Evil in the Midst

By Liane T. Franklin

Schools out! Time for a little fun with friends. Anna sets out with five friends for a weekend camping trip filled with fun and sun, but ends in murder. Nothing and nobody is as they seem. Life, as they have known it, is gone forever. Who can be trusted? How could a murderer have been in their midst and no one know?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Liane T. Franklin
• Release date: Mar 2, 2012
• ISBN: 9781466085220

Liane T. Franklin

Liane T. Franklin is a registered nurse, who works in a Pediatric Clinic, in Mississippi. Her life-long dream was to become a nurse, and she has worked in the newborn nursery, home health, nursing home and surgery settings, but has a passion for taking care of children. She is married and lives in North Central Mississippi with her husband. She has three sons, from previous marriages, who have inspired her to be the best at everything she sets out to do. As a single mother for a good portion of their lives, she knows the struggles and the joys of raising boys to be “Great Men.” Her blended family also includes five grandchildren, two step-daughters, a son-in-law and a daughter-in-law, who make life interesting and fun. Liane has been an avid reader since childhood. She has also been writing short stories and poems since she was a child. Now, her passion is writing fiction. She credits her family for encouraging her to follow her dreams and share her work. Her ideas and stories are inspired by the people in her life, who have shared in her struggles, triumphs, and victories. Those people are the spice of her life.

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Evil in the Midst

By

Liane T. Franklin

SMASHWORDS EDITION

* * * * *

PUBLISHED BY:

Liane T. Franklin on Smashwords

Evil in the Midst

Copyright © 2012 by Liane T. Franklin

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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events or locales is entirely coincidental.

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eBook formatting and cover design by Doris Tartt

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Chapter 1

The bell rang at 3:10 p.m. School was out for summer, and we were on our way to Matterhorn Lake for a weekend of camping, swimming and fun in the sun. It took some doing, but Patrick, Scotty, Lindsey, Leah, Tom and I had finally convinced our parents to let us go.

My parents were pretty okay with the situation, since Patrick and I had always gone camping with my dad. We had been friends since the day my parents and I moved to Mountain Grove, the summer before I started kindergarten. For over ten years, we had been having sleeping overs and hanging out every day. Patrick was family.

My dad was a criminal attorney and worked long hours, but he always made time for Patrick and me. He had grown up in a large family with three brothers and two sisters. My Grampy, his father, had worked as a mechanic for a meager wage to support his family. All six of his children had earned college degrees and were earning good livings. Dad was proud of his heritage and the values his dad instilled in his children, and he was determined to pass those values on to my little brother and me. Grampy had taken extra care to nurture his children and teach them to be thankful for all they had. He spent every moment he could with his children, and my dad did the same with us.

My brother was seven years younger than me, and like most little brothers, Chip was a pain in the neck. We had our share of fighting and the last two weeks of school had been particularly hard. He didn’t want to go to school, and he would fight with mom every morning. Then, the afternoons would be filled with aggravating me, while I babysat him. He was a terror and I couldn’t wait for our camping trip so I could get away from him. It would be paradise compared to dealing with him.

Dad and I had been gathering camping gear and supplies for several days, and he had been giving me instructions on everything from bug repellent to CPR. He was pretty good about letting me be independent, but it didn’t keep him from worrying about his little girl. It was more surprising to me that he was the one to convince my mom to let me go. She was overprotective enough for them both, but she had grown up an only child and had been very sheltered.

By 3:45 p.m., we all met at my house, where my dad’s truck was loaded down with camping supplies. He had told me, Anna, I’m trusting you to act like an adult. I may not be able to see what you are doing, but God sees all things.

I know, Dad, I promise to behave! I said.

Truth be told, he was probably on his knees praying before we were out of the driveway. I didn’t have my driver’s license, but Patrick had his, so he did the driving. He was only six months older than me, but he was a grade ahead of me. I was jealous that he would be graduating next year. It was going to be the best summer of our lives, because he would be prepping for college the next summer. He would be the first male to ever graduate in his family, and he was very proud of it.

Patrick’s dad was a crew chief for a local tire plant, and had worked his way up from the line. He had started working when he was sixteen to help his mother make ends meet, after his father left them. It was supposed to be a summer job, but he was never able to quit and finish school. He met Pat’s mother at a church dance at the age of eighteen,