Chapter 1
Halloween was Hayley Powells favorite day of the year, but it was also incredibly dangerous.
Especially for her waistline.
All that candy.
The peanut butter cups.
The candy corn.
The mini Milky Way bars.
Of course, every year without fail, she would stock up on every sweet imaginable. More than all of the trick-or-treaters who showed up at her door could possibly stuff into their orange plastic pumpkins that they hauled around the neighborhood.
No, she was always left with a candy overflow.
So she had always carefully hidden her stash from her two kids when they were younger so she could gorge in peace when they werent home. Her kids were much older now. One was in college. The other a junior in high school. They werent so rabidly determined to get their hands on free candy anymore.
But old habits die hard.
And Hayley still found herself hiding candy around the house.
As office manager at the Island Times newspaper, it was also her responsibility to have plenty of treats on hand in case any pint-sized ghosts, goblins, witches, or werewolves might come into the office with their parents in search of candy.
She certainly didnt want them leaving disappointed.
So as the office wall clock inched closer to five in the afternoon, which was her usual quitting time, Hayleys eyes never left the ceramic bowl of Gummy Bears that sat within her easy reach. She was always after her kids, even now as young adults, not to indulge in treats before dinner, but those chewy, delectable, oh-so-delicious-looking, lip-smacking Gummy Bears seemed to be calling to her and making her mouth water.
Just try one.
Yeah, right.
One.
When had she ever stopped at just one?
The next thing she knew she was scooping up a fistful, popping them three or four at a time in her mouth, closing her eyes, relishing in the familiar fruity taste and soft jelly bean texture.
Good night, Hayley, Bruce Linney said as he blew past her from the office bullpen, heading for the door.
Her mouth was full and she was chewing as fast as she could, but there were too many Gummy Bears in her mouth to swallow all at once, and she couldnt speak.
Bruce noticed her nonresponse and stopped at the door. Everything all right?
Hayley nodded.
Bruce took one look at the half-empty bowl of Gummy Bears and Hayleys bulging chipmunk cheeks.
It didnt take the cunning deductive skills of Hercule Poirot to solve this one.
Save some for the kids, okay, Hayley?
Hayley narrowed her eyes and crinkled her nose, making as mean a face possible given the sad fact she could hardly voice her displeasure at the moment.
Bruce winked at her, smiled, and disappeared into the chilly autumn evening as orange and red leaves from the tree next to the office swirled around him.
Hayleys harsh opinion of crime reporter Bruce Linney had softened during the previous six or seven months. They had worked together on a story for the paper and discovered, much to both their surprise, that they actually didnt despise each other. In fact, they worked rather well together as a team, and even though they still rubbed each other the wrong way on occasion, at least the constant bickering and barrage of insults they had exchanged on a daily basis had quietly subsided.
And besides that, Bruce had also recently started working out at the gym more, trimming a good portion of his belly fat and putting on some serious muscle.
It was impossible not to notice.
Although Hayley always loved a nice bearish man she could grab onto, there was also an attitude shift in Bruce as he shed his excess weight and felt recharged physically. He seemed more confident, happier, more at peace. Which was a big change from when he was smoking and drinking and barking at Hayley for her irritating penchant for trespassing into his crime-solving territory.
No, the new Bruce was far more palatable.
And dare she say, sexy.
Hayley stuffed another handful of Gummy Bears in her coat pocket for the five-minute ride home.
She promised to prepare a healthy meal for herself and the kids tonight.
Whenever they got home.
She rarely saw them anymore.
Gemma was home from the University of Maine in Orono continuing her work-study program at the office of Dr. Aaron Palmer, Hayleys ex-boyfriend and the town veterinarian. Dustin, an aspiring filmmaker, was off wheeling and dealing, scouting locations and casting his next opus as if the small town of Bar Harbor, Maine, was actually his own personal East Coast version of Hollywood.
As Hayley pulled into her driveway, chewing on her last Gummy Bear, her jaw dropped open and the last bit of the rubbery candy toppled out of her mouth and into her lap.
She couldnt believe her eyes.
Right there on the front porch were two jack-o-lanterns that had not been there when she left for work that morning.
The kids hadnt been home all day.
She knew that for a fact since she had spoken to both of them less than an hour ago.
One of the pumpkins had been expertly carved into the face of Batman.
The other was a dead-on caricature of Harry Potter.
Batman was Dustins favorite fictional character from childhood.
Harry Potter was Gemmas.
Hayley felt her heart beating faster, ready to burst out of her chest.
There was only one person in the world who could have left those jack-o-lanterns on her front porch.
Her ex-husband, Danny.
He used to carve those exact same drawings every year for the kids when they were little.
It was one of the few tasks he could be counted on to complete.
Hayley jumped out of her car and ran to the porch to inspect the pair of jack-o-lanterns up close.
They were definitely Dannys handiwork.
Which could only mean one thing.
He was sending her a direct message.
Danny was letting her know he was back in town.
Which, in Hayleys mind, was hardly a good thing.
Because whenever Danny Powell showed up, trouble soon followed.
And Hayley had no clue at this point in time just how much trouble was ahead.
Big trouble.
