Cold Hollow (Cold Hollow Mysteries Book 1)

COLD HOLLOW

COLD HOLLOW

By

Emilie J. Howard

This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination, or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any manner whatsoever without the written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reader reviews.

This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only, and may not be resold. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. Your continued support is what makes it possible for authors to continue to provide you with the stories you enjoy.  Many thanks.

Copyright © 2015 by Emilie J. Howard

All rights reserved

This title is dedicated to my family and dedicated readers, who continue to support my endeavors.

PROLOGUE

Myrna Bradbury sat at her kitchen table and watched the mess of a man she had married ten years earlier. He was busy gorging himself on the lunch she had made him. His rotund abdomen protruded as he tried to breathe and eat at the same time. The sound of his inhalations was like a hog at a feed trough. He was a hirsute man and, now and then, she saw sweat drip from the bushy hair on his arms and hit his plate. His chest hair ran up the neckline of his T-shirt and curled over it like a fur collar. At times, he appeared to be wearing a goddamn sweater. She felt her swollen eye and he groaned, “Don’t bitch about it or you’ll have a matching set.”

Bob kept his eyes on his food and snorted out a piece of snot onto his napkin. Myrna turned her head and looked away.

He had once been a handsome and fit man, but he now had folds of fat contained inside a far-too-small T-shirt stained with perspiration, soil, and grass clippings. He had a grizzled beard and chipped teeth. His black hair was greased back from his forehead and he had developed a bulbous red nose from the alcohol he consumed on the job or at home.

She had been ten minutes late with his lunch and for that, she’d received punishment. She looked to the ceiling and thanked God that he would have to return to his job in fifteen more minutes. Then she would be free to ice her swollen eye and plan her next move. Myrna was a patient woman and had given him more than one chance to change, but he never did.

“I have to finish the gardens and landscaping for that new family in town. They’re moving in today. I want supper ready and on the table at six o’clock.” His beady brown eyes made their way to hers and he grinned. “I hope you’re late again.” He tossed his napkin atop his empty plate, grabbed his baseball hat and keys, and left the house through the kitchen door.

Myrna cleaned up his mess and went to the freezer to get some ice. She made her way to her sewing room and held the ice bag to her swollen eye as she scoured through her sewing implements. She smiled and held up a metal appliance used to darn socks. The tip of it was sufficiently sharp, and she figured with enough force, capable of rendering someone permanently blind. She had suffered through ten years of torture by his hand and it was time for a bit of payback. She then opened a small tin that was labeled “thimbles,” but contained all the cash she had managed to scrounge up over the last five years. There was an ample amount, and she let loose a sigh of relief.

She then made her way to the medicine cabinet in the bathroom and spotted a long-forgotten sleep medication that the good doctor in town had given her. The doctor, her savior, was the only one in town who knew of her plight, or so she thought. She checked the expiration date to find it was nearing its end of life, so she’d better not let it go to waste.

She slipped the medicine inside her cooking apron and went to the kitchen to prepare her husband’s supper. It was one he was sure to enjoy and, in all likelihood, would never forget.  She would make it a memorable candlelit meal. She dug out her recipe box from the cabinet, picked out his favorite dish, and got to work.

***

Ray Borges shifted gears and moved over to the right hand lane on Interstate 95 north. He was making good time. He heard the grinding of the gears and felt the thunder of the engine beneath his feet. The CB was squawking out warnings of the state police monitoring truckers that day and their locations. He took his left hand off the wheel to rub his eyes. He had long ago downed the last of his coffee. Ray had not slept. If he got this load up north ahead of time, he would earn a hefty bonus. With four little mouths to feed and a wife who deserved more, he desperately needed that bonus and was determined to get it. He silently vowed that he would play it safe. He would obey the speed and weight limits. His family depended on him and he was not about to let them down. He knew some of the bonus had to go toward the expense of maintaining his big rig. It was his only source of income and it needed some work. The driver’s side seatbelt was threadbare and the steering mechanism had been off for a while. He needed to bring it to the town mechanic and get some work done to it.

