Shadows of the Past: A Supernatural Suspense Mystery (Shadow Slayers Stories Book 1) by Nellie Steele (best books for 7th graders .TXT) 📕

Josie was wondering the same thing, and she intended to find out, but she didn’t need her mother hovering over her to do it. Knowing Josie had met with the man who had been following her would make her mother sick with worry. “I don’t think it does. I haven’t seen that man again; I think he just followed me because I basically fainted in his arms at the mall. It was so embarrassing.”

“Well, now that I’ve told you the truth, at least nothing can take you by surprise. Oh, Josie, I hate to rush off and leave you with everything going on, but I have a surgery scheduled on one of my patients this afternoon and I’ve already asked a partner to cover my morning rounds. Oh, Josie, if anything ever happened to you…” Her voice trailed off.

“Mom, I’m fine. I doubt he’s still around and even if he were, I’m practically on house arrest with these two around, so no one can get to me,” she said as a joke to put her mom’s mind at ease. “And, you’re only an hour and a half away, you’re not far. You can check on me with text any time.”

“And you’ll tell me what’s going on?”

“Yes, I’ll tell you what’s going on. I didn’t want you to worry like you’re doing now. I’m fine. SOMEONE,” she said, emphasizing the last word, “made a mountain out of a molehill. There isn’t a stalker, my nightmares aren’t that bad, I had a great night’s sleep last night, I’m much better, everything is fine.”

“Are you sure? I can’t change my afternoon surgery but you could come home with me.”

“I’m sure. I’ll be fine. I have tons of work here to keep me busy. I appreciate you changing your schedule to drive out here to tell me this in person, but I realize your patients need you. You don’t have to stay and you don’t have to worry.”

“Okay, if you’re sure. It does ease my nerves that Damien is here, and Michael, too, to be honest. Do you promise to tell me if this man reappears? By the way, what did he look like?”

“Tall, slim, medium brown hair, blue eyes, not bad looking, actually.”

“Oh, that makes it a tad better.”

“It makes it better that my stalker is good-looking?” Josie joked.

“No. But it’s not the description of the man from the adoption agency, so hopefully it has nothing to do with that. That man was short, round and balding. He wasn’t much to look at either, between us girls.”

Josie filed the information away for later and smiled at her mom in response as she rose from the couch. “Well, it wasn’t much of a visit but I’m sure you’re busy with work. If you need anything, call or text. I love you, Josie.” Her mom pulled her into a tight hug. After giving her a kiss on the cheek, Josie walked her to the door and watched as she pulled out of the driveway, waving as she honked the horn.

The smile disappeared in an instant from Josie’s face as she entered the house, slamming the door shut behind her. As if on cue, Michael and Damien appeared at the foot of the stairs. “I can’t even fathom where to begin with you two. Honestly, I can’t,” she said, shaking her head in disbelief. “So, I’m not going to until I’ve had a chance to think through everything my mom just told me.”

“What did she tell you?” Damien asked.

“Well, I just found out I’m not really my parents’ child.”

“What?” Damien said, shocked.

“Yeah, they just adopted me from some private agency that gave me to them when I was a baby.”

“Josie, I had no idea. I just wanted her to help us get you back on track,” Michael began.

Josie held her hand up. “I don’t care what you wanted. I am furious with you right now. But I need time alone to process all this.”

“Yeah, I’m sure, totally, I get it,” he answered.

“Jos,” Damien started, “I… I…” He fumbled, at a loss for words but wanting to comfort her from the bombshell that had just dropped. While she realized this was Michael’s idea, it was clear Damien had been complicit; Michael did not have her mother’s number and probably had gotten it from Damien.

“D, I’m really not in the mood,” she said, disappearing up the steps. Her mind was a whirlwind, but she needed some answers. She retrieved her cell phone from her office, opening her text app. She sent a message to Grayson: Need 2 c u

Heading to her room, she gathered her purse and went downstairs to retrieve her keys before heading out the door.

“Whoa, where are you going?” Michael asked, following her as she stormed out the door.

“Out,” she called, not stopping.

“Hey, are you serious? I don’t care what kind of bull you wanted to tell your mom but there is a stalker and you know it,” Michael shouted, following her.

Without a word, she got into her car and pulled away before he could say anything else.

He flung his arms in the air with disgust. “Grab my keys,” he shouted to Damien, “we’ll follow her.”

“No need,” Damien answered.

“What? Are you going crazy, too? Who knows where she is going! Or who might be there! Come on, we’ve got to go!”

“I know where she’s going.”

“You do?” Michael asked, shocked.

“More or less, yeah. We can track her. Josie is terrible about losing her phone. A while back we installed a tracking app. I still have it on my laptop, I can follow her phone wherever she goes.”

Michael smiled at him. “Damien, you are a rock star. Let’s find out where she’s headed.”

Chapter 14

Josie blasted the air conditioning in her car. The sun had made the car warm just as the morning’s events had made Josie overheated. She considered everything on her way to the motel. Was Grayson connected to her adoption? He