Page 1 of Conquering Oz

Chapter One

Hands down without a doubt…

“Guilty!” Elodie Martin said in unison with her best friend sitting beside her. They’d been huddled on the couch, completely engrossed in a true crime documentary for the last two hours. It had become their Friday night ritual, especially when Madalyn’s husband was working. Long gone were the days of bars, clubs, and stumbling into the house at sunrise.Hello, forty!

“Remember just breaking up with someone when you no longer wanted to date them?” Madalyn chuckled and shook her head.

“Ah, the good old days.” Elodie smirked at her friend. “I keep waiting for someone from high school to show up on my television.”

Madalyn laughed. “Crissy Olsen better hope they never need character witnesses. She was a stuck-up bitch.”

How was it possible her friend couldn’t recall what she ate for dinner last night, but she’d never forgotten her high school archnemesis? Elodie snickered.It makes sense. I remember mine.

“I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t be asked to speak on her behalf, Madz.”

“True, but I’d volunteer.” Madalyn leaned forward and grabbed the remote. “Do you have time for another one?”

Elodie would’ve loved nothing more than hanging out a bit longer with her friend. Madalyn’s home had been a sanctuary while Elodie’s small apartment had become a prison of sorts in the last few months. Because of her many financial troubles, shewas no longer able to afford the storage unit that had housed her late mother’s belongings. They’d now taken up residency in her living room. A daily reminder of what she’d lost.

Two years and it still hadn’t gotten much easier. It was hard to lose someone she’d known her whole life. Elodie had been especially close with her mom. And secrets had a way of binding people. Elodie barely left the house for the first year after her mother’s passing. It was a dark time. Watching murder mysteries probably wasn’t the best way to heal. But it gave her a much-needed distraction.

“Elle?”

Elodie straightened and forced a smile. “I’m opening tomorrow.”

Madalyn tossed the bag of corn chips on the table and sunk into the couch, eyeing the credits.

“It’s ten thirty on a Friday night. You have to leave, and I’m ready for bed. We’re so freakin’ old.” Madalyn sighed, resting her clasped hands over her belly. Elodie couldn’t help but smile. Not at her friend’s comment, which unfortunately was factual. Elodie’s joy came from where Madalyn’s hand laid. Her best friend had wanted this and waited a long time for it.You’re gonna make an amazing mom.

The idea of Madalyn becoming a mother was bittersweet. She’d talked about getting married and starting a family since they’d been in college. But she hadn’t had the greatest taste in the opposite sex. Madalyn had just about given up and sworn off men when a chance encounter at a small café led her to the man of her dreams. He was handsome, strong and smart. His serious nature complimented Madalyn’s dramatic, hilarious way of looking at life. They were polar opposites, yet somehow they were perfect together.

“Remember when we used to party in that abandoned warehouse? Or the concerts we would sneak into at the club? Why don’t we do stuff like that anymore?” Madalyn asked.

Elodie chuckled. The older they both got and were thrust into true adulthood, the more they reminisced about the past. Little responsibility paired with lots of fun and freedom.Good times.

“Because we’re not sixteen. We don’t have curfews, so the allure and rush of getting caught isn’t there. And unlike back then, we could actually get arrested for the shit we did as teenagers.”

Madalyn side-eyed her with a small smile playing on her lips. “You would definitely be somebody’s bitch in jail.”

Elodie scoffed, though there might have been an underlying truth in her statement. Elodie was a lover, not a fighter.

Madalyn scooted to the corner of the couch with her toes peeking from the edge of the blanket. “I’m serious, though. We used to go out for drinks, dinner, movies, parties. We were so much fun.” Madalyn glanced around the room, sneering. “Now, look at us. The highlight of our Friday night is deciding if an accused murderer is guilty. Whichhe is,but we should be out, getting dressed up, and hitting downtown.” Madalyn gasped and straightened. “Do you remember that time, I think our junior year, my sister and her friend loaned us their IDs, and we got into the club on Dolan Street, right off Main?” Madalyn’s face lit up. “That night was epic. Do you remember?”

Oh, I remember.

“How could I forget?You threw up on my new shoes in the bathroom.” Elle twisted her lips in disgust. The memory heightened her senses, and she could almost smell a faint whiff of vomit in the air. If that night hadn’t solidified her friendship with Madalyn, nothing would.

“Yeah, but up until that point” —Madalyn cocked her brow, and her lips twitched— “it was great.”

Elodie snickered, grabbing her glass of wine and finishing it off. Madalyn wasn’t lying. For years, they’d had lots of fun. Their friendship spanned over three decades. From Elodie’s first day of third grade at her new school, they’d been inseparable. It was strange how that had happened. By nine, most young friendships had built a few years of shared history. Cliques were formed, not usually open to outsiders. Madalyn was different. She’d welcomed Elodie into the fold at a time when she’d needed it the most. Their fates were sealed. Best friends until the end.

Elodie checked the time on her phone. 10:42pm.

“I really have to get going. What time is Chris coming home?”

“Midnight.” Madalyn yawned and covered her mouth. “I’m going to wait up for him.”

By the looks of it, Madalyn would be passed out on the couch before Elodie backed her car out of the driveway. Still, she had no doubt her friend would try. Elodie battened down her own yawn. If Madalyn caught sight of it, she’d spend the next ten minutes trying to convince her to sleep over.

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