DEADLY WISHES
By Marianne Spitzer
© October 2016
This book is a work of fiction. All the names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to persons living or dead, events, locations, or organizations are purely coincidental. All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced without the written consent of the author.
Acknowledgements
There are many people I would like to thank for their help and understanding while I wrote this book, but first and foremost, I want to thank God for all His blessings. I also wish to thank my family and friends for their patience and understanding when I disappear into my writing world especially my son, Lance, for his unwavering support. Last, but by no means least, I would like to thank my loyal readers who read my books and leave reviews. I couldn’t do this without you.
DEADLY WISHES
Prologue
Max stuffed wrapping paper, ribbons, and broken balloons into a large plastic trash bag. He called out over his shoulder, “I’ll be back as soon as I toss this one in the garage.”
When he walked into the garage, he spotted the purple rose lying on Kellie’s SUV. “Oh no, not again. It has to be a sick joke,” he said and opened the garbage bag. He shoved the rose in with the wrappings and tied the bag closed with a triple knot. “Out of sight, out of mind,” he mumbled and headed toward the back yard to continue with the party cleanup.
~ * ~
Two months later, Max had forgotten about the rose, and everything was quiet in Malone Springs. Cole and Andrea planned a second honeymoon trip since Cole’s grandma’s sudden passing shortened their first trip. On the day of their departure, Kellie, Max, Taylor and Hunter took them out for a happy honeymoon lunch before dropping them at the train station. Their kids were home with their respective grandparents and Kellie chose a romantic restaurant for lunch.
When Max stopped in front of the train station, he noticed a flower cart sitting in the unusually warm early October sunshine. He heard Andrea gush over the roses while he and Cole pulled the suitcases from the back of the vehicle. Max glanced over his shoulder before pulling back into traffic in time to see Cole hand Andrea a purple rose. He shook off the feeling of dread that crept over him.
The four friends chatted happily on the way home. A pickup truck in front of Max slammed on its brakes sending something flying off the back of the truck. He did his best to avoid it, but the SUV’s tire ran over the object and Max’s tire blew.
Kellie grabbed his arm, and Taylor gasped as the car began to swerve. Max did his best to slow and keep the car straight, but it continued to swerve and crossed the center line into the path of a semi-truck rolling at highway speed.
The truck pushed the SUV for several dozen feet diagonally across its lane until the SUV finally hit the gravel and spun away from the traffic lane and down a hill. It rolled over several times before coming to stop on its tires at the bottom of the hill.
Claudia stood and walked toward her sink with her teacup in hand. She stopped as her kitchen wall faded into a highway scene. She saw the red SUV begin to swerve and cross the center line. She watched the scene unfold in front of her eyes, smiled, and turned to leave the room. The highway in her kitchen faded back to its normal condition.
Less than ten minutes later, the police, fire, and paramedics arrived. Firefighters pulled Kellie, Taylor, and their husbands from the vehicle shortly before it burst into flames. The paramedic looked at an officer arriving on the scene and said, “Call the chief. It’s Noles, his wife, and two others. All four survived. It’s a miracle.”
Kellie and her friends stood looking at each other and staring in awe at the twisted vehicle. Max squinted and said to Kellie, “Is the car covered in white light?”
“Yes, it’s what saved us. We should be dead.”
A bright white light appeared near the overturned vehicle. Kellie whispered to Taylor, “We won’t need it today.” It shimmered and disappeared.
Chapter One
Five Years in the future.
“Come on, Uncle Mike,” Kellie pleaded. “Tell me why you arrested my neighbor, Mrs. Donahue. She must be in her eighties now. Does she have a lawyer or understand why you arrested her? She smiled the entire time your officer put her in a patrol car and even waved at me. What do you want with her?” Kellie splayed her hands on Detective Mike Stellion’s desk and glared at him.
Mike calmly smiled at her and said, “Hello to you, too, Kellie. Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be with the girls?”
