Daniel > Recent Status Updates

So far all we've gotten is a re-hashing of Smoke's story from the first two books of the series ... as he's telling it to a journalist. 🤷‍♂️ This is utterly ridiculous and a complete waste of time. It's like a TV episode where all they do is show clips from previous episodes! 😣 I'll DNF soon if it continues.

“Hey, I’m very good at what I do.” I glared.

“He is really good,” Sugar said. “Like, he should have his own TV show good. One of the ones where they have a narrator and everything.”

“A documentary."

“No, one of the ones on basic cable. Like a ‘watch the cute dog fall on its face.’”

“America’s Funniest Home Videos?” I asked. “I’m good enough to be on America’s Funniest Home Videos? That’s your endorsement?”

“Sixteen-year-old boys are stupid.”

“My brother isn’t stupid. Whatever else you can say about him, he’s really smart. If you really believe that stupid story about Mr. Young, then apparently he got away without a trace. Do you really think he would do something like this when it was so obvious he’d get caught? I’m telling you, Liam didn’t do this. You’ll see. The truth will come out.”

Sociopath. He doesn’t feel empathy like you do. He doesn’t feel love. He’s just faking it. As a mother, it was one of the worst things anybody has ever said to me. Your son doesn’t love you. He’s not capable of it. At the time, I refused to believe it. “Where is she, Liam? Where is Olivia?”

He looks me straight in the eyes, the same way he did to the officers as he lied to their faces.

“I don’t know.”

"You’ve got an individual who feels no empathy, no remorse, no fear, & is prone to violence. It’s not surprising so many serial killers are diagnosed as psychopaths.”
“Are you saying Liam is a psychopath?”
“He was only 9 years old the last time I saw him. Most of these personality disorders can’t be diagnosed until eighteen. But… he was definitely a sociopath. My gut feeling was that he was also a psychopath."

“Do you think Liam did it?”
“I can’t share details of our investigation.”
“I don’t think he did. I’ve known him for two years & he’s a really nice guy. He’s very smart & he just wouldn’t. I don’t think he could. I mean, what kind of person does something like that? I can’t imagine it.”
“Then why did you contact us?”
“I don’t know. I don’t think he did it. But I guess I’m not absolutely sure. You never know.”

Death smashed her like a bug, the blow as abrupt as a fly being swatted on a windowsill. The effect was jarring & the emotional impact hadn’t worn off. I hadn’t been consulted in the matter & hadn’t agreed. Death is insulting. I resented its sudden appearance, like an unannounced visit from a boorish relative. I suspected the knot in my chest would be there for a long time; not grief but a hard fist of regret.

“That’s so amazing! I can’t believe you get to talk to all the ghosts. Are there lots of them? I bet they have amazing stories! You’ll have to tell me who you’ve met so far. This is the best night ever! Although not for poor Professor Plume, I guess. Oh my god, have you seen the ghost of the professor? Is he haunting the hotel now?”

“Please stop talking.”

I'm with Ellis ... this is SUCH FUN!!!

Someone had shown Jasper they cared & the only people who had done that were Mrs Jenkins & Harvey. At Clearwater House everyone looked after each other & they looked after him, an unskilled hall boy with no history other than workhouses & basements. An illegitimate boy from nowhere. Privileges, new clothes, warm baths & thanks. He'd been showered with trust & swaddled in care & he'd done nothing to deserve it.

A home was where people were made to feel wanted, where they were thanked & appreciated, a place that came with a warm room & hot water, privacy & freedom. Somewhere with a sense of family, where everyone lived in harmony, and where, if arguments happened, people took time to explain & apologise. It was a place where people could invite friends & talk honestly. A home was a place like Clearwater House.

“I am so looking forward to this.” We climb the steps to the hotel and Danny opens the door for me to walk through. “Four uninterrupted days, no ghosts, no murder.” We step into the foyer and stop dead. “You have got to be fucking kidding me.” We both look up to read a massive banner that reads in very bold letters: “Welcome To The Ashton-Drake Manor House Hotel’s First Annual Murder Mystery Weekend!”

I come so hard I do actually wonder if I’m going to pass out. He gives a couple of slow, grinding thrusts & I feel his balls pulse against me when he comes inside me. We both crash to the floor in a sweaty, dizzy mess as we roll onto our backs. For several long moments, we lie there semi-stunned, panting hard as we stare at the ceiling.

It’s Danny who breaks the silence.

“Do you wanna play Monopoly next?”

“Danny, please,” I manage to gasp out. He lifts up, pulling me with him. He speeds up & pounds into me. The room spins & my body is on fire. My skin is prickling & my balls are tightening as my stomach clenches. “Wait!” I cry out loudly. “Stop!”

Danny stops immediately, panting hard. “What’s wrong? Are you dizzy? Are you going to be sick?”

“What?” I frown. “No! I just don’t want to get cum on the new sofa.”