by Carla Norton
The yellow roses briefly morph into flame and she blinks away the image.
“We’re finding out things about this guy you wouldn’t believe. I mean, first off, did you hear about your Jeep?”
“Is it all right?”
“Sure, and it’s released from evidence already. But here’s the thing: We found a GPS tracker under your bumper. We think he planted it there.”
“What? He was tracking me?” The thought makes her skin crawl.
“Apparently you weren’t the only one. And you’re right that he was a cop.”
As he tells her some of what they’ve discovered about Drew Eubank, the computer wizard and surveillance expert who orchestrated the kidnappings of Hannah, Tilly, and Abby, her hands start to hurt. She realizes she’s strangling the phone with one hand and clenching a fist with the other.
“Nick,” she interrupts, “this is too much to take in.”
“Oh, right.” There’s an awkward pause. “Sorry. I shouldn’t unload all this on you while you’re in the hospital.”
“No, that’s okay.” She glances at the roses.
“But anyway, uh, I’m glad you called, because I wanted to ask: Do you think you’ll ever come back to Jefferson?”
She hears the underlying meaning and pictures Nick Hudson’s kind eyes, his tempting mouth. She fervently tries to imagine being with him as his future unfolds: going to law school, bringing bad guys to justice, strumming his guitar and writing ballads.… It suits him, but she shakes her head. “I’m sorry. You’re an amazing guy, but we both know it wouldn’t work. I could never fit in here.”
A pause. “Well, sure. You belong in San Francisco. Jefferson must seem pretty dull.”
“Dull?” She scoffs. “Don’t I wish? But I need to get home. I’m tired.”
“Sure. I understand. It must be exhausting being you.”
“What do you mean?” she asks, trying to subdue the edge of defensiveness in her voice.
His reply is gentle. “Reeve, honestly, no one would ever accuse you of being ordinary.”
She replays this conversation a hundred times while driving home, clutching the wheel with bandaged hands, fighting her regrets. She drives for hours without stopping, and when her hands throb from gripping the wheel too hard, she rests them one at a time, stretching and flexing, knowing that they will heal, that the tender pink scars will thicken, toughen, fade, and turn numb.
Her head aches, her heart aches, but at last she crosses the Bay Bridge and exhales a sigh of relief. It seems like months since she’s been home.
The city appears etched in radiance. A bright moon shines overhead and the Ferry Building is aglow as she turns onto the Embarcadero and cruises slowly along the wide, familiar lane, marveling at the tall palms sparkling with holiday lights.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
So many people helped carry this novel from my hands to yours that it would take an entire book to thank everyone properly, but I’ll do my best to keep it short.
I count myself lucky for having many smart and talented friends, and I’m particularly grateful to those who kindly read versions of my manuscript. A thousand thanks to Jeffery Deaver, Dr. Robert Jones, Cynthia Maas, Peggy Newell, Chips O’Toole, and Professor Emeritus John Williams. Another thousand thanks to the Decatur Island Writers, Authors All: Rachel Bergman, Karen Engelmann, Lynn Grant, and Marisa Silver.
Huge thanks to Michael Neff and his Algonkian workshops for helping me cultivate this story, plus five stars of gratitude to my critique group at AuthorSalon.com: Kari Pilgrim, Jennifer Skutelsky, Francis Vandenhoven, Scott Young, and especially Lois Gordon.
I owe my deepest gratitude to those who helped sharpen my writing skills over the years, notably Jeanne Mackin, Rahna Reiko Rizzuto, and Rebecca Brown, my superlative advisors at Goddard College. A wink of thanks also to Robert McKee and to Tom Jenks.
I owe a debt of thanks to retired police captain Ben Reed, Jr., to Dr. Bruce Gage, program director and chief of psychiatry for Washington State Prisons, and to Emmitt Booher, all of whom helped shed light on certain areas of expertise. (All errors are my own; please grant poetic license if you can.)
This novel would never have made it beyond chapter one without the enormous help of Dr. William Powers. It would not have seen print without my excellent agent, Liza Dawson. And it would have been a much lesser book without my superb editor, Hope Dellon, along with Andrew Martin and the terrific team at Minotaur Books. A deep bow of gratitude to you all.
Boundless thanks to my fabulous family. Mom, Dad, Mark, and Dianne, your unfailing love and support mean the world.
Thanks also to the citizens of beautiful “Jefferson County” (you know who you are). Please accept my apologies for fooling with your region’s geography.
And lastly, dear reader, my thanks to you for choosing this book.
RESOURCES
Here are some important resources if you need help or information:
• National Center for Missing & Exploited Children: 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678) http://www.missingkids.com/ or http://www.ncmec.org
• National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-SAFE (1-800-799-7233) http://www.thehotline.org
• National Human Trafficking Resource Center / Polaris Project: 1-888-373-7888 http://www.polarisproject.org
• National Missing and Unidentified Persons System: http://www.namus.gov
• Office for Victims of Crime: http://www.ovc.gov/help/index.html
• The Elizabeth Smart Foundation: http://elizabethsmartfoundation.org/
ALSO BY CARLA NORTON
Perfect Victim
Disturbed Ground
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
CARLA NORTON is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Perfect Victim, which the FBI put on their Behavioral Sciences Unit reading list. She served as the special sections editor for the San Jose Mercury News and has written for numerous publications. She has an MFA from Goddard College and has twice served as a judge for the Edgar Awards. The Edge of Normal, which won a Royal Palm Literary Award for best unpublished mystery, is her first novel. She lives in California and Florida.
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.
THE EDGE OF NORMAL. Copyright © 2013 by Carla Norton. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.minotaurbooks.com
Cover photograph @ Daniel Murtagh/Trevillion Images
The Library of Congress has Cataloged the print edition as follows:
Norton, Carla.
The edge of normal: a novel / Carla Norton. — First Edition.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-1-250-03104-4 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-250-03105-1 (e-book)
1. Young women—Fiction. 2. Kidnapping—Fiction. 3. Life change events—Fiction. 4. Friendships—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3614.o78253E34 2013
813'.6—dc23
2013013697
e-ISBN 9781250031051
First Edition: September 2013