“You know they started first grade. They’re in school. Why are you avoiding my questions,” she insisted. When he didn’t answer, she stood and leaned against the wall next to his desk. “I’m not leaving until you tell me.”
Detective Stellion’s door flew open, and a young officer rushed in holding a sheet of paper. The door partially hid Kellie, and the officer didn’t take the time to look around before he blurted, “It’s a fax from the coroner. He said he needs to contact all the local dentists about trying to match dental records to the severed head we found in that woman’s freezer.”
A slow smile spread across Kellie’s face.
“Get out,” Mike hollered leaning across his desk toward the officer.
The officer paled and turned. When he saw Kellie, he gripped the back of a chair. “I’m sorry,” he stammered, “I thought you were alone.”
“Out, and don’t come back,” Mike’s voice rose in volume.
Kellie smiled at her Uncle Mike. “I’m leaving now. I understand but don’t try and question her without an attorney. I don’t mean a public defender; I want her to have the best representation. She’s the reason I’m not dead. I’ll call my attorney and have him recommend someone.”
Mike put up his hands. “No need, the first thing she said was she wanted a lawyer. We’re holding her now waiting for her lawyer to arrive.”
“Good, and seriously Uncle Mike, if he isn’t the best for what she needs, please tell me. I’ll get her the best. Also, would you let me know when she can have visitors?”
“I will, Kellie, I promise. Now, go home.” He shooed her away with his hands.
Kellie was closing the door behind her when she quickly popped her head back in, “Oh, I almost forgot. Please tell Mrs. Donahue that I have Sweets at my house.” She smiled.
“Sweets?”
Kellie nodded, “Her cocker spaniel.” With that, she closed the door, and Mike breathed a sigh of relief. One woman to deal with was enough, and he’d have his hands full with an elderly woman who needed to explain why there was a severed human head in her basement freezer.
Kellie walked toward the front desk to inquire about Mrs. Donahue’s attorney when she saw a well-dressed man speaking to the desk sergeant. She stepped closer and heard the desk sergeant explain, “I’ll let someone know you’re here to speak with her. Please have a seat.”
The man snapped back, “She’s an elderly woman under a physician’s care. Don’t make me wait long.”
Kellie approached him and introduced herself. When the man explained he was Mrs. Donahue’s attorney, Kellie confided, “I witnessed her arrest this morning. I don’t think she understood what they said to her or what was happening. Ask her about her recent accident. She’s on medication, and I believe she may have taken it this morning. She waved and smiled at me. It wasn’t her usual smile. She seemed too happy. Mrs. Donahue is a bubbly person, but she seemed more so this morning. She’s also very talkative when she takes that medication. Who knows what she might have said? Please help her, she’s a dear friend.”
“Thank you for the information, Mrs. Noles,” he replied. “It will help her, I’m sure.” He shook Kellie’s hand, and she tur
ned to leave only to see her Uncle Mike watching her. She waved her fingers at him as she hurried out of the police station.
Mike shook his head as he approached the attorney.
~ * ~
Two hours later, Kellie finished an e-mail to the women’s charity she helped organize when her front door chimes rang. Rufus began to bark and run in circles. Sweets ran right behind him yipping loudly.
“Yes, boy and little lady, I hear them, too,” Kellie said and ruffled the fur on his head.
Kellie peeked out the peephole in her door and saw Vivian, Mrs. Donahue’s daughter, standing on her porch. Her eyes widened when she saw the woman holding a bouquet of fresh cut white roses.
“Is something wrong,” Vivian asked.
Kellie lied, “I’m allergic to roses.”
“Oh my, I’m sorry,” she answered while running back toward the white picket fence running along the front of Kellie’s yard. Vivian reached over the fence and dropped the roses to the ground. She turned and walked back to the porch. Kellie opened the door and invited her in.
