you’re still not ready.”

I giggle at his annoyance. Gia and I are never on time for anything. It drives Carson crazy. You’d think that after all these years of being best friends, he’d have gotten used to it. When I’m dressed, I head back downstairs to grab my purse.

“Damn, you clean up good,” I tease Carson. I lean in to inspect him. “Are those new jeans? And you put on cologne.” He’s even styled his auburn hair in a handsome wave that frames his face. “You know it’s just a family barbecue, right?”

“It’s a special occasion. Ginny’s home, and apparently, she has some big news.”

“I hope it’s not another tour,” Gia says from behind me. Her twin sister is a famous country singer. While Gia and I went to college, Ginny moved to Nashville to see if she had what it took to become a star. Two years and a lot of tears later, she was playing in a well-known bar, and an agent signed her the next day. Since then, she’s been traveling all over the world. We don’t get to see her very often, so we’re all excited about her being home.

“That wouldn’t be family-barbecue-newsworthy,” I point out.

“Maybe she broke up with that asshole,” Carson grumbles as we walk out the front door.

“She would’ve told me that before now,” Gia says.

Carson grunts instead of responding. He’s denied having feelings for Ginny on multiple occasions, but I’m not sure I believe him. I’ve never pushed him on it, though.

A few minutes later, we pull up to my childhood home. Normally, when Ginny’s in town, we get together at her mansion. The security is better, and it makes her feel safer. She’s had plenty of crazies try to get to her, which proves the precautions are necessary. Today, we’re meeting at my childhoodhome. It’s our family’s favorite spot to gather. The basement was renovated specifically for our get-togethers.

Our parents have been best friends since before we were born. While we’re not all blood-related, we act like we’re one big family anyway. They’ve been getting together for parties for years. It’s basically a family tradition at this point.

The three of us walk through the front door of Mom and Dad’s house, the muffled sound of a party filtering up from the basement. Carson bounds through the open living room and dining room and down the stairs, making enough noise to draw everyone’s attention. His eyes scan the room until they land on Ginny. Both of their smiles grow wide as he races over to her and scoops her off the ground. She laughs as he spins in a circle.

No feelings, my ass.

“Put her down, you Neanderthal. She’smytwin.” Gia grabs Ginny’s arm and yanks her into a fierce hug. I can’t imagine how hard it is for them to be apart for these long stretches. The three of us have been inseparable since we were born. Our parents had us within months of each other, so it was inevitable that we’d be best friends, but the bond between Ginny and Gia is even stronger.

When they pull apart, they both have tears in their eyes. I finally get my turn to hug her and frown at how thin she feels in my arms. Ginny has always been small, but this seems unhealthy.

I glance at Gia as I pull away, and by the look on her face, I know she’s thinking the same thing.

I don’t say anything. I just grin at Ginny, happy she’s home for a little while. “How long are you staying?”

“Just a few days. Wesley has some commitments he can’t miss in California.”

“Wesley’s here?” I look around the room to find thehandsome actor.

“He stepped out to take a call.” Ginny smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. My instincts tell me something else is going on, but I keep those thoughts to myself as well. Maybe I’m a coward, but we don’t get to see her as often anymore. I want our time together to be spent catching up on all the good things happening.

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