by Kathi Daley
The Shadow
by
Kathi Daley
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2017 by Katherine Daley
Version 1.0
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form.
Books by Kathi Daley
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Taming of the Tabby
Books by Kathi Daley
Giveaway:
I want to thank the very talented Jessica Fischer for the cover art.
I so appreciate Bruce Curran, who is always ready and willing to answer my cyber questions, and Peggy Hyndman for helping sleuth out those pesky typos.
And, of course, thanks to the readers and bloggers in my life, who make doing what I do possible.
Thank you to Randy Ladenheim-Gil for the editing.
And finally I want to thank my sister Christy for always lending an ear and my husband Ken for allowing me time to write by taking care of everything else.
Books by Kathi Daley
Come for the murder, stay for the romance.
Zoe Donovan Cozy Mystery:
Halloween Hijinks
The Trouble With Turkeys
Christmas Crazy
Cupid’s Curse
Big Bunny Bump-off
Beach Blanket Barbie
Maui Madness
Derby Divas
Haunted Hamlet
Turkeys, Tuxes, and Tabbies
Christmas Cozy
Alaskan Alliance
Matrimony Meltdown
Soul Surrender
Heavenly Honeymoon
Hopscotch Homicide
Ghostly Graveyard
Santa Sleuth
Shamrock Shenanigans
Kitten Kaboodle
Costume Catastrophe
Candy Cane Caper
Holiday Hangover
Easter Escapade
Camp Carter – July 2017
Zimmerman Academy The New Normal
Ashton Falls Cozy Cookbook
Tj Jensen Paradise Lake Mysteries by Henery Press
Pumpkins in Paradise
Snowmen in Paradise
Bikinis in Paradise
Christmas in Paradise
Puppies in Paradise
Halloween in Paradise
Treasure in Paradise
Fireworks in Paradise – October 2017
Whales and Tails Cozy Mystery:
Romeow and Juliet
The Mad Catter
Grimm’s Furry Tail
Much Ado About Felines
Legend of Tabby Hollow
Cat of Christmas Past
A Tale of Two Tabbies
The Great Catsby
Count Catula
The Cat of Christmas Present
A Winter’s Tail
Taming of the Tabby – June 2017
Seacliff High Mystery:
The Secret
The Curse
The Relic
The Conspiracy
The Grudge
The Shadow
Sand and Sea Hawaiian Mystery:
Murder at Dolphin Bay
Murder at Sunrise Beach
Murder at the Witching Hour
Murder at Christmas
Murder at Turtle Cove
Murder at Water’s Edge
Road to Christmas Romance:
Road to Christmas Past
Writer’s Retreat Southern Mystery:
First Case
Second Look – July 2017
Chapter 1
Sunday, May 21
The Shadow knows.
Alyson felt a tingling at the back of her neck as a blanket of fog enveloped her in a mist so thick she was unable to see more than a few feet in any direction. She’d been jogging when the fog rolled in and was eager to get home, but the feeling of being watched was so intense that she paused to listen. The heavy air chilled her face as waves crashed onto the rocks below and a foghorn sounded in the distance. Alyson closed her eyes and listened for a footstep, a breath, or some other sign that would indicate she wasn’t alone. After a moment she opened her eyes and peered into the haze. “Is someone there?”
Her question was met with silence.
Alyson looked down at her German shepherd, Tucker, who was standing at her side. She realized if there had been someone watching them Tucker would have sensed it and immediately launched into guard dog mode. She knew it wasn’t a good idea to jog after dark and should have turned back sooner, but she had a lot on her mind and had found comfort in the steady rhythm of her feet pounding the pavement.
Alyson turned around and started back the way she’d come, listening all the while for something that most likely wasn’t there. She’d had the sense of being watched for the past several days. She supposed it all began when she woke from a deep sleep a few nights before to the sound of whispering coming from an unseen corner of her dark room. For reasons she still didn’t understand, Alyson had been able to see ghosts ever since moving to Cutter’s Cove nine months before, but this was the first time one had spoken to her. The voice had simply said, “The Shadow knows,” over and over again.
The logical part of her mind told her that she was most likely being paranoid and really needed to learn to chill, while the cautious part reminded her that she was in Witness Protection and there were real people in the world who wanted to kill her.
Still, she reasoned, she’d been careful. There was little chance the Bonatello brothers had found her. She’d left her old life behind when her handler had arranged for her “death,” as well as the “death” of her mother. He’d changed their names and overall identities and moved them across the country to a tiny town on the Oregon coast. There would be no reason for anyone to suspect that Alyson Prescott was really Amanda Parker, that the heiress to millions would be attending a public high school in a small town that barely showed up on a map.
Alyson was nearing the spot known to locals as Dead Man’s Bluff on her return trip when she once again heard a sound from behind her. She paused. The heavy air was silent, yet somehow, she knew she wasn’t alone.