“Please, where can I wash my hands? Allergies aren’t pleasant, and I may have pollen or oils on my hands,” she smiled at Kellie.
Kellie showed her to the powder room and then took a seat in her living room to wait for Vivian. She hated to lie, but it was easier to say she was allergic than to explain that her deceased mother and adoptive mom had told her she would receive roses when danger was near. Kellie had tried to explain a few times, but the looks people gave her when she said she had seen two dead women made her reconsider telling the truth.
Vivian returned and apologized again.
“Please, don’t worry,” Kellie said. “You didn’t know. Have a seat. Can I get you a cup of coffee or tea? How’s your mom?”
Vivian smiled. “I think she’ll be okay. She’s out of jail and at the hospital. My sister is with her now while they run tests. I came to get her some clean clothes and check on Sweets. Mom told me a nice police detective said you had her dog.”
“Yes, I do. She’s in the kitchen playing with Rufus, my golden retriever. I’ll keep her as long as needed. My girls love her and your mom. Do you know why they took her to jail? I watched them take her away. She seemed happy,” Kellie said.
“Too happy. Mom’s lawyer noticed it and insisted someone call the paramedics. They took mom to the hospital. We’re waiting for all the tests to come back, but mom did say she thinks she took two of her pain pills this morning. She told me her back and hip hurt a lot, and she took one as soon as she woke. A little while later, she took a shower hoping it would help, but it didn’t. She thinks she took the second one with breakfast.”
“That would explain why she waved at me and seemed happy to get into the police car, but what in the world happened this morning?” Kellie’s brow furrowed and she bit her lip.
Vivian explained, “After mom’s fall, she found it nearly impossible to climb up and down the stairs. Fortunately, her washer and dryer are on the first floor, but she has a chest freezer in the basement. My great-nephew Ronnie helps her out each weekend and brings up whatever meat she thinks she’ll need during the week. Mom decided she didn’t need the big freezer and placed an ad to sell it. A woman came by to look at it, and mom let her go downstairs alone. A few minutes later the woman screamed and ran out of the house. Mom said the next thing she knew; the police were at the door.”
Kellie sat with her hand over her mouth but asked, “Is that when they found the head?”
Vivian nodded. “It’s horrible. Mom didn’t know what they found. She doesn’t know why the police took her to the station. She’s confused about all of it. We didn’t tell her about the head. We want to be sure she’s well enough to hear the news. The police said they would wait to question her until she can answer their questions without any confusion.”
Kellie’s knee bounced while she sat and listened about dear Mrs. Donahue’s plight. “Someone placed that in her freezer. I’m sure the police won’t believe she’s responsible for it.”
Vivian shrugged, “I don’t think mom let anyone in her house that she didn’t know. Ronnie is the only one who goes into her basement. My brother died three years ago, and Ronnie inherited his home and his entire estate. He’s an only child, and his mom passed away fifteen years ago when Ronnie was a small boy. Since then, he’s pulled away from our family. My sister thinks he may take drugs. I shudder thinking he might be responsible for this and just the fact it was sitting there in mom’s freezer. I should go. I wanted to bring the flowers to thank you and see if you’ll keep Sweets. Mom’s lawyer doesn’t think they’ll take her back to jail, but she may be in the hospital until they control her pain adequately.”
“I understand. Sweets is welcome here for as long as needed. Please tell your mom not to worry. We’ll keep an eye on the house,” Kellie assured her.
“Thank you, I appreciate all you’ve done. Mom’s lawyer told me you spoke to him this morning and gave him helpful information. Our family is grateful. I can’t imagine my life without mom.” She wiped a tear from her eye.
“I love your mom. She kept my ex from kidnapping me. I’m not sure what would’ve happened to me if he had succeeded. We’ll do what we can for her.”
Vivian smiled as she hurried out the door and stopped to pick up the dropped roses before walking back to her mother’s home.
