The Pineview Incident Read Online Free PDF Page A

out. “I know there is something strange going on, and I’m treating this as an official investigation. Mark, you’ll need to report everything to me.”
    “Have you ever had one of those official investigations, chief?” Mark whipped the cape around the chief’s neck and tightened it. “I don’t ever remember you investigating anything. Ever.”
    “Shut up and cut,” the chief ordered.

 
    Chapter 5
    Donna felt as if the whole world pressed down on her shoulders as she made her way to the bowling alley. Somehow, by simply trying to help an odd family, she’d become a local hero and made the whole situation with the Gilbertsons worse.
    Luckily, the hapless family was too absorbed in its secret project to notice the fact that they’d been treated as freaks.
    And it didn’t stop with the Gilbertsons. While Donna had been cheered as a hero for simply saying hello, the poor grocer and farm supply owner who’d helped the Gilbertsons load their vehicles were now viewed as traitors and possible hosts of parasitic aliens.
    She opened the door to the bowling alley with the same enthusiasm as attending a funeral for someone you don’t like.
    Actually, depending on the person who died, a funeral might be more fun.
    “There she is, the woman of the day,” someone called cheerfully.
    Donna hunched over and pretended not to hear. It didn’t work.
    “The alley manager got you a chocolate shake on the house, Donna.” Mayor Cassidy plopped a tall glass of chocolate down at Donna’s regular spot and motioned for her to sit.
    Donna swallowed against the sick feeling in her stomach, but managed a smile at the mayor as she slid onto the chair and tried to disappear in its plastic folds.
    Cassidy patted Donna’s shoulder. “Courage should always be rewarded.”
    Donna should have refused the drink, but she found herself in dire need of chocolate right then. She took a small sip and let the cold drink numb her mouth and ease her mind.
    But the shake left a sour taste behind.
    “Maybe it wasn’t courage. Maybe, I just wanted to warn a neighbor,” Donna mumbled into her straw.
    She looked around and realized most of the people in the room were completely absorbed in their own conversations. In fact, no one had even tried to start a game of bowling and all the lanes remained dark. Maybe, just maybe, if she kept her head low, she could slip out and escape.
    She sucked on the thick chocolate and listened to the people talk. The whole situation had moved from annoyingly funny to almost dangerous. The same people who had gossiped about the juicy possibility of over-sexed aliens were now ready to take up torches and march on the Gilbertson homestead.
    Donna couldn’t finish the shake. Her stomach was twisted into knots and if she drank any more, it would be coming back up.
    She glanced around the room, hoping she could slip away unnoticed, but a pair of pale blue eyes caught hers.
    Mark was sitting in his normal spot watching her.
    For a moment, Donna couldn’t move a muscle. She and Mark stared at each other—just like they did year after year in school.
    Then, Mark stood and marched toward Donna. She heard herself let out a small squeak and her muscles tensed in preparation for a fight, or a mad dash for the door, whichever.
    “They say you confronted aliens like some kind of secret agent or something. I’ve known you for too many years to believe you’ve fallen for all this alien sex insanity. You’re too smart for that.” Mark’s tone was soft despite his rough words. “What are you up to?”
    Donna needed to clear her throat to speak, but it wouldn't clear. She and Mark had spent the last thirty years trying not to talk to each other, and now that she needed to talk, Donna found the task a bit difficult.
    “I haven’t fallen for anything,” she said. She was pleased her voice remained calm despite the tension that roiled through her body. “I was trying to ask Ma and Pa Gilbertson what was happening at their