ARE YOU READY FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER?

Chapter 4

A bleeding man. Fleeing customers. This isn’t what our heroines expected in Blue Harbor, Maine.

Screaming customers shoved past us, stepping over the bleeding man and rushing from the shop. Soon, the store was empty except for Jonathan, Eric, and us. Bella sat frozen on a stool, her hazel eyes round as saucers. Scarlett backed away until her back hit a pink booth. I shivered as I watched the blood spread around the body and across the white-tiled floor.

Jonathan jumped over the counter and raced to the young man dying on his floor. He yelled over his shoulder, “Call an ambulance.” 

“I will.” Bella fumbled with her handbag. “What should I tell the police?”

“He’s bleeding to death,” Scarlett said, her face white from shock.

“They cut his throat.” Jonathan came to his feet, staring at his bloody hands. “It’s too late.”

“They?” I asked with a squeak.

“I called the police,” Bella said.

Jonathan withdrew a cloth from behind the counter and wiped his hands. With a grim expression, he turned to us. “You can leave; I’ll answer the police’s questions.” He looked at Eric, who stood beside the counter, his skinny body quivering. “You too.”

“The man said ‘they’re back.’” I faced Jonathan. “Who are they?”

Icy blue eyes glared into mine. “I don’t know.” Jonathan averted his face, rubbing at his red-stained hands with the blood-soaked cloth.

“Let’s go.” Bella grabbed my arm. “We’ll get in the way.”

I followed Bella and Scarlett from the shop. The sun had set, leaving behind dark and deserted streets. I didn’t hear any sounds until a stretcher and officers rushed past us. Then the wail of sirens and shouts of police bombarded my eardrums, a veil lifting to show the ugly truth.

“Move, lady,” an officer yelled in my ear.

Scarlett yanked my arm, pulling me across the street. Bella joined us as we watched the paramedics and police swarm into the pink parlor, a white van labeled The Coroner’s Office pulling in front. A man ran into the store with a black bag clutched in his hand. Once the sirens quieted, people emerged on the streets, but no one dared to approach Jonathan’s shop. 

“Look.” Scarlett pointed at David, who rounded the corner and strode to the parlor. He opened the door and hurried into the shop. “What is he doing here?”

“He works with the police,” Bella replied.

“But he’s a lawyer.” I gaped at Bella. 

She shrugged. “A smart lawyer who knows how to fight crime. As an ex-marine, he’s handy with a firearm.”

“Oh, no.” Scarlett touched my arm.

I followed her gaze to the tall man opening the shop’s hot-pink door. “Don’t tell me Logan also works for the police.” I frowned at Bella.

“Okay, I won’t tell you.”

“Spill it.” Scarlett grabbed Bella’s arm.

Bella shrugged Scarlett’s hand from her arm. “Logan owns an investment firm, but he helps the police on occasion.”

“No way.” Scarlett shook her head. “Is he an ex-marine like David?”

She averted her face. “Logan wasn’t a marine but a Navy Seal.”

Scarlett shot me a look, and we kept silent.

The pink door opened. Two police officers carried a stretcher, the body covered by a sheet, and loaded it into the coroner’s van. A heavy-set man, wearing a blue uniform, stepped from the doorway, scowling at the people crowding the sidewalks. 

“The chief of police,” Bella said. “Ryan Lively.”

“He’s focusing his beady eyes on us.” Scarlett stepped back from the curb. “We should head home.”

“I agree.” Bella shivered. “He gives me the creeps.”

The police chief marched across the street. 

“Too late,” Scarlett whispered. 

The chief halted a few feet from us, his short, stocky body blocking our escape. “Hello, Bella Fox. We meet again.”

I turned to Bella, who stood frozen like a deer caught in headlights.

“And who are you?” Black eyes stared at us from a beefy face. 

“I’m Elizabeth Reading.” I nodded at Scarlett. “This is Scarlett Harding.”

“I was told you were present at the scene.”

“We were ordering ice cream,” I replied.

“Is that so?” His thin lips curled. 

I didn’t answer. Ryan Lively didn’t appear to be a friendly, small-town cop, and I wasn’t offering information unless asked.

“What do you want from us?” Bella yielded first. “We witnessed a man bleeding to death on the floor.”

His bushy eyebrows met in a straight line. “Don’t be difficult, Bella Fox.” He swiped a hand through his short gray hair. “Not as last time.”

“Last time?” Scarlett asked before clamping her mouth shut at the chief’s scowl.

“There’s always trouble in Blue Harbor,” Bella replied.

“Keep your opinions to yourself.” Lively swung his back to Bella, turning his attention to us. “Join me at the scene.” He glanced over his shoulder at Bella. “You too.” The chief strode across the street, the crowd parting as we followed him into the ice cream parlor.

MEET ME IN MAINE

Each week, I will share a chapter of Meet Me In Maine, the first in The Blue Harbor Series. I’m working on the second in the series, which will further explore the Penobscot Indians and their unique history and culture.

Chapter One

I slammed the front door and peeked at the retreating figure through the living room curtains. Martin’s black hair glistened in the bright sunshine, his rugged face pensive,  as he dodged pedestrians on the busy sidewalk and strode to the BMW parked at the curb, glancing over his shoulder to see if I’d changed my mind. It was too late for second chances. After folding his long body into the sleek car, he revved the powerful engine. A New York cabbie honked as the morning rush-hour traffic swallowed the black car as it cut in front.

My favorite melody, The Point of No Return from The Phantom of the Opera, drifted through the empty apartment. I grabbed the cell phone vibrating on the coffee table, and my mood lightened once I spotted Scarlett’s name on the screen. 

“Hi, Scarlett.”