“If there’s someone out there show yourself,” she demanded. “I’m not in the mood for games.”
Alyson waited, but there was no response. She looked down at Tucker, who was waiting patiently beside her, and sighed. Maybe she was losing her mind. She was just about to continue when a shrill sound pierced the murky night. Alyson’s heart pounded in her chest until she realized the sound was her cell phone. She pulled it out of her pocket and looked at the caller ID. It was her best friend, Mackenzie Reynolds. “Hey, Mac. What’s up?”
“I’m sitting in front of your house wondering where you are,” Mac said in a tone that conveyed her annoyance so well that Alyson could picture her green eyes flashing in irritation as she twisted a lock of her long red hair around her finger in a move she’d come to recognized as heralding anger or stress.
“You’re at my house?” Alyson asked. She ran a hand through her long blond hair, pulling it away from her face before wiping the sweat from her brow. It was almost totally dark and the air surrounding her had cooled, but she was still hot fr
om her run.
“We had a date,” Mac reminded her.
“A date?” Alyson bent over to relieve the tightness in her thighs. She touched her hands to her feet, then just hung there, releasing the tension in her lower back.
“Just five hours ago you said, ‘Hey, Mac, why don’t you come over at around six so we can work on our history project?’”
“Oh, that date.” Alyson stood upright and twisted from side to side. Mac’s boyfriend, Eli, had moved out of town a month ago, after his father had decided to move his business back to Los Angeles, where his older son, Devon, was in college, and Mac had been taking it hard. Alyson wanted to help her through this difficult time, so she was doing the best she could to keep her entertained and distracted.
“Where are you anyway?” Mac asked.
Alyson tried to peer through the fog. “I think I’m at Dead Man’s Bluff. The visibility is really bad, but I can hear the echo as the wave’s crash onto the rocks.” Alyson squinted to see into the distance. She took several steps toward the edge of the cliff to get her bearings.
“What are you doing at Dead Man’s Bluff? That’s miles from your house.”
“Tucker and I decided to go for a run.” Alyson jogged in place to keep warm.
“But, as I just pointed out, I was supposed to meet you at your house.”
Alyson couldn’t help but notice the tone of impatience in Mac’s voice. “Yes, I’m aware of that. I guess I got distracted.”
Mac let out a long breath. “Stay where you are. I’ll come to get you. You really shouldn’t be out by yourself.”
“I’m not by myself. I have Tucker. I’m perfectly safe. But a ride would be nice.”
“I should be there in a few.”
“Thanks. I guess I should have been paying more attention to…” Alyson paused as her voice caught in her throat.
“Alyson? Are you still there?” Mac asked, the tone in her voice changing from irritation to worry.
“There’s someone on the edge of the bluff. It looks like … Oh God, call 911. Someone was just pushed off the cliff.”
Alyson hung up her phone and ran toward the spot where she’d seen two people arguing. She looked around but couldn’t find evidence of the person who had just been standing there seconds ago. She tried to make out where the body had landed below, but the fog prevented her from seeing the bottom.
“Hello!” she called. “Are you there? Can you hear me? I’ve called for help. If you’re conscious just hang on.”
Alyson looked at the ground around her. There was no sign of a struggle. Strange; she was sure she’d heard a couple fighting before one of the combatants threw the other off the cliff. She heard faint sirens in the distance. Mac’s car pulled up seconds before three police cars and an ambulance arrived, lights flashing, sirens blaring.
“Are you okay?” Mac ran up and hugged her, two uniformed officers at her heels. “What happened?”
“I was talking to you; then I heard two people arguing. I looked toward the bluff and saw two people locked in a pretty intense struggle. Before I could say anything one person threw the other off the cliff. By the time I got over here whoever’d done the throwing was gone.”
“Grab the climbing gear and get some spotlights on the rocks,” one of the officers called to the others. Then he turned to Alyson and asked, “Is this where you were standing when you saw the incident occur?”
Alyson looked around. “No. I was over maybe ten to fifteen yards to my left, but I’m pretty sure this is where the two people were standing.”
“The two of you wait in your car while we have a look,” the officer instructed.
Alyson loaded Tucker in the tiny backseat of Mac’s VW and climbed into the front passenger seat to wait. Someone had pulled the police vehicles up to the edge of the cliff and bright spotlights were focused on the rocks below. Then two men outfitted in climbing gear rappelled down the steep cliff face.
“I wonder who it was.” Mac turned the key in the ignition and turned on the heater. “The victim, I mean.”
“I don’t know. It was dark, so I couldn’t really make out any features. It sounded like a girl and a guy arguing, though.”
“Could you hear what they were saying?”
“Not really.” Alyson held her hands up to the heater vent. “The whole thing happened so fast. One minute I was talking to you and the next I was watching some guy push his girlfriend over the cliff. At least that’s what I think happened; I can’t be completely certain. They just appeared, like by magic. I have no idea where they came from. I didn’t hear a car pull up and I’m pretty sure they weren’t already standing there when I ran past a few minutes before.”
