by P. Creeden
Finding Felicity
The Gold Coast Retrievers, Book 5
P. Creeden
© 2018, P. Creeden.
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system without the prior written permission of the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
No part of this work may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher.
Sweet Promise Press
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Brighton, MI 48116
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Contents
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
Sneak Peek
More from Sweet Promise
More from this Series
About the Author
Chapter One
“Shake, JJ,” little Addison commanded, holding a hand out to the Golden Retriever.
The three-year-old Golden Retriever set his paw in the palm of her hand, eliciting an excited giggle from Addison. Felicity couldn’t help but smile at the little eight-year-old girl. Addison had been diagnosed as mildly autistic and had a hard time making eye contact with people or talking with anyone outside of her family. But she’d begun to open up to Felicity’s dog, Jay, or JJ as Addison called him, over the past week. She’d even interacted with Felicity on occasion, although she had kept her eyes on the Golden. It was still a win.
This was the reason she loved her job. Though Addison hadn’t gone up much in her reading comprehension, she was interacting with Jay, which was all that really mattered. She smiled down on Addison, wanting to pat the girl on the shoulder, but Addison would shy away at Felicity’s touch. Instead, Felicity patted the dog’s head while she spoke to the girl. “You did great today, Addison. I’m so proud of you. JJ is super proud of you, too. He can’t wait to hear what happens to the brown bear next. Will you try to read ahead and practice so that next time you can tell JJ more of the story?”
The little girl nodded, her eyes never leaving the Golden Retriever’s. Then she took hold of the small book and pulled it to her chest, running off in the direction of her other classmates as they heading outside for recess.
Felicity knew that Addison would practice hard so that she could share more of the story with Jay. The simple fact of knowing that JJ was waiting to hear more from her would be a big enough motivation. Jay always listened and sat still. He never criticized her or the other children when they stumbled upon a word. His patience knew no bounds, and the kids trusted him.
After giving Jay a scratch behind the ears, Felicity stood up from her cross-legged position on the floor mat. Her muscles were a bit stiff from sitting too long, but she wasn’t about to change position when one of her students tried hard to increase their comprehension. If they got a hint that she was being impatient with them, they’d quit trying. It was the nature of working with special needs children.
“How did today go?” Mr. Jordan, the vice principal, asked with a wan half-smile and a raised eyebrow.
Felicity’s chest tightened. He’d snuck up on her as he was apt to do, asking the same question each time. She knew how this conversation would go, nearly by heart. She turned toward him with the biggest smile she could muster. “Very well. I think I made excellent progress with all of my students today.”
He scratched his chin. “And how many students did you work with today?”
She swallowed before answering. “Four.”
He nodded his head, his mouth twisting as he narrowed his eyes at her. “Four students.” He gestured toward Jay. “All of this… to help just four students. Seems like an inefficient way of doing things.”
And with those words, her heart sank to her stomach. She cleared her throat, her arms crossing over her chest. “These children need alternative methods to the mainstream way of doing things, to combat their difficulties with learning. These methods may not seem efficient for the time being, but they will pay-off in the long run.”
He sighed. “I guess time will tell. Meanwhile, keep that dog on a leash, even in the classroom. We can’t have him biting a child.”
“He would never—”
“Any dog will bite, depending on the situation. And Gold Coast Elementary doesn’t need the premiums on our insurance increasing. Just do as I ask and keep him on a leash. Understood?”
Felicity felt the anger boiling within her, heating her cheeks. Jay had sat beside her the entire time with his tail wagging while watching the exchange. She didn’t usually keep a leash on him when he sat in the reading nook with children, because the bookshelves provided a physical barrier. The children connected with the dog better without interference from the leash. She pulled the leather lead from her pocket and snapped it on Jay’s collar without another word.
The wan smile returned—in fact, Mr. Jordan’s whole pallor was colorless and his mannerisms stiff. Nothing about him seemed healthy or happy. He turned away and headed toward the classroom door, and Felicity chided herself for thinking badly of the man. Maybe he wasn’t happy because of health issues. Maybe he had a hard home life. Her mother would have scolded her and told her that if she saw a problem, she should work to fix it instead of criticizing. The man might need extra vitamin C or something to help his health. She made a mental note to order him a basket of oranges or some other kind of fruit. The thought made her smile. Her mother was right. Helping in a situation like this was the better way to go. It made her feel more human to think about helping.
But maybe she should send it anonymously, so he wouldn’t think any strings were attached. Yeah. And she wouldn’t want him to think she was flirting with him or something either. After all, he was a single man, as far as she knew. Even if he was fifteen years her senior, you never knew.
