A Fortunate Encounter

Book 6: A Claire Rollins Mystery

by J.A. Whiting

Genres: Literary Fiction; Supernatural suspense; Animal Cozy Mysteries

Synopsis

This is book 6 in the Claire Rollins mystery series.
A young woman has disappeared from the campus of her college. A knock on Claire Rollins's door late one evening reveals the missing woman's mother standing on the front steps. The mother asks Claire to help her find her daughter.
Searching in three towns, in woods, and in the ocean, will Claire, with the help of her "intuition" and with her boyfriend, her best friend, and two Corgis by her side, find the killer before he strikes to silence the truth forever?
This story has mild paranormal elements.

Release date: October 2, 2018

Publisher: Whitemark Publishing

Print pages: 280

Sample

Chapter 1

 

 

A cool October breeze blew softly off the water as Claire, Ian, Nicole, and Ryan strolled under the streetlamps along the sidewalk near the harbor. They’d just left their favorite Italian restaurant located in Boston’s North End where, tucked into a cozy table by the big windows, they’d enjoyed tasty meals and a bottle of wine. Despite the chill in the air, they all wanted gelato cones for dessert and were on their way to a tiny shop a few streets away.

 

“I can’t believe I won that catering contract.” Nicole shook her head. The evening out was to celebrate the contract awarded to the Chocolate Dreams shop for a huge and important upcoming wedding. “All the movers and shakers of Boston are going to be there.”

 

“There are going to be a lot of movers and shakers from outside Boston who will be there, too,” Ian said. “The bride and groom and their families have contacts all over the country.”

 

“And outside the country as well,” Ryan said.

 

“Oh, gosh.” Nicole rested her hand over her chest. “Have I bitten off more than I can chew?”

 

“It will be fine,” Claire reassured her friend. “Robby and I will be with you. We can hire some extra people to help if we need to.”

 

“But can we handle the attention?” Nicole asked. “The scrutiny? The fussy wedding attendees? What if they don’t like our desserts?”

 

Thirty-five-year old Claire chuckled. “When has that ever happened?”

 

“There’s always a first time.” Nicole shoved her hands into her coat pockets.

 

“Just don’t faint at the wedding like you did at the food festival,” Claire warned with a smile.

 

“I wish I’d seen that.” Ryan, a neurologist who had treated Ian after he’d been hit in the head by a killer, put his arm around Nicole’s shoulders.

 

“Thankfully, you missed that scene,” Nicole groaned.

 

“It was pretty spectacular,” Ian said. “Right up there on the stage in front of the crowd. As soon as they announced the grand prize went to Chocolate Dreams, down she went.”

 

“I’ll never live it down,” Nicole said with a shake of her head, her long brown hair moving over her shoulders.

 

The two couples stood inside the small café and ordered their cones before heading outside to walk over to Quincy Market to watch the people shopping or going out to restaurants or bars with friends or dates.

 

“Did you hear about the missing girl over in Bayside?” Ian licked the gelato from his cone.

 

Claire’s skin prickled with anxiety at hearing her boyfriend’s words. “I heard Robby mention it when we were working today. What happened?”

 

Ian, a Boston detective, said, “A young woman from Bayside went out with a friend last night. She texted a girlfriend asking to be picked up at a convenience store in Hadwen because she wanted to get away from the guy she was with. When the friend finally saw the message, she texted and called the young woman, but she didn’t answer. She never went home. Her mother is frantic.”

 

“I’d be frantic, too,” Claire said softly, her finger and thumb nervously twisting a strand of her wavy blond hair.

 

“Has the daughter ever gone off before?” Nicole asked.

 

“Never,” Ian told them. “That’s why the family and friends are so upset. Jade has never gone anywhere without telling her mother or sister where she’s going.”

 

“Her name is Jade?” Ryan asked.

 

“Jade Lyons,” Ian said. “Twenty-one. A senior at Whittemore College in Smithtown. She was living at home this semester to save money.”

 

“What does law enforcement think?” Claire asked.

 

“Some think the girl has gone off for a while. Just because she hasn’t done it before, doesn’t mean she didn’t do it this time.” Ian took Claire’s hand in his. “Others think it better be looked into, and fast.”

 

“And what do you think?” Claire asked turning her head to look into the detective’s dark brown eyes.

 

A frown formed over Ian’s mouth. “I think the Bayside area police better move quickly on this one.”

 

“You haven’t been called in to investigate, have you?” Nicole asked.

 

“I haven’t,” Ian said. “I’ve got a couple of buddies in the Bayside department. I’d be glad to help out, if the need arises.”

 

The couples wandered the streets up to the Common and down to Newbury Street where they entered a café, took seats at a table near a fireplace, and ordered coffees. The conversation moved from topic to topic, the weather, plans for a weekend bike ride, a Halloween party they were all invited to attend, costumes, and a new movie they wanted to see.

 

After an hour, they left the café and Ryan walked home with Nicole, and Ian strolled with Claire to Adamsburg Square at the edge of Beacon Hill where the young woman lived in a brick townhouse. Because of an early morning the next day, Ian kissed his girlfriend goodnight and left for his own place.