Kellie closed the door, leaned against it, and sighed. Roses. White roses stand for purity and innocence. Why now? It can’t happen again. What does this mean? It has been over five years. Is this a new warning or just a coincidence?
~ * ~
Kellie busied herself making dinner while the girls sat at the kitchen table coloring pictures. They spoke back and forth often finishing each other’s sentences or answering before they heard the same questions.
Hope, the older by three minutes and the more assertive of the two, twisted her small lip and frowned. “Mommy, Faith and I are two real girls, right?”
“Of course, you are. Why would you ask that?” Kellie turned to look at her daughter.
“Well,” Faith began. “Caleb Bowers said there is only one of us, and the other is a mirror image. He said there is an invisible mirror floating around, and people think there are two of us, but they only see the mirror us.”
“I wanted to punch him,” Hope admitted. “But I remember what daddy said about being a good girl and not punching boys again.” She smiled at Kellie.
Kellie smiled back remembering the incident in pre-school when Hope punched a bigger boy for pushing Faith down at playtime. She was grateful the girls remembered the lesson.
“We have an idea,” both girls said in unison.
Kellie took a deep breath. Her precious girls could come up with some remarkable ideas and not always the best ideas. “What would that be?”
Hope began, “We still love to dress exactly alike.”
“Yeah,” Faith agreed. “We don’t want to have different clothes.”
Hope nodded and continued, “But I hate it when you braid my hair.”
“And I love it,” Faith admitted.
Kellie had a feeling where this idea was going. She stood and watched them while they talked, and her smile grew.
Hope suggested, “I only want to wear pigtails, and Faith only wants to wear braids.”
“That’s right; Mommy, and then no one can say they see us in a mirror. We will be exactly alike but different,” Faith looked at her with sparkling blue eyes.
Both girls leaned closer to the table waiting for Kellie to answer.
“I think we can do that,” Kellie replied. Both girls clapped their hands and returned to their pictures.
She bit her lip to keep from laughing at the girl’s serious attitudes. Braids and pigtails would make it easier for their teachers, too. They were identical and until they were a year old, they wore different colored beaded anklets. When they were learning to walk, Hope, being the daring one, tried to climb onto Rufus’ back and slip
ped off right into a kitchen chair. The small cut at her hairline was deeper than it looked and left a small scar. Max could finally tell them apart without the anklets. Kellie never had a problem. There was a different look in their eyes, and everyone said she had a Mom’s ESP. Different hairstyles were the perfect answer since neither girl liked anyone checking their foreheads for the tiny scar which would eventually fade completely.
“Daddy,” both girls called out in unison when Max opened the door leading from the garage. Rufus nearly knocked him over, and Sweets sat and growled. Kellie laughed.
While Kellie finished dinner, the girls regaled Max with their tale of the supposed invisible mirror and how they were going to wear pigtails and braids from now on. He sat and nodded over and over as the girls talked on and on about their day. Max finally stood and walked over to Kellie. He slipped his arms around her waist and kissed her.
“How was your day, Mom?” He grinned at her.
“Interesting,” she whispered. “I was out front when they took Mrs. Donahue away in a police car this morning.”
Max explained, “I heard. I was on call when we answered the call of an elderly patient in trouble at the jail. I was shocked to see her, and she knew me right away although she seemed sedated. She kept calling me her ‘sweet neighbor Max’ and hummed on the way to the hospital.”
“Her daughter was here and said they think she took two of her pain pills.”
“That’ll do it depending on the strength considering her age. She’ll be okay, don’t worry. I see Sweets is staying with us. I don’t think she likes me.”
Kellie stirred the pasta sauce and looked over her shoulder at the girls before answering, “Sweets isn’t used to men. She’ll be all right. I told the girls that Mrs. Donahue is taking a short trip. They adore her and would worry. She may come home tomorrow. Did you hear about the head?”
“It’s all over town. People are trying to figure out who it is. No one has been reported missing. I suppose your uncle is investigating.”
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