Mother's Day Murder Read Online Free PDF

Corinne,” said Lucy. “You can’t ever get in a car with a stranger.”
    “Or even somebody you know, unless you have our permission,” added Bill.
    “That’s crazy,” complained Sara. “Do I have to call every time one of my friends offers me a ride?”
    “No. You know what I mean. People we know but don’t really know. Like bag men from the supermarket…”
    “Are the bag men kidnappers?” asked Zoe.
    “Probably not. We don’t know. That’s the point,” said Bill. “Just because you recognize somebody doesn’t mean you really know them.”
    “Like the fathers, or even mothers, of your classmates,” said Lucy. “If Dad and I don’t know them, you need to be cautious and check with us.”
    “But if you don’t know them, how will you know if they’re bad?” Zoe asked.
    “That’s not the issue,” said Bill. “We’re not making judgments about people. We just want to know where you are and who you’re with.”
    Sara didn’t like this at all. “So I have to tell you everything I do, everywhere I go?” she protested angrily. “That’s crazy. I won’t have any privacy at all.”
    “We’re not trying to control your life, or keep you from your friends. We just want you to be safe,” said Lucy, frustrated that this was turning out to be so difficult. “Poor Corinne is nothing but a pile of bones now. I couldn’t stand and your dad couldn’t stand, for that to happen to you, to either of you.”
    Sara’s face was set in denial. “That couldn’t happen to me. Corinne was dumb. It said in the paper that she was playing around in Internet chat rooms and that she probably made a date to meet someone.”
    “That was never proved,” said Lucy. “As far as I know, she was just waiting for the rec program to start. She had a job. I don’t think she’d make a date for a morning she was supposed to work.” She paused. “But since you brought it up, I know you’re no stranger to the Internet yourself.”
    Bill’s eyebrows shot up. “What?”
    “So I have a page on MySpace. So what?” Sara demanded defensively. “Everybody does it. Everybody has one.”
    “That’s enough of that,” said Bill, his jaw set. “We’re going to look at this page right now. Let’s go.” He marched over to the computer in a corner of the family room. “Show me.”
    Zoe was fidgeting nervously with her armful of friendship bracelets. “What do you think happened to her, Mom?”
    Lucy had done plenty of research; she knew how these things happened. “I think some very bad person tricked her with a fake story, like her mom was sick or had an accident, or there was an injured dog that needed to get to a vet fast, something like that. He told her to get in the car, that would be the fastest way, and she fell for it, thinking she was needed, that she was helping.”
    “And then he killed her?” asked Zoe.
    “Probably a lot more than that,” said Sara, earning a warning look from her mother.
    “We want to believe everyone in the world is good, but that’s just not the case,” said Lucy.
    “Like Osama bin Laden,” said Zoe.
    “Exactly,” said Bill, who was leaning over Sara’s shoulder, staring at the monitor. “Only some bad guys don’t go around in funny clothes, like Osama, and we haven’t seen their photos on TV. So if somebody seems to be acting oddly to you, or asks you to do something you’re not sure you should, you should say no and get someplace safe as fast as you can.”
    Seeing that Zoe’s fidgeting was becoming frantic and she looked as if she was going to cry, Lucy put an arm around her shoulder and hugged her. “You don’t need to be afraid. Chances are this will never happen to you. But we want you to know what to do if it does, okay?”
    Zoe nodded bravely. “Okay.”
    “Well, this MySpace thing looks okay,” said Bill, speaking slowly and straightening up. “But both of you girls know that you must never, ever under any circumstances agree to meet somebody who has