There was a sign up ahead indicating a rest stop in five miles. Ray contemplated this notion, but decided to push on until the next one. His diesel engine roared down the black top. As the rest stop appeared on the right, a yawn overtook him.

Ray Borges could have sworn he had only closed his eyes for a second, but the next thing he realized was that his eighteen-wheeler was out of control and plowing through the rest stop. People began screaming and scrambling all over the parking area. Ray struggled to regain control of the vehicle, but the last thing that Ray Borges would remember in this lifetime was the sound of his skull hitting the windshield. His body never felt as free as it did when it was propelled through the glass and became airborne over the exploding gas pumps.

His eighteen-wheeler and precious load were lost in a flurry of violent flames and black smoke.

Ray Borges would never collect that bonus.

***

Hugo Morrissey stumbled out of the town’s tavern at lunchtime. He’d been kicked out again for not paying his tab. The sudden burst of outdoor sunshine forced him to squint as he watched Ranger Bullock pull up in his jeep. Bullock wasted no time approaching Hugo; he grabbed his left arm and swung him around, slamming the front of Hugo’s body into the back of the jeep.

He growled into Hugo’s ear, “Nazar just called me and told me to teach you a lesson. The police officers are busy with other work, so consider yourself lucky. You are not going to die quick. I want it to last a while. You’ve caused enough trouble for Nazar to last a lifetime.”

Hugo’s brow furrowed in confusion. He remembered having a good job once, but the bull who was currently manhandling him and cuffing something around his ankles had taken that job away from him. As a result, he had fallen behind on the till and had been hiding ever since. Hugo was by no means a small man; he was just as big as Ranger Bullock. He just was not as young. Normally he had lightning quick reflexes, but something felt off. He had only had one drink, nowhere near enough to send him into the stupor he was suffering.

Hugo had a nice little cabin to live in too, but he could not remember being there for a day or two. It was halfway up the mountain and was not much, but he loved it. It was surrounded by wildlife and he was surprised snoopy Ranger Bullock had not found it yet. Hugo wanted to think straight, but he swore that someone had spiked his drink in the tavern. Ranger Bullock had many connections.

Ranger Bullock leaned in and sniffed Hugo’s neck. “You stink like deer shit! Have you been rolling in it?”

Hugo grinned and slurred, “No. Have you been planting your face in it again?” Bullock thrust his chest into the back of the jeep again.

Hugo didn’t have many friends because of his belligerent nature. He constantly argued and questioned Nazar about a great many things. He had refused to take part in Nazar’s odd plans or play his games. That had been Hugo’s first mistake. That had been how he lost his job. The fact that he could not make the till this month angered Nazar further. Hugo had tried to rally other residents to his cause; he thought that was why he was in his current predicament.

If Ranger Bullock thought that Hugo would go out without a fight, he was wrong. When Hugo got his wits back, he would get revenge for whatever the idiot had in store for him. Hugo watched as Ranger Bullock tightened the chain around his ankles and secured the other end to the hitch on the bumper of his vehicle. Bullock left just enough slack to drag Hugo behind the jeep. The ranger got inside the jeep, revved the engine, and took off in the direction of the running trails.

Hugo was immediately swept off his feet. His back hit the pavement with a thud, causing him to see stars. As he was dragged, he could feel the searing heat from the friction burning through his clothes. His arms were flailing and he screamed. Hugo Morrissey screamed until his voice gave out. He kept the back of his head off the pavement, saw a few passersby’s stop, and stare at what was going on, but as he predicted, they put their heads down and continued walking. They all knew Hugo, hell, the whole town knew each other, but to intervene would have meant that they ended up just like him. They would not take the chance. His vision of them was blurred, but he knew that not one of them would dare help him.

By the time Ranger Bullock hit the soft ground of the hiking trails, Hugo had lost consciousness. When the jeep could drive no further up the trails, Ranger Bullock pulled over and cut the engine. He jumped out and rounded his vehicle to see that Hugo had passed out. He grinned, leaned down, hefted Hugo up to a standing position and then slapped his cheeks until he came around again. The ranger unchained him and pushed him up the jogging trail to Bullock’s favorite spot. It was a cliff where, often times, troublemakers found themselves in jeopardy.