 

“You know the dogs will be angry with you for not coming in to say hello,” Claire said to Ian as he went down the granite steps.

 

Ian smiled. “Tell them I’m sorry, but I’ll see them tomorrow and we can take a walk along the river together. Tell them I’ll bring my Frisbee.”

 

Claire watched Ian walk down the hill until he waved before turning the corner, and then she took out her key and went inside where her two Corgis, Bear and Lady, were wiggling and squirming with their little tails wagging.

 

Bending down to pat them, Claire said, “Sweet dogs. Always such a nice greeting when I get home.”

 

Claire rented a gorgeous apartment with two bedrooms, a high-end finished kitchen, a dining room, and a large living room with patio doors leading out to a small patch of green grass and a big old shade tree. A fence around the space kept the Corgis safe in the private, quiet yard. When Nicole saw the townhouse for the first time, she was shocked that Claire was able to afford such a beautiful home, and eventually discovered that her friend had inherited a fortune when her husband passed away.

 

Claire, an attorney by education and experience, was employed at the financial institution owned by her future husband, and when he met her, he was completely smitten. Teddy had been forty years older than Claire, yet despite the age difference, the two fell in love and were happy together … until Teddy passed away unexpectedly after only two years of marriage.

 

A talented amateur baker, Claire moved to Boston, applied to work at Nicole’s bakery and chocolate shop, and the two became best friends.

 

Something else happened when she arrived in Boston … Claire’s perception and intuition became heightened and she was able to sense things about people and situations that others could not.

 

After changing into soft pajama pants and a matching top and pulling her long, blond hair into a topknot, Claire made a cup of tea, and then settled comfortably on the sofa with a Corgi on each side of her. The three of them were beginning to doze when Lady suddenly lifted her head and jumped off the couch. Facing towards the foyer of the townhouse, the dog growled deep and low.

 

Claire’s heart pounded. “What is it, girl?”

 

Bear leapt down and stared towards the hallway.

 

Standing up, Claire said, “You’re scaring me. What’s wrong?”

 

The sudden bong of the doorbell made the young woman jump and the dogs barked as they raced to the entranceway.

 

Peeking through the peephole, Claire saw a woman about fifty-years-old standing on her front landing so she pressed the intercom button. “Hello?”

 

“Oh, thank heavens you’re at home.” The woman ran her hand over her short auburn hair. “May I please talk to you. You’re Claire Rollins, aren’t you?”

 

“It’s awfully late,” Claire said, uneasy about opening her door to a stranger. “Why are you looking for me?”

 

“I need to talk to you.” The woman’s voice broke. “Please. I need your help. It’s about my daughter.”

 

A shiver of worry slipped over Claire’s skin.

 

When Lady rubbed her head against her owner’s leg and whined, Claire looked down at the Corgi and sighed. “Oh, okay.” She unlocked the door and invited the woman inside.

 

“Thank you so much. I’m so sorry to barge in on you at this hour.” The visitor was dressed in jeans and a fleece jacket, and her face looked tense and full of worry and fatigue.

 

Holding out her hand, Claire introduced herself.

 

The woman shook hands. “I’m Bonnie Lyons.”

 

The name sounded familiar to Claire, but she couldn’t place where she’d heard it before, and then suddenly, it came to her, and a cold whoosh raced through her body. “Come into the living room.”

 

When they took seats on the cream-colored club chairs beside the fireplace and the dogs sat down on the area rug staring at the visitor, Claire asked, “How can I help you?”

 

“My daughter.” Bonnie Lyons’s words caught in her throat. “My daughter, Jade. She went missing last night.”

 

A shot of adrenaline sped through Claire’s veins as her mind raced. Why had the missing girl’s mother come to see her? What could she possibly want?

 

“I heard that a young woman was missing,” Claire said gently.

 

“The police believe Jade just went somewhere for a little while. Maybe her schoolwork had overwhelmed her or maybe, a friendship had gone wrong and she needed some time to herself.” Bonnie shook her head. “That’s not Jade. That’s not how she deals with things. She never goes off on her own. Something’s wrong. If we don’t find her soon, it will be too late.” A tear slipped from the woman’s eye and tumbled down her cheek.

 

“Why come to me?” Claire asked as evenly as she could.

 

“I’ve contacted friends.” Bonnie swallowed. “My older daughter called her friends. We’re organizing a search party. We’re gathering early tomorrow morning.”

 

“That’s probably a good idea,” Claire agreed, still trying to figure out the reason Bonnie had arrived on her front landing.

 

“Would you help us? Would you come with us to search?” The woman’s eyes were pleading.

 

“Why do you want me? We don’t know each other, do we?” Claire asked.

 

“No, we don’t.” Bonnie passed her hand over her red-rimmed eyes. “An acquaintance of a friend mentioned your name. She told us you had strong intuition, keen perception. She said I should reach out to you and ask for your help.”

 

Claire’s throat tightened. The only people who knew she had an unusual skill were Nicole, Robby, and Ian and she knew they would keep that bit of information to themselves.

