Victoria pointed. “The blond in front.”
Jill spotted a skinny kid with curly blond hair, and almost growled. “Is his mother here? Can I deck her?”
“Down, girl.” Victoria looked over. “Megan’s stronger than you think. After all, she’s her mother’s daughter.”
Jill smiled, then eyed the pool deck for Megan. A flock of yellow bathing suits and matching swim caps clustered behind the starting blocks with Coach Stash, and Megan stood at the periphery, looking up at the bleachers the way she always did. Jill raised her bandaged hand. “Hey, honey!”
Megan broke into a grin, waving back. “Hi, Mom,” she mouthed, which she had never done.
“She looks happy,” Sam said, waving.
“She really does.” Jill felt a rush of relief.
“Jill, Jill!” Rita motioned from down the row to Jill, who leaned over. “Victoria and Steven told us about your car accident, in Jersey.” She gestured at the bandage. “Are you okay?”
“Fine, thanks,” Jill answered.
“I heard what that little jerk did to Megan. How is she?”
“She was upset.” Jill knew it had to be the talk of the swim moms, but they’d all be on Megan’s side.
“She’s fine, you’ll see,” Victoria said, smiling mysteriously.
Jill turned to her, puzzled. “What, is something going on?”
“Yes, and it was all Megan’s idea. Watch.”
Jill and Sam craned their necks at a sudden commotion, taking place poolside. Coach Stash had walked away with his clipboard, and Megan and the rest of the girls swarmed like yellowjackets, flying toward the boys’ team. Megan grabbed the blond swimmer by his one arm while Courtney nabbed his other.
“What’s she doing?” Jill asked, confused. Sam and Steve looked over at the scene, and Victoria and Abby pointed in delight. Heads turned in the gallery as Megan, Courtney, and the rest of the girls whisked the boy to the edge of the pool and pushed him into the water.
“Yay! Yay!” Megan, Courtney, and the girls burst into laughter, applause, and cheering. The boys doubled-over with laughter, shoving each other in glee.
Victoria, Abby, and Steven cheered, and the Valley West parents stood up, clapping, as the blond swimmer swam to the side of the pool. The girls crowded around a grinning Megan, jumping up and down, hugging her.
“Way to go!” Sam laughed.
“Good for you, Megan!” Jill stood up, clapping loudest of all. Her throat caught as she realized that her daughter was growing up, right before her very eyes.
And it was a beautiful sight.
Acknowledgments
I’ve written eighteen novels, and in each one, my goal is to write something that’s true. That doesn’t mean true in the literal sense, at all. It means emotionally true. A novel doesn’t connect unless it’s emotionally true, and when it’s emotionally true and does connect, what happens is magic.
To write a novel that’s emotionally true, I have to go within. For it to reach your heart, it has to come from mine. I dug deep for Come Home, because in my own life, during my second marriage, I was a stepmother of three girls, in addition to my own daughter. The first point I need to make here is in the nature of a disclaimer: the stepdaughters in this novel aren’t my real stepdaughters, nor are they based on them, in any way. The characters herein are completely fictional, and the same is true of the second husband in this book. But the emotional truth of being a stepmother, and an ex-stepmother, I know that. I lived that, and so I’m free to write about it, and I hope it informs the novel and gives it an emotional truth.
That said, you don’t have to be a stepmother or even a mother to recognize the feelings or have them strike a chord in you, because that’s the way it is with truth. It rings true, for everyone.
And, of course, the other point to be made is a big thank-you to my (former) stepdaughters, for the years we spent together, and for letting me into their lives. I love all three of you, and always will.
Now to the thank-yous, where I get to thank all of those experts who helped me, and make clear that any and all mistakes herein are mine.
I needed a dynamic duo of pediatricians to help me understand how they think and work, and for this, I am indebted to Dr. Carol Actor, in private practice in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, and Dr. Eileen Everly, of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Both women took valuable time to answer all of my questions, and I could not be more grateful to them for their kindness, expertise, and guidance—and more important, for all they do for children.
