Dying to Remember (Jennifer Marsh Mystery) - Softcover

Fitzwater, Judy

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0449006395 ISBN 13: 9780449006399

Publisher: Fawcett, 2000

Synopsis

Jennifer Marsh's high school reunion is truly a nightmare. Among her classmates: overweight ex-jocks handing out business cards; former cheerleaders fast becoming clones of their mothers; class beauty Sheena Cassidy, more narcissistic than ever; and bad boy Danny Buckner, Jennifer's unforgotten first love. Missing, of course, is Jimmy Mitchell, whose haunting disappearance on prom night twelve years ago remains a chilling mystery. All that's needed to make the evening a complete disaster is murder--an oversight soon gruesomely remedied by person or persons unknown. Trapped in the dangerous thick of it is Jennifer, knowing too much to suit a killer . . . and dying to remember enough to save her own life.

About this title

About the Author

Judy Fitzwater grew up an Air Force brat and has lived in New York, Oklahoma, Texas, Hawaii, Maine, Kentucky, Georgia, New Jersey, and North Carolina. She began her writing career freelancing as a columnist, feature writer, and reporter of Superior Court proceedings for a newspaper in rural North Carolina. She made her debut as a novelist with Dying to Get Published, followed by Dying to Get Even and Dying for a Clue. Ms. Fitzwater lives in the Washington, D.C., suburbs with her husband, two daughters, and their Norwich terrier.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

High school. The words made Jennifer Marsh shudder. She'd left all
thoughts of it behind her twelve years ago, and she wasn't about to go
back. Not for love, not for money, and certainly not for a plate of
fettuccine Alfredo and a chocolate sundae.

"It's your ten-year reunion," Jennifer reminded Leigh Ann as calmly as she
could, across the small, round table at Luigi's, irritated that she'd been
suckered into a lunch date with a secret agenda. She'd actually put on a
skirt and panty hose for this?

She should have known something was up when Leigh Ann had offered to
treat. "You don't need me to go with you, and I certainly have no desire
to see any of those people ever again."

"I think you just insulted me. I'm one of those people," Leigh Ann
reminded her, tugging at the lapel of her jade-colored suit. The petite
brunette scooped up a spoonful of syrup, drizzled it over her vanilla ice
cream, and kept her green eyes focused on the thin stream of chocolate.
Luigi kept the syrup just for her. Sundaes weren't on the menu.

"It's for all classes," Leigh Ann went on, "like it always is, so they can
get a big enough crowd to warrant using the school gym. Everybody's going
to be there."

Leigh Ann cleared her throat. "Danny Buckner is com-
ing. He does every year, just waiting for you to show up. I'm sure he's
dying to see you again."

The mention of Danny's name, even all these years later, sent a twinge
through her heart.

She grabbed Leigh Ann's spoon away from her, dripping fudge on the white
tablecloth, and shook it at her. "Why you would think I'd still be
interested in the likes of Danny Buckner--"

A lady at the next table raised an eyebrow, and Jennifer abruptly stopped
talking.

Leigh Ann rolled her eyes. "You were smitten with the boy, Jen."

"Smitten? What kind of word is that?" Jennifer demanded in a loud whisper.
"People haven't been 'smitten' for the last fifty years. Besides, he's
married."

"Well yeah, to Sheena Cassidy. But I always considered that a temporary
condition."

If looks could burn, Leigh Ann would have gone up in flames. "Ten years
can hardly be considered temporary," Jennifer pointed out.

Leigh Ann held up her hands in defense. "You are so touchy. Besides, I was
just stating my opinion. I certainly wasn't suggesting that you start
something up with him again. I just thought you might be curious, after
all these years, to know how he turned out."

Jennifer dropped her gaze. She could almost feel her friend studying her
face, which must be glowing a soft pink if the heat she felt in her cheeks
was any indication.

"Sheena kind of did a number on you, didn't she?" Leigh Ann observed.

That was an understatement. Once Sheena realized Danny had set his sights
on Jennifer, her only mission was to turn Jennifer's life into a living
hell. No boy could possibly be worth going through all that. And
Jennifer's inability to handle the situation was one of the true regrets
of her life.

"But you still went to the senior prom with him," Leigh Ann reminded her.

Jennifer dropped the spoon back into Leigh Ann's stemmed ice cream glass
and turned an even brighter red. She couldn't tell Leigh Ann it was as
much an act of re-
venge as a fulfillment of a crush. Evil, terrible revenge against Sheena
for all the horrible things that short-skirted, mean-to-the-bone junior
squad cheerleader had done to
her. And she'd paid for that revenge dearly.

Prom night had been one of the worst nights of her life. And not just
because Sheena had tried to take Danny away from her on the dance floor,
or because she'd come home to a house with toilet paper streaming from the
trees.

"I think you should go," Leigh Ann insisted with bright eyes, scooping up
another bite of sundae. "You've got your college degree, you're writing
your books, you're working with Dee Dee in her catering business making
those vegetable flower wreaths that are true works of art, you've got no
gray in your hair and no lines in your face except when you smile really
big, you haven't gained an ounce, and you've got all your teeth."

"All my teeth? I'm only thir--" The word stuck in her throat. She'd found
no graceful way to ease into the next decade of her life. It'd come upon
her like a tiger in the night, ripping her youth from her and leaving her
in shock. Like it or not, she was one of the grown-ups now.

And her life plan--to have her mystery writing career well under way by
this time--was all askew. If she gave in and went to the reunion, what
would she say when people asked her what she did for a living? She could
hardly tell them she was a wannabe--with nine unpublished manuscripts
gathering dust in her closet and more rejection slips than Gone with the
Wind had pages.

"What do you plan to tell them about your writing?" Jennifer asked.

A twinkle sparked in Leigh Ann's eye as she savored the ice cream on her
tongue. "Writing? Who's going to be talking about writing?"

She knew better than to go anywhere with Leigh Ann, even if Leigh Ann was
one of her dearest friends and a member of her writers' group. Leigh Ann
was always on the prowl. She lived and breathed the romance she wrote, and
yet . . .

Jennifer studied Leigh Ann's tiny, doll-like features. What was it that
made love so elusive for her? Why did she keep it on such a superficial,
primitive attraction level? Why did she have such commitment issues?

And why was she so hot to go to this reunion? They'd known each other in
high school, but not well. Had there been someone, maybe back then, when
most insecurities are formed . . .

"Besides, I'm thinking about writing a book about old flames," Leigh Ann
said. "You know, high school sweethearts who find each other years later.
Something a lot of people can relate to."

Two years ago Jennifer had started writing a book of her own based on her
high school experiences, but it was no love story. It had turned into
something more along the lines of Scream or Prom Night. She'd put it away.
Obviously, she had issues, and Leigh Ann should realize that some
unresolved problems were better left that way, before they had a chance to
rise up and bite her again.

Edition details

• Publisher: Fawcett
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0449006395
• ISBN 13: 9780449006399
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 240