They walked for approximately twenty minutes. Ranger Bullock pushed and shoved Hugo ahead of him and noticed the backside of his clothes had been shorn away from his skin, like a sheep that had been sheared. Now that he really looked at it, bits of cloth were stuck in the road rash he had happily given to Hugo. It was evident that he had relieved the man’s backside of at least two layers of skin. It resembled torturous raw meat and smelled of rot.

When they reached the ideal location, Ranger Bullock stood Hugo atop a flat rock. He turned Hugo around to face him, beat him senseless, and pushed him backward. He leaned over to see Hugo tumble a few times and land among the detritus at the bottom of the deep, dark pit. He smiled, turned, and left the man to die, which by his estimation would not take too long. After all, carnivores grew hungry at night.

CHAPTER 1

School was out for the summer, and the Barner family loaded the last of their possessions into their new SUV as they bid adieu to Lincoln, Connecticut. They pulled out of their driveway and made the long trek to the Green Mountains of Vermont. The moving vans had left one hour before them. Angus had hired one of the moving men to drive Sophia’s Jeep Cherokee so that the family could ride north together in his SUV. The essentials were in the back. The children were currently bemoaning their entire existence in the backseat as Sophia and Angus sat in the front. Sophia reached forward and turned the radio on to drown out their ridiculous complaints. She swore the children were just making things up to get a rise out of them.

She grinned when her son Liam informed them that there were probably goblins living in the woods surrounding their new home, which would eat him if he ever snuck outside alone. His sister Layla aptly reminded him about bridge trolls and warned him never to look beneath a covered bridge; she was certain the trolls came down from the Green Mountains on a regular basis to snatch yummy-looking little boys. Sophia heard her son’s gasp of surprise at this new revelation, and he promptly began begging his father to turn the vehicle around.

Angus had recently received a substantial promotion to run the central marketing agency for multiple ski resorts, and relocating to the north was a prerequisite for receiving the job. Sophia would miss Lincoln. Her small bakery was a success there, and she would miss her regular customers, but Angus had reassured her that she would fall in love with the new town and also adore the bakery he had already leased for her. She had to admit this was a big change for her, but she did look forward to the new home he had chosen for them. He had shown her photos on his cell phone, and she had nearly jumped in glee. It was spacious and rustic. It had four bedrooms and three baths. There was not one thing to complain about in that area. The living room boasted the largest fieldstone fireplace she had seen in her life. Above the mantel was mounted a massive stag head that Angus insisted was staying there. He named the stuffed beast “Norman.”

The town’s name was Cold Hollow, and Angus said it was tucked inside the Cold Hollow Range of the Appalachian Mountains. Sophia trusted Angus and did not think he would lie about their new accommodations, but Angus was slick of tongue and stubborn of nature. She watched the scenery blow by as they hit the highway. The children had settled down with their iPad and were watching a movie with their earbuds in.

“Are you positive that there are running trails near our new home?”

Angus smiled as he watched the road ahead of him. “Yes, there are so many that I’m going with you this week so you don’t get lost.” He knew his wife was mindful of her physique, and he had personally run a few of the trails when he had visited the area. He knew she would fall in love with all the wildlife she saw while she jogged.

Four hours into their drive, he wanted to pull over at a rest stop, but he saw dark smoke billowing above the building. Rescue vehicles clogged the entryway; they seemed to be treating multiple people. He noticed an eighteen-wheeler on its side and the devastation it had caused at the location. It seemed as though the truck had plowed right through the gas pumps and through some parked cars. There was a coroner’s wagon there, and Angus’s expression saddened.

He said a silent prayer for all of those involved in the crash and pushed on to the next rest stop. There was one further up the interstate and it took forty-five minutes before he saw it. He noticed a fast food restaurant beside it and took orders. They piled out of the SUV, stretched, and Sophia and the children proceeded to use the restrooms while he placed their order at the counter.

