Hellbender (Murder Ballads and Whiskey Book 2) Read Online Free PDF

Ignoring my olive branch, she said, “You told me to call you if I ever found anything that looked important. This was in with Janie’s stuff.”
    Alex held a manila envelope stuffed with paper scraps and notes of all sizes— names, addresses, lines of verse that looked like song lyrics or poems, receipts, pages from phone books. She handed me a piece of notebook paper without making eye contact. The handwriting was Jane’s, not mine, but the big cursive loops and circles over the ‘I’s told me it was from when she was much younger. I realized that I didn’t want to see it.
    There were two columns—Baby Girl Names and Baby Boy Names.
    The first name was ‘Henry.’
    I handed it back to her. “I barely knew her.”
    She put it into the envelope. “What is it you think you don’t know?”
    She handed me a picture of Janie and me with my mom and dad. We were at my pap’s house with our winter coats on. Janie had a bunch of books in her hand. There were two garbage bags of wrapping paper sitting by the door. Ben was on the stairs, watching.
    I said, “Christmas Eve. On our way home to wait for Santa.” I touched Janie’s face in the picture. “She was harmless, Alex. Always so good. Never mean. How could this happen?”
    My mind was still racing and my head wouldn’t fully let me appreciate the pain
    I felt. I asked, “Did she know I loved her?”
    “She knew.” Alex started to cry. “All she could do was love. She didn’t know hate or mean or angry.”
    Alex sniffed and composed herself after another long minute, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. She took the picture from me and put it away. The last thing she had for me was a white envelope. My name was written on it in black ink. I carefully pried the sealed edge open with my pinkie.
    Alex had kind of turned her back, like when somebody takes a phone call and you try to give them a little privacy. For a second I thought it was rude not to let her read it too, but decided that the note was just for me. I could share later if I wanted.
    The note, written in Jane’s careful handwriting, said:
     
     
    Henry ,
     
     
    Sometimes this all seems like one long, bad country song that started way before Mom left. Day or night doesn’t matter, the song never ends. Sleep and awake are pretty much the same for me because there’s always a new verse or chorus. What else can it mean when I see shadows move in the dark, or leaves blow with no wind? When I feel like I’m drowning in my own bed?
    It means I’m next, and I suppose I knew all along it would be me. Katy and Rachael are way too strong, and Chloe is too young. Grandma isn’t directly in the path of the bad blood. Maybe it’s because her people are from Pittsburgh and aren’t a threat to them, although I can’t figure out why she never became part of their plot, even if just for spite. Mom left because she knew she couldn’t defend herself the way the rest can. That leaves just me. I’m blood and I’m an easy target.
    There are ways to protect yourself, though, things you can say to defend yourself when you are sleeping. I honestly think that’s how I’ve survived this long on my own. They’re here though, in town, looking for me. I see Lewis Lumber trucks and get hang-up calls. Billy is in the halls between classes. He came down to Black Bear nights when I worked. You probably wonder why I didn’t get help or do more to keep them away, but how do you go to the police and tell them your tap water tastes salty and your milk keeps going bad too fast?
    There are also words to say that can hurt somebody, or make it so they can’t see or can’t breathe, to control snakes or to make people hallucinate. I know you don’t believe in any of this stuff, and that is why it is so important for you to make sure Rachael helps you. You have to trust her and believe that they will do everything they can to help you.
    In this envelope is everything I know about the Lewises and their little grudge. This includes