“Elizabeth.” My best friend’s sultry voice rose with excitement. “Is Martin gone for good?” Scarlett hated Martin right away, while it had taken me a long year, laden with arguments and tears, to recognize the arrogant doctor’s faults.

“Yes, he is.”

“That’s all you have to say?”

“What else can I say? I’m relieved but lost.” I paced the Persian rug covering the polished wood floor between the brown leather couch and matching chairs. 

“Are you packed?”

My luggage sat as a tall mound at the front door. “Yes, and I can’t wait to leave this depressing place.” The apartment I shared with Martin held sad memories; we had good times, but the hard times outweighed the happy ones.

“I’ll be there in a few minutes.” The line clicked, and Scarlett was on her way.

I sank into the buttery soft leather couch, part of the set Martin had purchased for our perfect life together. A dream that his possessiveness and violent temper had soon turned bitter. Later tonight, after he finished his shift at the hospital, the expensive furniture and empty brownstone apartment could comfort him and cook him dinner. As thoughts of Martin swirled through my mind, the discordant medley of loud voices and car horns faded into the background. Why did I allow the abusive relationship to continue for so long? Did I become immune to his angry words, accepting them as my due? No. I didn’t deserve his cruel attacks. I deserve respect. Even though no one was there to witness it, I lifted my chin in defiance, with the confidence I hoped one day to achieve. I was free from him and his tyranny. By the time he comes home, I will be long gone.

The doorbell rang. I jumped to my feet and rushed to the front door. Scarlett’s brown eyes glittered back at me through the beveled glass. Her lipstick-red lips curved in a decadent smile. The bell chimed again, and I swung open the heavy wood door.

“How is my baby girl?” Scarlett swept into the hallway. I stepped back as she strolled past me, poking her head into the all-white kitchen outfitted with brand-new appliances. 

“I’m only two years younger than you.” She was twenty-six to my twenty-four. “And yes.” I grimaced. “He’s gone.”

Scarlett grinned. “At last.” A sidelong glance at the mountain load of luggage, and she added, “You’re ready. So am I.”

“You’re packed? But you just called.”

“I packed this morning.” Her sultry smile widened. “Once you told me Martin was history, I quit my job.”

“What?” The room spun around me. “Why?”

“I found the perfect bed-and-breakfast for us to buy.” Scarlett perched on the edge of the couch. “Our appointment is tomorrow afternoon.”

“You don’t have to uproot your life because of me.” Butterfly wings fluttered in my stomach as I sank into a chair.

She watched me through sparkling eyes that reflected her brimming-over-the-top delight with her plans. “It’s a beautifully furnished two-bedroom apartment; I saw the pictures online.” Scarlett, a romantic who watched too many Hallmark movies, planned to open a bed-and-breakfast and meet her soulmate in Maine.

“You’ve been busy.” I gave a cautious grin. Since meeting in college, a bed-and-breakfast was our dream, and I refused to return to Long Island and hear I told you so from my family, who’d disliked Martin from the start.

Scarlett scrambled to her feet. “It’s a five-hour drive between Manhattan and Blue Harbor, and I want to reach Maine before dark.”

“We don’t have to leave this minute.” I scrunched my nose. “Do we?” 

“We do if we want to stop for a bite to eat.” She grabbed two wheelie bags, dragging them through the doorway and down the front steps. After storing the pieces in the red Mustang’s trunk, Scarlett removed her high heels and switched for sneakers. “I can’t wait to leave the City.” With her hands fisted on her hips, she stood on the sidewalk glaring at me, orange and yellow leaves swirling at her feet. “Aren’t you going to help?”

“I fell into a trance watching you.” I stood frozen on the top step with bags clutched to my body. “You’re a whirlwind once you get started.”

She climbed the steps, yanking the luggage from my hands. “Once I make a decision, I’m eager to begin.” A snicker flew over her shoulder as she hurried to the car.

“Yes, Captain.” I saluted. “Ready for duty.” I raced back into the brownstone, collecting the rest of my stuff before locking the door behind me.

Scarlett gave me a thumbs-up as I settled into the passenger seat beside her. “And we’re ready to go.” She eased into traffic, honking at jaywalkers and swearing at cab drivers. 

I won’t miss the traffic, crowds, or Martin Pierce, the world-famous heart surgeon.

Beneath a hazy September sun, honking cars, and slow traffic lights, we left Manhattan for a new chapter in our lives.

IN THE NIGHT

In the sea breeze,

you can hear their sighs.

In the white sand,

you can see their footsteps.

They come in the night.

They come for you.

THE DEAD GAME

http://myBook.to/TheDeadGame

http://bit.ly/1lFdqNj

AWESOME

I just found this review on Goodreads! Awesome.

The Dead Game by Susanne   Leist

 Read
 
My rating:
The Dead Game 
by Susanne Leist (Goodreads Author) 
43423597

Trang Tran (Bookidote)‘s review 

Nov 25, 2015
 
It was amazing
Read from November 13 to 22, 2015


Wow this novel is so precious ! It introduces us to a little town Oasis where tourists disappear without a trace, murders here and there but the local police always trying to hide them. Linda and her friends got invited to a mysterious party in the End House and that’s the beginning of their adventures. Everything I love about a book is in here. The storyline is beyond perfect , with a chess game vibe where everyone is pawn and the reader has no idea what is going on so we are living the game with them. Hellooo, plot twists! Especially the romance plot. Didn’t see it happen at all. Mystery,thriller and action, I’m sure any young adult reader will love this one :)! 

Thank you to the author for giving me a free copy in exchange for an honest review. 

Trang-Book Blogger 
http://bookidote.wordpress.com

THE JOURNEY

Remember the journey.

Not its end point.

Not its goal.

But the struggle to achieve it.

Look ahead into the distance.

Remember what’s key.

Remember the journey.

For future adventures.

For future battles.

Learn to live by it.