The Beach House
Page 1
The Beach House
Book 3
Vicky Jones
Claire Hackney
Copyright © 2019 by Vicky Jones and Claire Hackney.
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Contents
About Vicky Jones
About Claire Hackney
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Also by Vicky Jones and Claire Hackney
Also by Vicky Jones and Claire Hackney
Also by Vicky Jones and Claire Hackney
Also by Vicky Jones
Part 1: August 1958
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
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Part 2: April 1960
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Part 3: September 1964
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Epilogue
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Also by Vicky Jones and Claire Hackney
Also by Vicky Jones and Claire Hackney
Also by Vicky Jones and Claire Hackney
Also by Vicky Jones
Acknowledgments
Our Team
About Vicky Jones
Vicky Jones was born in Essex, England. She is an author and singer-songwriter, with numerous examples of her work on iTunes and YouTube. At 20 years old she entered the Royal Navy. After leaving the Navy realizing she was drifting through life with no sense of direction, she wrote a bucket list of 300 things to achieve which took her traveling, facing her fears and going for her dreams. At the time of printing, she is two-thirds of the way through her bucket list.
One item on her list was to write a song for a cause. Her anti-bullying track called “House of Cards” is now on iTunes to download.
Writing a novel was on her bucket list, and through a chance writing competition at her local writing group, the idea for Meet Me At 10 was born. Vicky hopes she can change hearts and minds due to some of the gritty themes of the book.
Vicky is a keen traveler, stemming from her days traveling the world in the Royal Navy, and has visited around 50 countries so far. She has also graduated from The Open University after studying part time for her degree in psychology and criminology—another bucket list tick! She is currently writing a book about her bucket list adventures, entitled ‘Project Me, Project You’, alongside planning and writing more fiction books and book marketing guides for self-published authors.
She now lives in Cheshire, splitting her time between there and visiting her family and friends back in Essex.
For more information on upcoming book releases, to tell us what you think of the books, or just to say hi, click on the icons below:
About Claire Hackney
Claire Hackney is a former English Literature, Drama and Media Studies teacher who, after attending a local writing group with Vicky and writing several of her own short stories over the years, has now decided to focus her career on full-time novel writing.
She is an avid historian and has thoroughly enjoyed researching different aspects of the 1950s for the ‘Shona Jackson’ trilogy of novels.
Claire is very much looking forward getting started on the many future writing projects she and Vicky have in the pipeline, including the up-coming ‘D.I Rachel Morrison’ thriller series and several standalone novels.
For more information on upcoming book releases, to tell us what you think of the books, or just to say hi, click on the icons below:
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Simply click on the link below and enter your email address so we know where to send your newsletter:
http://hackneyandjones.com
Also by Vicky Jones and Claire Hackney
Shona: Book 1
Everyone has a secret. Hers could get her killed… Mississippi, 1956. Shona Jackson knows two things—how to repair car engines and that her dark childhood secret must stay buried. On the run from Louisiana, she finds shelter in the home of a kindly old lady and a job as a mechanic. But a woman working a man’s job can’t avoid notice in a small town. And attention is dangerous, especially when it comes from one woman in particular… Pre-order NOW.
Also by Vicky Jones and Claire Hackney
Meet Me At 10: Book 2
Four lives inextricably linked. Will tragic events part them forever? Shona Jackson is on the run again, forced to flee Mississippi and the town she’d called home. Arriving in Alabama, to continue her journey to safety, she convinces Jeffrey Ellis, the wealthy co-owner of a machinery plant, to give her a job. But when Chloe Bruce returns from college and is introduced to the workforce, there are devastating consequences for all those involved. Read NOW.
Also by Vicky Jones and Claire Hackney
The Burying Place: Book 1
One high-profile case. No leads. No witnesses… And no body. Amanda Walker’s mother is missing. Detective Inspector Rachel Morrison has no leads on the case and time is running out. Amanda appeals to the public, but when no one comes forward, she chooses to immerse herself within a murderous underground group she believes is responsible for her mother’s disappearance. But will the group believe Amanda’s cover story? Or is time running out for her as well? Pre-order NOW.