“But you think they were boyfriend and girlfriend?”
Alyson paused, then said, “I don’t know. I’m probably just being dramatic, but something about the intensity of the moment made me think it was a lovers’ quarrel. No one can make you crazier than someone you’re in love with.”
Mac, who had cut her curly hair into a cute bob and was dressed in jeans and a sweatshirt, glanced at the clock on the dashboard. “They’ve been down there quite a while. What do you think they found?”
Alyson inhaled deeply, then let out a long, slow breath. “The men who rappelled down haven’t come up and I don’t see an attempt to lower a stretcher, so I’m thinking a dead body.”
Mac took Alyson’s hand in hers. “I hate to say it, but I’m afraid you’re right. It’s a pretty good drop down. I don’t see how anyone could survive it.”
Alyson felt a tear at the corner of her eye as she tried to still her pounding heart. She’d only moved to Cutter’s Cove the previous August, so she didn’t know a lot of the people who lived there, other than the kids who attended the high school she did, so she most likely wouldn’t know the victim, but the thought that someone had just died left her feeling sad and uncertain. “Why do they call this Dead Man’s Bluff anyway? Have other people died here?”
“I don’t know.” Mac reached across Alyson and opened the glove box. “I never thought about it before.” She pulled out a pair of gym socks and handed them to her shivering friend. “Here, put these on; your feet must be soaked.”
“Thanks. I guess I didn’t take into account the amount of mud last night’s rain would have caused when I decided to jog along the shoreline trail.” Alyson peeled off her previously white Nikes and damp sport socks and rolled Mac’s offering onto her feet.
“So you didn’t notice the people before you saw one of them being pushed from the edge?” Mac slid a stick of gum from the pack she found on the dashboard and offered another to Alyson.
Alyson folded the gum into her mouth. “No. It was so strange. One minute I was talking to you and the next they just appeared.”
“What do you mean, appeared?” Mac adjusted the air vents so the side windows would defrost.
“I didn’t see them the whole time I was talking to you and then poof, there they were.” Alyson glanced at the emergency response team. “It looks like they’re packing up.”
The ambulance and a couple of police cars pulled away. The officer who had spoken to them walked toward Mac’s car. Alyson opened the door and got out. “What’d you find?”
Chapter 2
“Nothing,” the officer responded.
Alyson frowned. “Nothing?”
The man in the blue uniform looked annoyed. She was afraid he wouldn’t answer her question, but after a brief pause he explained, “We did a thorough search of the area. We didn’t find a body, blood, or any signs of a struggle. I’m not sure what you saw, but it wasn’t a person being thrown off the cliff.”
“But it was,” Alyson assured the dark-haired officer. “I’m sure of it.”
“Have you been drinking, miss?”
“Drinking? Of course not. I’m only seventeen. I was out for a run with my dog when my friend called me on my cell phone. I stopped to take the call and suddenly I saw two people on the bluff. It was dark and the
fog was thick, but I’m pretty sure one was a man and the other a woman. I realized almost immediately they were arguing. I was looking directly at them when one person pushed the other off the cliff.”
“Did you see where the person who did the pushing went?”
Alyson narrowed her eyes. She tried to remember exactly how things had played out, but it was all so fuzzy. “No. As soon as I realized what had happened, I ran over to where they’d been standing, but the person who did the pushing was gone.”
The policeman closed the small notebook he’d been using to take down notes and slid it into his pocket. It didn’t take a genius to figure out he’d decided Alyson had either imagined or made the whole thing up. He took a closer look at her, then said, “It’s foggy. Sometimes your eyes can play tricks on you.”
“But I didn’t just see them; I heard them,” Alyson insisted.
He shifted his position, looking her up and down, as if trying to decide whether she was some kind of a nutcase. “If you heard the argument what did they say?”
Alyson tilted her head so she was gazing up to the sky. This whole thing was just too bizarre. The rescue team hadn’t found the body, but there had to have been one.
“Miss,” the police officer began once again, “do you or do you not remember what the two individuals on the bluff were arguing about?”
Alyson looked back at the officer. All she could do was answer honestly. “I don’t know. I know they were arguing, but I couldn’t make out the words.”
He just shook his head. “I’m sorry, miss. I don’t know what you think you saw, but there’s no body at the bottom of that cliff. I suggest you go home and get something to eat. You were out jogging and it’s starting to get cold; maybe you just got a little light-headed.”
“But…” Alyson started to argue.
“Don’t worry; I’ll take her home,” Mac promised the officer.
Alyson watched as he walked back to his squad car. She was certain she hadn’t imagined things. She couldn’t explain the missing body, but she knew someone had died here. Mac started her car as the officer’s pulled away.