Luciferin
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
Something made Signey turn and look toward the road. Her jaw went slack. A man stood on the grassy shoulder and was staring at her. He had dark hair and wore a white shirt. She sucked in air, could not speak. She turned back toward Bennie. He was moving too far into the trees without her. He was yelling for his dog and did not hear her when she finally managed to call to him. Maybe the man was having car trouble, she suggested to herself. She turned to confront him, but he was gone. She stepped into the grassy ditch and searched along Redwing Lane. No man. No stalled car. Nothing. A dog barked from the direction she had just come, and he sounded real enough. She hoped he was with Bennie, and that they were heading out. Signey was about to walk back into the trees when Bennie and Mr. Burke jogged out of them a few yards west of where she stood. "Let's go home," Signey called. "We've had enough excitement." Bennie did not challenge her; instead he jumped onto his bike and pedaled hard. Signey brought up the rear, keeping an eye on both dog and boy. She glanced over her shoulder from time to time, but only the craggy road followed, trailing them like a long, injured snake. When they were home, and the bicycles tucked safely into the garage, Signey instructed Bennie to hose off the dog. Mr. Burke had been digging in the woods and had camouflaged much of his dark tan color with dirt black. "See why I don't want him in there? He was probably digging up more skeletons," Bennie called to his aunt. She had found a clean, sunny spot on the concrete between the house and pool, and had stretched out on her back. An ant crawled over her leg. She put her hands under the back of her head and stared at the sky. "'What's wrong?" Bennie asked from the grassy area near the oak tree. " Nothing. " "Why are you lying there?" Bennie wanted to know. Even though the temperature was in the upper eighties, Signey had caught a chill. She was trying to warm up in the sun like some ectotherm. " Do you want me to spray you with the hose?" Bennie asked.
" No thank you, Beanie Boy, " Signey said. She rolled onto her side and bent her knees up toward her chest. She was facing the red brick and white side of the house that was the family room and upper bedrooms. She glanced upward but the angle was wrong, and she couldn't see if anything stood in the window. Slowly she heated up; soon, she thought, she'd be sweating, wishing she were in the pool... Bennie brought the clean, but wet Mr. Burke to her side. She sat up. "You pass inspection," she said, rubbing the dog's chest. Bennie's face showed concern. "I was just a little cold, Bennie, and I'm a little tired. I'm okay now." "Were you cold because of the ghost?" Signey looked at him. She hadn't admitted seeing the ghost, and she wasn't sure she wanted to. "That must be it," she said noncommittally.
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
Spending summer in the country as guardian of her well-behaved nephew and his dog . . . rest and relaxation, swimming... What could be a more perfect situation for a burned-out teacher trying to recuperate from a year in which she was assaulted by a high school student and cheated on by her fiancé? But a storm is raging the night Signey Sorvino and Bennie Clark arrive at the secluded country home, and their shocking discovery sparks a summer neither could have imagined. Plagued by relentless heat, odd, anonymous deliveries, and uninvited guests – both living and dead – aunt and nephew watch as their serene sanctuary becomes an eerie place – a fish bowl for those who would watch them. Guilt and fear deepen within Signey, as she realizes she is the catalyst for the vengeful storm that is sweeping through their lives – a force that has shattered her life before.
About the Author
D.R. Ellis was born and raised in southeastern Wisconsin, and has lived in Wyoming, Colorado and California. She received a BA in journalism from the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee and a BS in special education from the University of Wisconsin in Madison. She has published in Junior Trails, The Milwaukee Journal, and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Scenic - Drive Handbook. Her interest in writing developed in her early years, with encouragement from her father, writer/author Mel Ellis.