Also by Vicky Jones
Bucket List Book 1: Project Me, Project You
“Writing this book changed my life. Reading it could change yours.” Back in 2011, suffering depression after leaving the Royal Navy, author and songwriter Vicky Jones embarked upon a life-changing bucket list, including 300 things to tick off over the course of the next decade of her life. This is the story of how this list came about, how it has helped her combat her depression, and how it can help you too. Pre-order NOW.
The Beach House
Part 1: August 1958
Chapter 1
“Is it them?” Shona said. She whipped her neck around to look out of the back window and then back to look at Chloe whose knuckles were now white from her increased grip on the steering wheel.
“I think so,” Chloe replied, her right foot pressing down on the gas pedal. Trying to keep composed, she kept her eyes fixed on the road, glancing up to her rearview mirror every few seconds. “I’d know that truck anywhere.”
The dark green Ford pickup that had been following them for the last fi
ve miles on their way to the Mississippi border with Arkansas began to speed up.
“But that’s impossible. They’re murderers. The sheriff can’t have let them out. And even if he had, would they really come all this way from Alabama?” Shona could feel her heart thumping as she wrapped her arms around the back of her seat and stared through the back window.
“We’re the reason they lost their garage,” Chloe replied, shaking her head with frustration. “But those Bullens have done so many favors for folks, I’d be surprised if strings hadn’t been pulled. They’ve been in and out of jail so many times they’re bound to know people.” Chloe rammed the gas pedal in as far as it would go, causing the engine to roar even louder. “Come on, goddamn you!”
Shona looked down at her map. Locating Route 82, she ran her fingertip along the line. “This road goes on for thirty miles before a turnoff. We’ll run out of gas before then if we’re going at this pace. I knew we should have filled up when we last stopped.” She looked back down at her map and frowned. “We’ve got what looks like a really long bridge to get across too. It’s just up ahead. Less than a mile by my reckoning. There’s nowhere to turn off until we get over it.”
“A bridge?” Chloe said and gripped the wheel even tighter. She glanced up into the rearview mirror and licked her lips. “They’re getting closer. Shona, I don’t want to drive over a bridge. What if they try and ram us? We’ll end up in the river.” Her voice was shaking. Shona looked from side to side, through all of the windows, to see if there was any option for them to get off the road quickly, but neither side of the highway had any offshoots. It was featureless, save for a few trees and shrubs. Up ahead, she saw the steel jaws of a long gray cantilever bridge about to consume them.
“I got an idea,” Shona said. “As soon as we hit the bridge, I want you to slow down.”
“Slow down? Are you crazy?” Chloe replied, her brown eyes wide.
Shona’s voice was eerily calm. “This engine is way more powerful than some pickup, but we’re topped out right now. We need some lift.” Shona nodded to the sign. “Here it is. The Benjamin G. Humphreys bridge. Chloe, do you trust me?”
“Of course I do.”
“Then take your foot off the gas. Then, when I say so, floor it.”
Chloe did as she was told. The Chevrolet began to slow down and, in turn, the green pickup crept closer, eating up the distance between them. Shona kept her eyes glued to the side mirror, waiting for the right moment. With their hearts in their mouths, the car began to cross the bridge, creeping more into the middle of the lane, just in case.
“Shona?” Chloe asked, her foot resting against the gas pedal.
“Now!” Shona ordered. They both recoiled with the force of the accelerating car. Thirty became fifty in moments, and the green pickup had no chance of keeping up. “That’s it. We’re nearly across the bridge. Don’t slow down.”
The tires thudded against every road joint, until they reached the sign welcoming them to Arkansas and thanking them for driving carefully.
“Look, there,” Shona said. “A rest stop. We can pull in there. It’s bound to have people there. They won’t dare try anything then.”
“Thank God,” said Chloe, breathing a sigh of relief as she saw the sloping roof of the rest stop and its giant red and yellow sign. “Is the truck still following?”
“Yeah,” Shona replied. She let a few moments pass by, the writing on the sign now readable. “Almost there. One, two, three. Now.”
Chloe left it until the last possible moment before stomping on the brake and swinging the Chevrolet Deluxe skidding into the parking lot. Gravel and dust was churned up all around them, choking them momentarily. They both looked back up to the highway, waiting to see if the pickup would turn into the rest stop parking lot too. Seconds felt like hours as both Chloe and Shona stared. And waited.
“Please. Please, just drive past,” Shona prayed quietly.
