A Cold Tomorrow (Point Pleasant #2)
Mae Clair
Dedication
In memory of Cathy Brehm
Acknowledgements
Thank you to my fantastic critique partner, Cate Masters, for working through chapter after chapter when I was on a tight deadline. I couldn’t have finished the book without you.
To my editor, Paige Christian, thank you for your hard work in making this novel shine.
To Lyrical Underground and Kensington Publishing, I’m delighted to be part of such a professional organization.
Finally, to my husband, who has been by my side through every step of my writing journey, and who listened patiently to my endless chatter about the Mothman and UFOs. Thank you for undertaking two trips with me to Point Pleasant and the TNT. There is nothing like firsthand research when penning a novel!
Author’s Foreword
In 1966-67, leading up to the tragic collapse of the Silver Bridge on December 15, 1967, Point Pleasant, West Virginia experienced a number of unexplained occurrences. Among these were Mothman sightings, an unusual amount of UFO activity, and the arrival of mysterious Men-in-Black.
I’ve used those events to create my own account of preternatural activity in A Cold Tomorrow. Set in 1982, fifteen years after the fall of the Silver Bridge, I’ve employed many of the legends from Point Pleasant folklore. As someone who enjoys researching urban legends and myth, I’ve placed my own spin on these. It should be noted that none of the characters in this book are meant to resemble persons living or dead in any fashion.
I’ve also taken some liberties with Point Pleasant by adding several roads and a number of fictional businesses such as the Parrish Hotel, the River café, Doreen Sue’s hair salon, and others. The TNT is an actual site, part of the McClintic Wildlife Management Area.
A small town, Point Pleasant is situated at the confluence of the Ohio and Kanawha Rivers. It’s suffered great tragedy and loss, endured the spotlight of scrutiny, but preserved. If you visit, you’ll discover the world’s only Mothman Museum, an amazing River Museum and Learning Center, Tu-Endie-Wei State Park which commemorates the town’s frontier battle days, and also Fort Randolph, the site of an American Revolutionary garrison. The town also has an amazing riverfront with amphitheater. During one visit, I passed a pleasant summer evening there with my husband listening to local musicians and taking in the river views.
I hope you enjoy my interpretation of the Mothman and other odd events from Point Pleasant folklore. Thank you for taking the journey with me.
Mae Clair
June 2016
Prologue
December 15, 1967
Point Pleasant, West Virginia
Christmas was a week and a half away, but the cheerful bustle of downtown Point Pleasant left Katie Lynch gloomy. Across the street from her mama’s hair salon, a man in a Santa Claus suit rang a hand-held bell, beckoning shoppers inside G. C. Murphy’s. Another time she would have been excited to peek at the festive store displays or the toys and plush stuffed animals tucked into overflowing bins. She had her heart set on a perky white dog, since Mama said a real one was too much trouble. But even the memory of the snowy pooch she wanted to name Moonbeam had lost its appeal.
It was impossible to think of anything happy since her sister had disappeared three days ago. The only gift Katie craved for Christmas was Wendy’s safe return.
Plopping to a seat on the bench in front of the salon, she chewed the inside of her lip. She’d stayed inside for a while, waiting for her mama to finish, but the odor of perm solution had worked on her stomach until she’d finally wandered outside. Despite an edge of cold in the air, she didn’t mind the chill. Maybe because the sun hadn’t set and the street was so busy. From her vantage point, it was easy to see the string of traffic lined up to cross the Silver Bridge farther down the road. She and Wendy had made plans to go shopping across the river in Gallipolis tomorrow. Their mama was even going to let Wendy take the car, something that had surprised them both.
And then Wendy vanished. The sheriff, most people around town, and even Mama thought Katie’s older sister had run away.
“The girl took off once before,” Katie had overheard Mrs. Quiggly tell Pearl Kraus when she’d dropped off a clothing donation at the thrift store. Secretly, she didn’t understand why her mama worried about less fortunate people, when most of the town said nasty things behind her back. Like how she stayed out too late drinking, didn’t have control over her daughters, and ran around with men.
It was the way people thought of Wendy, too—trashy and cheap. Some of the boys in school, and plenty of the girls, had even called Katie those names. Most wanted nothing to do with her. The only kids who might have taken an interest were bullies and troublemakers, friends she didn’t need at twelve years old.
Locking her hands on either side of the bench, she leaned forward and glanced down the street. Across the road, two girls walked side by side, chatting intently—Eve Parrish and Sarah Sherman. They usually avoided her like most of her classmates, but never called her trashy names. Eve had even let her borrow a notebook for history class after Suzanne Flemish dumped Katie’s in the toilet.
Her face burned with the memory. She’d wanted to punch Suzanne, but it would have only gotten her tossed out of school. If she’d had friends—good friends like Eve and Sarah seemed to be—maybe it wouldn’t have hurt so much when she’d been forced to slink away. But Eve Parrish, daughter of the family who owned Point Pleasant’s famous Parrish Hotel, would never be friends with someone like her. Wendy was the only true friend she had.