***

A few hours later, the Barner family arrived at their new town. There were farms and orchards bordering each side of the road that inclined toward the town itself. The children were commenting on the different animals they saw, and soon they were driving over a covered bridge. After they stopped Liam from screeching his brains out about the trolls, they headed down Main Street.

Sophia admired the small brick shops lined up on either side of the street with their elaborate columns and front porches. Each shop had a different-patterned coordinating awning over its large window front. She could not help the smile that crept onto her face. As they drove past, Angus explained there was only one main road into town, and that they had to use the same road to get out. The highest peaks of the mountains hugged the entire backside of the town with gray, granite arms. From there, the peaks wound down and extended to encompass the farmlands and orchards. There were streets that branched off Main Street, containing old farmhouses painted varying colors. They all looked well maintained, and each one had spacious yards. Sophia estimated that each home had at least one to two acres. She knew theirs came with four acres. Theirs was the last street on the right, and it wound upward and twisted in a snakelike pattern.

“Hey Mom, did you see our street sign? It says Crazy Hollow Road!”

She craned her neck back at her daughter and laughed. “I think it’s the perfect name for this nutty bunch.” She watched Liam crunch his face up and giggle.

Angus added, “I want to know who came up with the name ‘Crazy Hollow Road,’ because I find it hard to believe a road is capable of being crazy or hollow.”

Layla explained, “It’s because the road is in the hollow of the mountains. It’s crazy because of all the twists and turns it takes, Dad.”

There, she had settled it. She settled many things. Their daughter was not pretentious, just well-read, and she enjoyed sharing any new knowledge whenever the occasion arose. As Sophia stared at her, she noticed how attractive her daughter was becoming. She was blossoming into quite the beauty. She had her father’s face and blue eyes, but Sophia’s wavy, dirty-blond hair. She was getting taller and slimming out. Little Liam was all Sophia. His hair was blond and curly. His eyes were a mixture between blue and brown—some called it hazel. His face was all her too, round and cute, or so her husband said. He had just finished kindergarten and would be entering the first grade that fall.

When they reached their destination, they met up with the movers and drivers, who had already unloaded the furniture and boxes to their respective rooms in the house. They handed over the keys to Angus. They exchanged payments and receipts as the children bolted from the vehicle, ran up the front porch, and waited by the front door. Sophia and Angus laughed and hauled their bags out of the vehicle.

Sophia stood there and looked up at the largest log cabin she had ever seen in her life. It was magnificent, and so were the views. Each way she turned, the distant peaks of mountain ranges and tall, full-bodied pines, maples, and oaks enchanted her. She felt her husband put his arm around her waist and pick her up to carry her through the threshold because, according to him, he never got tired of his new bride.

***

“Mom, can I have the bedroom with the little bathroom attached? I’m older than Liam and I should get first pick!”

Sophia smiled as she made the bed in the master bedroom. She yelled back, “You sure can! That’s why your belongings and furniture are already in there. Liam has already picked out his room and likes the built-in toy box under the window.”

She heard her teenage daughter’s squeals of delight, and the sound of furniture being rearranged inside her room. Sophia had already arranged it and only asked that Layla make her bed up with clean linens, but she was going through that rebellious teenage period and Sophia had decided it was not worth the effort to fight over a few pieces of furniture.

She heard Angus with Liam in his room, unpacking his toys and arranging them on the built-in shelves; the less desirable toys went into the toy box. If Sophia knew them, it would not be long before she heard them playing with a few games. Sure enough, the war cries of men storming the castle walls began, and she smiled.

With her bed completely made, she unpacked a few pieces of clothing and went to the kitchen downstairs to unload the coolers and dry groceries they had brought with them. After that, she scrubbed the bathrooms clean. Even though the home had already been cleaned and the rugs freshly steamed, she liked to know that she had done the bathrooms herself. She was meticulous about certain things.

