In Case of Emergency

­TWO
CHARLOTTE
Today is the day, I say loudly, using volume as much as enthusiasm in my attempt to conjure Peter. He said he would be back this week, and I am running out of days on the calendar and doubling down on positivity.
When I woke up this morning, my intuition was strong. For the first morning since he went away, I genuinely felt the hopeful excitement of finally seeing him outweighing the negative, nagging pull that he s gone away for good.
He will come for me today. I am specific in my intention. I close my eyes and picture a strong white light entering my body and radiating through me while time is suspended in the red traffic light, and I relish a few composing breaths before I start my day of interactions. The only sound I can hear is the soothing metronomic turn signal, click, click, click, click.
It s a ­quieter-.­than-.­usual suburban weekday afternoon at the mouth of the parking lot, and I m alone at the intersection. There is no one to look at me in judgment for talking to myself at full volume. Not a har­ried mom on her way to Pilates, or a car full of teenagers ­side-.­eyeing me, thinking, Crazy.
Then, as I enter the lot and near my corner of the complex, I practi­cally jump out of the moving car when I see a man standing in front of my office, his back to me. He is tall with dark hair, too far away to posi­tively identify, but it has to be him. I slow the car and squint, my heart blooming with hope, and I bounce in my seat like an excited toddler, but he s moved out of sight behind one of the storefront pillars.
Wait! I bellow, then whip into a lane of open spaces. He s already walked a good distance away by the time I pull into a parking spot mer­cifully close to my office door. I barely remember to shut off the engine and unfasten my seat belt before I m out of the car.
Peter! I call after the steadily shrinking figure. He doesn t hesitate in his next step or turn around. My heart sinks.
Peter? I say a little louder in

E. G. Scott is the shared pseudonym of authors Elizabeth Keenan and Greg Wands, whose debut novel, The Woman Inside, was an international bestseller published in 2019. Friends for over two decades, they have acted, produced, and written--together and separately--for the stage, screen, and print. In their former lives, Elizabeth was in book publishing for eighteen years and a writing workshop leader for the NY Writers Coalition, and her work has appeared in numerous short story collections. Greg worked at the NYC institution Corner Bistro while penning short fiction and screen projects and volunteering with 826NYC as part of their student creative writing program. They both reside in the West Village of Manhattan.

Praise for In Case of Emergency
In Case of Emergency begins with a phone call and unfolds into a sharply plotted, dark story packed with lies, betrayals, and so many secrets. Fast-moving and clever! Samantha Downing, author of the #1 international bestseller My Lovely Wife

"With more twists and turns than a mountain road, In Case of Emergency will take you on one hell of a ride. Buckle in as E. G. Scott expertly spins a story that will have you guessing until the final pages, culminating with a blockbuster ending. A must-read!" Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke, authors of The Two Lila Bennetts

"A smart whodunit that brims with human insight about the surprising ways in which we heal and the importance of coming face-to-face with our role in the trajectory of our lives. In Case of Emergency is a fast-paced volley of a story batted back and forth between a cast of entertaining characters, all while stylishly concealing more than a few tricks up its proverbial sleeve." Chandler Baker, author of Whisper Network

"When a brilliant but troubled doctor is listed as the emergency contact for a woman found dead-- a woman who's a complete stranger--she finds herself the prime suspect in the murder. Razor- sharp narration and witty dialogue keep the pages turning in this fantastic follow-up to E. G. Scott's breakout sensation The Woman Inside." Wendy Walker, author of The Night Before

Twisty, sharpm and superbly plotted, In Case of Emergency kept me on tenterhooks until its explosive and wholly satisfying conclusion. A dark thriller with a brilliant, troubled female protagonist at its core, this is a summer read you won't want to miss. Cristina Alger, New York Times bestselling author of Girls Like Us

In Case of Emergency is a fast-moving and sharp thriller that examines the roles that loneliness, trauma, and friendship play when deciding who to trust. BuzzFeed

"[In Case of