 

“Who told you to talk to me?” Claire asked.

 

“I don’t know the woman,” Bonnie said. “I only know her first name. Tessa.”

 

Lady let out a yip.

 

Claire’s eyes widened. When the people who knew her secret had run through her mind, Claire forgot to include Tessa Wilcox.

 

“Do you know who I mean?” Bonnie asked hopefully as she leaned forward in her chair.

 

“Yes.” Claire took in a long breath. “I’ll help you search.”

 

 

 

Chapter 2

 

 

Claire told Bonnie Lyons she did not have any special skills, but had a heightened ability to pick up on things around her that others seemed to overlook. She explained the ability as a strong intuition with nothing about it being paranormal. Even though Claire knew her skill did have a paranormal aspect to it, she did not want people to consider her strange or to expect too much from her. She understood that people in a situation like this might cling to the hope that Claire would perform a miracle for them and she had no intention of implying any such thing.

 

At first light, Nicole and Claire took the commuter train to Bayside, and then walked a half mile, arriving at the town’s high school, the staging point for the volunteers gathering for the search. The school was ringed by woods and fields. Most of the trees were decked out with red, orange, and yellow foliage, but some had already lost their leaves and their limbs stood dark and bare against the slate gray sky. Mist rose from the nearest field and evaporated high into the air. The section of woods ran from Bayside right into the small towns of Smithtown and Hadwen.

 

The overcast, damp, and chilly morning cast a pall over the huge crowd … Claire estimated there were about one hundred people in the school parking lot waiting for instructions … teens, college students, the middle-aged, older residents, men and women, all hoping for a happy ending.

 

In the corner of the lot, detectives and police officers, many with dogs, listened to two people in charge explaining the day’s plan and how the volunteers would be organized.

 

“There are a lot of dogs here,” Nicole pointed out as she looked across the lot to the fields and woods where the groups would begin to search. “Are they looking for a living person, or a body?”

 

“I heard there are two other search groups who will be working today starting at different points in Hadwen and Smithtown.” Claire tried to remain hopeful. “Having the dogs here doesn’t mean they’ve given up hope of finding Jade alive.”

 

A woman’s voice called to Claire and they turned around to see Bonnie Lyons rushing towards them.

 

The woman clasped Claire’s hand and pumped it. “Thank you, thank you for coming.”

 

“I’m happy to help.” Claire introduced Nicole and Bonnie repeated her thanks to the young woman.

 

Bonnie said, “The coordinators are getting ready to organize the volunteers. They’re laying out the area into a grid. Each group will be assigned a section to walk. We’re supposed to watch for footprints, items of clothing, personal effects like a cell phone or a driver’s license or keys, things like that. Have you done this before?”

 

“No, we haven’t,” Claire said.

 

“It sounds pretty easy,” Bonnie said. “We all just need to stay focused and pay attention to the ground in front of us.” The woman’s face almost crumpled, but she pulled her self together.  “I’m so grateful for the help. Look at all of these people. We’ll find a clue this morning. We’ll find something.” Bonnie’s eyes looked sunken and the rims of her eyes were bright red. It seemed hard for her to stand still, she was so full of nervous energy. “I wish we could get going.”

 

Claire wanted to learn about Jade. “Jade went to Whittemore?”

 

Bonnie stared at Claire for a few moments as if she didn’t understand the question. “Oh, yes.  She was a senior at Whittemore. Do you know it?  It’s small. It’s very hard to get into. Jade was thrilled when she got her acceptance. We couldn’t believe she got in.”

 

“What is your daughter studying?” Nicole asked.

 

“Physical therapy,” Bonnie said with pride. “She’s in her fourth year. It’s a six-year program. Jade will graduate with a doctorate in physical therapy. She loves to run and bike and swim. She’s always on the go, doing something outside.”

 

“Is Jade seeing someone?” Claire asked.

 

“Yes. Kyle Vallins. He’s here somewhere.” Bonnie glanced around. “He’s twenty-three. He graduated in May with his doctorate. He has a job in Boston.”

 

“Is he a physical therapist, too?” Nicole asked.

 

“He is. He works at a sports clinic,” Bonnie said. “Hereford Health and Wellness. I’ll introduce you, if I see him.”

 

“Mom? When are we starting?” A slim, dark-haired young woman approached Bonnie.

 

“This is Jeena. My older daughter.” Bonnie took Jeena’s arm. “We’ll be starting soon. Any time now.” Even though the woman forced a smile, her facial expression remained neutral.

 

“I want to get going. I want to do something.” Jeena slipped her hand into her mother’s.

 

“I know.”

 

“Does your sister have a best friend?” Claire asked.

 

Jeena studied Claire’s face and then nodded. “Cori Ball. They’ve been roommates until this semester. Jade is living at home this fall to save money.”

 

“Is Cori here?” Claire asked.

 

“I saw her earlier. She’s in the crowd somewhere.” Jeena ran her eyes over the groups of people milling about, eager to start the search.

 

“Did your sister ever go off on her own before?” Nicole questioned.