For the intricacies of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, I turned to my dear friend and former special agent Linda Vizi, and thanks so much to her. I am so grateful to Linda for her time and expertise, as well as all of the years of service she gave to the FBI to take care of us all. And yes, there really is a Needle & Gun Club of female FBI agents, and I’m proud to have one of their quilts hanging in a place of honor in my home.
Thanks to the police officers at the Sixth Precinct in Philadelphia, as well as the police officers of the Sixth Precinct (a coincidence) in New York City, for their help, and again, their service to us all. Special thanks and a big hug to Detective Kenneth Baker of the NYPD for answering all of my questions.
Thanks to Tom Melvin, genius accountant, who helped me with the financial details herein, as I have math anxiety. Thanks to Mary McMahon, swim mom extraordinaire. Thanks to Danielle Bersch, Elaine Gondek, and Veronica Mendina, too.
Thank you to the gang at St. Martin’s Press, starting with the terrific John Sargent, Brian Napack, Sally Richardson, Matthew Shear, Matt Baldacci, Jeanne-Marie Hudson, Brian Heller, Jeff Capshew, Nancy Trypuc, Kim Ludlam, John Murphy, John Karle, Sara Goodman, and all the wonderful sales reps. Big thanks to Michael Storrings, for an astounding cover design. Also hugs and kisses to Mary Beth Roche, Laura Wilson, and the great people in audio books. I love and appreciate all of you.
I want to take a special moment to thank my editor, Jennifer Enderlin, to whom this book is dedicated. I came to Jen when my writing life was well-established and my habits somewhat entrenched (if not ossified). But getting to know her, to listen to her suggestions, and to watch her approach to my work has opened my eyes, and heart, in so many ways. A great editor has the talent and power to bring out the best in a writer, and I feel Jen doing that for me, encouraging me to go deeper, and truer, with each book and even each sentence. Jen, I can’t thank you enough, and this dedication is only a start.
Thanks and big love to my incredible agent and friend, Molly Friedrich, who has guided me for so long now, with her expertise, brilliance, humor, and heart. Thanks, too, to the amazing Lucy Carson and Molly Schulman, for all of their comments on this manuscript. Thanks and another big hug to my dedicated and wonderful assistant and best friend, Laura Leonard. She’s invaluable in every way, and has been for over twenty years.
Thanks, too, to my girl pack of Nan Daley, Rachel Kull, Paula Menghetti, and Franca Palumbo. We’re all moms of daughters and they’re all we talk about, and always will be. Thanks, ladies, for being yourselves, and for helping me, every day.
This is a long way of saying thank you very much to my amazing and brilliant daughter, Francesca, a wonderful writer in her own right, to my mother, Mary, and to my late father. I love you all, and you’ve taught me everything about everything.
Thank you, always and forever.
Also by Lisa Scottoline
Fiction
Think Twice
Look Again
Lady Killer
Daddy’s Girl
Dirty Blonde
Devil’s Corner
Killer Smile
Dead Ringer
Courting Trouble
The Vendetta Defense
Moment of Truth
Mistaken Identity
Rough Justice
Legal Tender
Running from the Law
Final Appeal
Everywhere That Mary Went
Nonfiction (with
Francesca Scottoline Serritella)
My Nest Isn’t Empty, It Just Has More Closet Space
Why My Third Husband Will Be a Dog
About the Author
Lisa Scottoline is a New York Times bestselling and Edgar Award–winning author of eighteen novels. She has served as the president of the Mystery Writers of America, and her recent novel Look Again has been optioned for a feature film. She is a weekly columnist for The Philadelphia Inquirer and her columns have been collected in two books and optioned for television. She has 25 million copies of her books in print in the United States, and she has been published in thirty countries. She lives in the Philadelphia area with an array of disobedient pets. Visit www.scottoline.com.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
COME HOME. Copyright © 2012 by Lisa Scottoline. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.stmartins.com
The Library of Congress has cataloged the print edition as follows:
Scottoline, Lisa.
Come home / Lisa Scottoline. — 1st ed.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-0-312-38082-3 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-4299-4232-4 (e-book)
1. Motherhood—Fiction. 2. Domestic fiction. I. Title.
PS3569.C725C66 2012
813'.54—dc23
2011046492
e-ISBN 9781429942324
First Edition: April 2012
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