Volume One
Desperate Measures
Audrey stood on the ledge of the roof overlooking the flower beds as a gentle breeze carried the pleasant fragrances across the well-kept lawn. She should have seen through the deception, but then, hindsight is an excellent teacher. His betrayal had stung, affecting her very soul because she had believed him, refusing to recognize his faults, and there were many. Paul had seduced her, even though she had been a willing participant, believing his every word.
“Paul is too selfish with an ego the size of Texas! Whatever were you thinking? Father was right ... I am book smart, but not streetwise,” Audrey thought. “How could I have been so blind? Yet isn’t love blind ... and deaf ... and dumb?”
Volume Two
Broken Promises
Madeline stood at the edge of the cliff watching the massive waves crashing against the rocks below. A sea wind whipped her hair, the unruly strands covering her face hiding her tears. She chided herself for her stupidity, no, naiveté was more like it. She had believed every word, trusting him completely, but Nathan was not trustworthy. Ask anyone, especially his family. They knew, they all did, yet no one had warned her. Of course, she probably never would have believed them since she had been too besotted to see the truth.
Storm clouds loomed over the horizon, ribbon lightning flashing across the sky as thunder rumbled in the distance. A gentle rain started to fall, but Madeline did not care. Her body was numb to nature’s fury just as her soul was numb to the truth. She had sinned, and she was being punished for being a harlot and a thief because that was what she was. She shivered slightly, staring at the sea as her life flashed before her. She had been a God-fearing person who obeyed the law. When had it all gone wrong?
Volume Three
Hidden Lies
A camouflaged figure moved stealthy across the gated compound, heading towards the administrative building while avoiding strategically placed security cameras. The moonless sky aided the anonymity, making detection difficult unless one was wearing night vision eyewear.
Hugging the wall while approaching the loading dock, the intruder reached the security panel, punched in the code and entered the shipping area undetected. Taking the stairs, the person reached the first floor and within minutes, was inside Quentin Swanson’s office.
Sitting before the computer, the intruder typed in the password and copied the files onto a flash drive. Logging off, the trespasser heard footsteps in the hallway as the security guard made his rounds. The officer checked the locked doorknob and walked away, repeating the exercise for all the offices along the corridor.
Once again there was stillness, and that was when the camouflaged figure returned safely to the nearby woods and the waiting car.
“Do you have it?”
“Yes.”
Turning on the ignition, but leaving the lights off, the vehicle drove silently along the dirt road until it reached the highway and sped away.
Volume Four
Abducted
The morning had started out like any other day in the Cooper household. Patriarch Vincent was sipping coffee and reading The Wall Street Journal as his wife, Ginger, was answering emails on her iPhone in-between bites. A lavish buffet emanated luscious aromas from a variety of home-cooked foods artistically created by the master chef who had been with the Coopers for two generations.
The family fortune had been made by Vincent’s great-grandfather, Vincent Mathew Cooper. The founder of the dynasty was a shrewd businessman, investing in real estate while establishing an import-export business, gaining notoriety by importing opium from the Far East. The second Vincent Mathew Cooper added railroads, shipping and weapons manufacturing to the portfolio, catapulting their net worth into the world of the Astors, Vanderbilts and Roosevelts.
Katrina Cooper had been born into an elite privileged class. An only child, Katrina was educated according to the rules established by an aristocratic hierarchy that had no place in a modern democratic society. Katrina had studied abroad, rubbing noses with high-born nobility, remnants from a bygone era when kings and queens governed the land. Returning home for the holidays, Katrina played her role well, being the dutiful daughter. The only thing missing was parental affection. Vincent and Ginger never displayed any emotion – that would be undignified. Whatever love passed between husband and wife remained behind bedroom doors. But Katrina found solace in the arms of her nursemaid. It was Sally who wiped Katrina’s tears, chased away monsters, and treated her cuts and bruises. Leaving Sally was difficult, but Katrina had corresponded with the woman until her recent death.
The young heiress returned home on her twenty-first birthday, but the warm welcome Katrina coveted was not forthcoming. After expressing the correct pleasantries, Katrina went to her rooms that occupied the east wing while her parents’ chambers were located in the west wing.
Having studied finance, Katrina was prepared to work in an accounting firm, but her passion was creative expression. What she wanted to do was open an art studio, displaying not only her works but paintings by up and coming artists. Vincent and Ginger were not overly thrilled when Katrina broached the subject. After much discussion, Vincent acquiesced with a stipulation – the studio must be self-sufficient within two years, and the start-up funds were to be repaid. Vincent’s daughter would have to make her way in the world just as he had done and his father before him. The inheritance was as the word implied – monies received at the bequest of Vincent Cooper upon his death.
Volume Five
Bloodlust
The Raleighs had been lucky, discovering the perfect residence on First Bank and Loan’s foreclosure list. The antiquated mansion sat on three acres of virgin woodland. Its previous occupants had restored the house to its prior glory, adding modern amenities. Sidney enjoyed the hour commute along the scenic highway while Lilly worked from home.
Since the nearest neighbor was miles away, Sidney purchased two hunting rifles, keeping the guns loaded in a locked cabinet next to the door. Even though Marshville was a quiet suburb with a low crime rate, Sidney wasn’t taking any chances, shooting first and asking questions later.
The recently married couple had been living in their ideal surroundings for about three months before the first incident occurred. It wasn’t anything major, just weird noises in the still of the night, but loud enough to awaken a person from a deep sleep. Since the Victorian-style dwelling had been built in the nineteen twenties, the sounds were attributed to structural aging. Creaking stairs and floorboards were a common phenomenon even in modern buildings and of little concern to the Raleighs.
A few weeks later, a dead rabbit was found in a pool of blood on the back porch, and the jagged neck wound suggested an animal predator was frightened away and left its prey while fleeing to safety. A fortnight passed without further occurrences, but throughout the full moon phase, wolves howling in the surrounding forest was quite unnerving.
Within seventy-two hours, an unexplainable event almost sent the Raleighs packing. During dinner, Lilly glanced at a portrait hanging over the fireplace. Stifling a scream, Lilly pointed to the woman’s eyes. Red fluid flowed down the canvas, the liquid collecting on the frame. An optical illusion was the obvious explanation after carefully inspecting the painting, which was stored in the attic while a landscape print filled the void.
Since nothing untoward happened after the artwork had been replaced, the Raleighs became complacent with their surroundings without fearing supernatural reprisal – the bizarre encounters had been logically resolved for the present.
Sidney had no idea that Lilly was a Goth until he came home early and found his wife entertaining a group of unusually dressed men, thirteen to be exact, the correct number for a witches’ coven if such things existed. Mumbling pleasantries, Sidney acknowledged the group before disappearing into the library. Overwhelmed by the newly acquired information concerning his wife, Sidney poured himself a drink that he swallowed in one gulp before refilling the glass and sitting in front of the fireplace. There were questions that needed answering, and what, specifically, did all this mean? How long had Lilly been involved? What was their purpose? And where did they all come from?
“Who’s there?” Sidney shouted after hearing laughter, but the room was empty.
All of a sudden, the hearth was ablaze, the fiery talons reaching towards him, and the intense heat scorching Sidney’s face.
If they’re trying to frighten me, it’s working, Sidney thought as he ran to the door, which was locked.
“Let me out of here!” Sidney yelled.
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