Chloe’s hands, drenched in cold sweat, flexed around the steering wheel. Just as it looked as if the truck was slowing down to exit the highway, the male passenger leaned out of the window and made a lewd gesture towards Chloe. Whooping, he threw a beer can towards the Deluxe as the driver sped off along the road, passed the turnoff and into the distance.
“It wasn’t them,” Chloe said, resting her head heavily against the steering wheel, jumping when Shona lay a hand on the back of her neck. “Just some dumb punks.”
“It’s OK. We did the right thing. If it had been them then…” Shona tailed off, remembering that night she was almost murdered by Earl and Ernest Bullen. “We’re safe, baby, no one is gonna chase us anymore. We got a new life now to look forward to. A new start. You OK?” Shona stroked the black string of Chloe’s pink pebble necklace with her thumb, until after a few seconds she lifted her face from the steering wheel. It was wet with tears, her eyes red from the dust.
“That night, thinking you were dead, was the most terrified I’d ever been in my whole life. Even more scared than when Kyle…” She swallowed hard. “Did what he did to me.”
“I know. But it’s all OK now. Look at us. We’re together. Those bastards are in jail, and Kyle? Well, he’ll never see the light of day again, not with all the stuff the police had been dying to pin on him. They emptied the filing cabinet. We don’t have to worry about anything other than enjoying our life together, Chloe. Just me and you. Forever. I promise. We’re free now.”
Shona leaned in, dying to kiss Chloe and comfort her further, but the car that pulled up near them made them both spring back into their seats.
“Well, not completely free. But there’s a motel around the back there. Why don’t we stay here tonight?” Shona flashed Chloe a smile that meant only one thing. Returning it, Chloe leaned over and grabbed her purse from the back seat.
“Back in a minute. I’ll check us in.”
“No, let me. You paid the last time, remember?” Shona insisted.
Chloe saw that smile again and blushed. “How could I forget? Our first night together.”
“That’s right. Well, it’s my turn to treat you. I still got some money of my own. I’ll be right back.” Shona hopped out of the car and into the motel reception. Minutes later, she reappeared, jangling the room key.
Leaving the bigger bags they had in the trunk, they took what they needed for the night and headed to the motel room on the ground floor of the tired old block. Inside, the décor was pretty standard, the faded yellow wallpaper peeling at the corners. The two single beds were both draped in honey-colored comforters, the pillows looking less than plush. Between the two beds was a nightstand on which stood a chipped ceramic lamp complete with stained shade. At the far end of the room was a tiny bathroom, the mold-encrusted shower curtain just about visible through the sliding door. The room wasn’t anywhere near as opulent as the Fortua had been, but this time it didn’t matter.
Within seconds of the door closing behind them, they threw their overnight bags on the floor. Unable to resist any longer, Shona pushed Chloe up against the wall next to the door and began planting hot kisses on her neck, exactly in the spot where she knew it made her groan. Running her hands through Shona’s hair, gripping it tightly, Chloe lifted her head up to meet her lips with her own. The force of her kiss made Shona stagger back, finally landing on one of the beds, with Chloe on top of her still kissing her. In one fluid movement, Shona rolled over so she was now lying on top. Pulling her lips away for a second, she swept her hand over Chloe’s cheek and smiled at her, her blue eyes shining.
“God, you’re so beautiful,” she murmured. “There was so much I wanted to do that night. So much of you I wanted to explore. But I was so nervous, I didn’t really know what I was doing.”
Chloe gazed back at her, her hands still holding the back of her head, fingers stroking her messy blonde hair. “Are you nervous now?”
“No. Not anymore,” Shona whispered back.
“Then what are you waiting for? Make love to me. The way you want to,
the way you’ve always wanted to.”
Shona didn’t need to be told twice.
Shona and Chloe checked out of the motel just before dawn. With the sound of the morning birdsong in the air, they packed up the car and set off on the highway towards their next destination. Chloe had unclipped and lowered the roof on the Deluxe, letting the wind blow through their hair as they sped along in the glorious heat of the late summer sun.
“So what are we telling people? About who we are?” Shona asked.
“Well, I did think we could tell people we were sisters.” Chloe paused and glanced over to Shona, taking in her baby blonde hair and bright blue eyes. “But we look nothing like each other.” She smiled.