Out of the Shadow Read Online Free PDF Page A

emotions in Becca, she found it hard the following day to do anything except skulk around the house in sweats and slippers. It didn’t take long for Julie to take notice, and complain. To remedy the situation, Julie suggested a spirit-lifting outing to the mall. Busy emptying the dishwasher, Julie sent Becca into the master bedroom to retrieve her purse.
                The moment Becca stepped inside the room, a spasm radiated through her solar plexus, leaving in its wake an eerie, detestable sensation. She shook it off as quickly as she could, located the purse, and joined Julie downstairs, but the sense of impending doom lingered for the remainder of the day. She had trouble shutting off her mind that night, and it took longer than usual to fall asleep.
    In the middle of the night, Becca awoke from a deep sleep when a shadow passed over her eyes. Before she could turn on the light, she heard muffled footsteps. With a creak, the doorknob turned. She could swear she glimpsed the silhouette of a man standing in the doorway.
    Startled, she bolted upright, switched on the bedside lamp and glanced around, but everything was exactly as she had left it the night before-the door closed and the curtains drawn. The room empty. It took several inspections of the bedroom before she could return to bed. An hour passed before her heart slowed enough for her to go back to sleep.
     
     
    Five days later work had been completed on deadbolts, window latches, and a new alarm system. Becca lugged the last of her suitcases from Irv's Buick into her Queen's Village apartment in a gentrified area at the edge of Center City Philadelphia. Back at the car, she reassured Irv she’d be all right and sent him on his way. She surveyed the tree-lined street with lovely older townhouses, before entering the building and traveling the few steps to her apartment.
    Exhausted by the hell raised after she broke the news to Julie that she was moving out - but hadn’t she established that fact upfront - she slouched onto an overstuffed alabaster armchair against the far wall, glancing around the apartment at the familiar expanse of brass and glass. She stared across the brand new carpet at a sofa Julie had picked out to replace the one stained with David's blood. How many times had she sat in this chair across from David and discussed the possibility of starting a family? At the time his refusal to even consider the idea had upset her. But as much as she had wanted a child, she now wondered how the white-on-white living room would have fared under the onslaught of chocolate pudding and Crayolas.
    A noise in the hallway outside the apartment distracted her from her ruminations, and she tensed. Only after the building door had closed with a decided swoosh did she release her breath. Minutes passed before she could calm herself, but the shivers remained.
    She pried herself from the comfort of her chair, went over to the thermostat and raised the temperature ten degrees. Warm air and a stale odor gushed through vents into the room. Since she was up, there was no reason to put off unpacking any longer. In the bedroom, she splayed open a suitcase on the bed and carried a handful of folded slacks to the dresser, placing a stack on top, and another in a drawer below.
    The jangle of the phone snagged her attention and she jogged into the dining room to answer it, but before she had a chance to lift the receiver, Julie’s number flashed on the display. Not quite ready to deal with her mom, Becca let the answering machine pick up the message. She’d call back later when she felt more in control.
    But she couldn’t miss the words spilling out of the machine, sounding apologetic with a hint of blame. Becca could decipher the subtext. She knew how much Julie fretted about her, and how little she believed in Becca’s ability to manage her own life, especially now. That’s why she always wanted to control—
    A shattering sound made Becca jump. She placed a hand