TLS Special SNEAK PEEK Feature

The Lemonade Stand has spent so many years bringing you the best the Twilight fandom has to offer, and we are very excited to have the chance to offer you even MORE. We've watched stories grow and develop from first post through COMPLETE, and now we're lucky enough to share previews of the stories that will soon be your new addiction.

Once again, we are proud to showcase our very own multi-talented TLS admin, LayAtHomeMom! She’s given us some of our favorite fics like Kush, Burning Saints, and Girl Code. Now, she’s giving us something a little different and we can’t wait to see where she takes us with this new fic!

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Beneath the Branches

Summary: “The town of Forks is typically synonymous with boredom, not serial killers.”

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Summertime is here and with that, a new story to share.

In the past, many of my fics have been rife with silliness, sarcasm, sex, and subtle shade. *Carrie ZM cringes at my alliteration*

But this summer, I’m going to try something a bit different. Because as much as I love the shade and the snark and sexy times, I’ve got another subject that starts with an ‘s’ that tickles my fancy.

Serial killers.

What does that say about me?

I’m really not sure. All I know is that my Netflix account and Google searches are probably on some kind of watch list and my appetite for true crime stories may be borderline unhealthy.

But I regret nothing.

I do, however, hope that readers out there may share my fondness for the subject.

So, what’s it about?

A little bit of this, a little bit of that, but basically, it’s a whodunit with an older FBI profiler, a young, feisty beauty with a brain, and a small town with a ritualistic serial killer on the loose. Sprinkle in some romance, a smidgen of smut, and a pinch of psycho and BAM – you’ve got Beneath the Branches.

So, if you fancy yourself a Forensic Files aficionado, or consider your super-sleuthing abilities right up there with Columbo, or you’ve just got a pair of David Caruso from CSI: Miami aviators laying around that you feel like dusting off – this might be a fun little summer fic for you.

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Excerpt from Chapter 2

 “So, he’s not deviating from the process in that respect then,” I mutter to myself as I compare victim photos. “But he is evolving.”

“What do you mean?”

“He’s getting comfortable. More precise. With Jessica, his rope work was sloppy and I suppose that could be because he was nervous, but he bound her with a traditional round lashing.” Tapping a finger on a shot of Kate’s bindings and then Emily’s, I note the difference. “With the other two he went with a diagonal lashing.”

The chief inhales deeply through his nose. “Maybe he wanted to secure them better so they couldn’t give him the fight Jessi did.”

“That’s possible I suppose,” I tip my head back and forth considering it, “but I think what’s more concerning is that he’s confident enough to bind them with a more complex lashing.”

Taking a seat beside me, he folds his hands together on the table. “What exactly are we dealing with here?”

I turn to face him and see the worry and exhaustion etched in every line on his face.

“The phones are ringing off the hook. I’ve got journalists and law enforcement and every nib-nosed gossip in Forks asking me questions I can’t answer.” He swallows. “I need a profile.”

“You do, but there’s something more pressing we need to establish.”

“What’s that?”

I eye him seriously. “If he’s a local.”

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Be sure to put LayAtHomeMom on alert so you don't miss out on this fic! Beneath the Branches will begin posting on June 6, 2019.