She halted at the sound of a lawn mower and peeked out the living room window to see a rather rotund, sweaty man mowing their lawn. He was positively filthy. The only thing she could discern from his dirty clothes was that his name was “Bob.” His name was embroidered on his T-shirt, over his right breast. When she moved to a different window, she saw flower beds brimming with glorious blooms, and a separate vegetable garden beside an herb garden. She was amazed but pleased. She loved nothing more than fresh vegetables.

She heard Angus come into the living room behind her and turned. “Did the gardens come with the home, or did you hire someone to do it?”

Angus shook his head and headed toward the kitchen. She followed him and watched as he poked through the groceries. “The town takes care of that. They encourage everyone to
go green.”

Sophia smiled. “I agree. Whom do we pay? I have to go into town to the market anyway, so I can pay the bill while I’m there.”

Angus yanked a banana out of a bag and began peeling it. “They send a bill at the end of each month, payable upon receipt.”

His attention then went to a town map that the real estate agent had given him. Sophia grinned at him. Her husband wasn’t musclebound by any means, but had the body of a lean wrestler. He had twinkling blue eyes that often made her melt. She watched him brush a lock of light-brown hair from his forehead as he leaned over the map. Sophia found the bill arrangement strange, but each town had its own quirks, and she let it go.

He pushed a piece of banana to the side of his mouth and said, “There is something else I meant to tell you.” He watched Sophia raise her eyebrows and continued, “The house phones here only reach the town and no farther. They couldn’t get telephone poles over the mountain terrain. There’s an old-fashioned town switchboard. Can you believe it?”

She asked, “No long distance at all?” She watched him shake his head. “What about our cell phones?”

He walked over to her and pulled her to his chest in an embrace. “I’m only repeating what I was told. It’s the same deal with cell phones. However, we can make all of our long distance phone calls by cell phone when we leave town limits. It’s not like we won’t go to New Hampshire or anything, so it’s a concession.” He gestured toward the view from their kitchen window. “Considering where we live now, concessions have to be made. Reception here sucks.”

She sighed heavily into his chest and thought about it. They would probably go to the outlets in New Hampshire at least once a month, so it wasn’t that big a deal. The children could still use their iPads and would have to be content with the applications they’d already loaded. When they hit New Hampshire, they could download new apps. She thought of something and raised her face to him. “How on earth can you work from home? I mean, you can type and print everything out, but how will you get it to the main office without e-mail or fax?”

He shrugged, “It was part of the deal. They told me the post office here has express delivery. I’ll just have to print out my documents and have them mailed.”

Sophia continued to lean into him and listen to his heart beating. He had already solved every problem she could think of, so she kissed him and got back to what she was doing. She watched him return to the counter and study the map of the town.

Two hours later, with their belongings arranged and the house cleaned, the family went to the grocery store together. Afterward, they inspected the new bakery Angus had leased for Sophia on Main Street. She found it simply charming in a country sort of way. At the front of the store were small wooden tables and chairs set in an appealing manner. Beyond that, there were large display cases and a sizeable counter for checking customers out. There were no curtains in the storefront windows, but Sophia would make short work of that and find some adorable check-patterned valances to hang up. She headed toward the kitchen in the back to find all the equipment she needed. An oversized dishwasher took up one corner, and brand-new ovens, a refrigerator, and a gas stovetop lined an entire wall. In the center of the room was a large prep table. Its stainless steel was gleaming.

She turned to Angus. “This has already been cleaned and degreased?”

Angus proudly stood with his arms crossed before him and smiled. “I hired a cleaning crew to surprise you. Absolutely everything in here and the tiny bathroom and storeroom is spotless and ready to rock and roll whenever you say the word. You just need to hire some help.” His eyes wandered over to his daughter Layla.

Sophia wasted no time, grabbed a piece of cardboard, and scrawled her cell phone number on it along with a want ad for a part-time baker in the early morning hours. She thought about it and stared at Layla. “I need you to be a waitress part time, honey.”

Layla smiled. “How much do I get paid an hour?”

Sophia’s expression turned serious. “You get minimum wage. You can use the money for whatever you want, but you start at the bottom like all workers do.”

Liam spoke up. “Why can’t I have a job too?”