The digital clock on the wall declared it was nearly one o’clock. Felicity scoffed at the large red letters. When she was a child in school, they still had analog clocks. Would she have ever learned how to read the time on a real clock without the desperation of wondering when the next bell would ring?
As if on cue, the bell rang.
With a small nod of her head to the teacher, Mrs. Morris, Felicity and Jay headed out the door. The hallways were full of small children holding onto a rope and staying in lines on one side of the hallway or the other. Some of the children squealed in excitement at seeing the Golden Retriever walking down the hallway of their elementary school. Many of the children even called out his name. Jay held his head a little higher, wagged his tail in a steady rhythm with his walk, and smiled at the children with his tongue lolling. A few hands reached out and touched his fur as the pair passed, and Felicity just smiled at the children.
Her smile fell the moment she got to the front door of the school building. Storm clouds gathered in the west, and the slightest drops of rain began to fall. The poor childre
n would have to come in from their recess. Felicity loosened her grip on her leash and dashed toward her SUV. By the time she loaded Jay in the truck and got herself behind the wheel, the rain began in earnest.
Before cranking her car, she peered through the windshield. Just past the dark line of clouds, the sun was already shining. This short storm wouldn’t last more than twenty minutes. Hardly enough to help the drought they’d been dealing with since the end of summer. Felicity pushed wisps of blonde hair out of her face. Her signature ponytail had gotten a little loose when she’d made her run for her car. She pulled it free and found that her holder’s elastic had been stretched a little thin. Next time she made it to the store, she needed to pick up another pack.
In the meantime, she pushed her hair up into a messy bun and used the holder to keep the hair back. Then she started her vehicle. Before she pulled out of the parking lot, the rain had stopped.
Early autumn in Redwood Cove had always been one of Felicity’s favorite times of year. The weather was still warm enough to roll down the windows in her truck, but Felicity was always careful to put JJ’s window down halfway, so he couldn’t lean too far out of it.
The short storm had brought with it a cool breeze and temperature drop. The drive home, past the marina, to the quiet neighborhood, not too far from the dog park, was pleasant. Here she and her roommate rented a small ranch house with fenced backyard for Jay.
She frowned at the silver sedan parked across the street, in front of her neighbor’s yard, as she pulled into her driveway. The car seemed out of place. Almost no one parked on the street this time of day, and her neighbors didn’t have a sedan like that one.
Once she stepped out of the vehicle and let JJ down, she glanced in the direction of the silver sedan again and watched as a tall, dark, and handsome man crossed the street with his gaze focused on her.
As any young woman living alone would do, Felicity went through the reasons why this man might be approaching her so suddenly. Then she noticed his police badge attached to the belt loop of his pants. Her heart skipped a beat. Even though she’d never broken a law in her entire life, Felicity found her stomach tightening into a knot as she realized the man was a police officer.
There was no reason to panic. Maybe he just wanted to ask her a question about the neighbors across the street. “Sit,” she commanded JJ in a shaky voice and tried to swallow past the lump in her throat. But her mouth was too dry.
The police officer’s face softened as he stepped into her driveway, and he called out to her, “Excuse me. Are you Felicity Stilton?”
Ice filled her stomach. This was about her… not the Wilsons from across the street. Her heart beat harder and her ears rang as her blood pressure rose. JJ looked up at her and whined. She blinked and nodded slightly, suddenly unable to speak.
Worry lines formed on the police officer’s brow. “Miss, are you okay?”
Spots crowded her vision, and she closed her eyes, leaning against the SUV. Stars popped behind her lids.
A warm hand rested on her shoulder. “Miss Stilton?”
Jay yipped.
A fire lit somewhere deep in the darkness of Felicity’s mind. Really? A police officer approached her, and she felt faint? What century did she live in again? Anger fueled the flame at the pit of her stomach. Blood rushed to her cheeks and warmed them as she snapped open her eyes and straightened. Her hands fisted as she steeled herself. “Is there something I can help you with, officer?”
He blinked at her a moment and then nodded. “I’m Detective Willis with the Redwood Cove Police Department. I’m afraid I have some bad news. Is there somewhere quiet we can discuss this? I think you should have a seat.”
The fear turned her stomach cold again, dousing the fire that she’d had a moment before. She wasn’t a manic person, normally, but right now, she had little control over her emotions. She swallowed. “I’m fine, Detective. Please continue.”
His maple brown eyes assessed her from head to toe. She would have been offended if she’d been looked at this way by almost any other man, but she got the feeling that instead of checking her out, the officer was trying to determine whether she was truthful, or maybe if she could handle what he was about to say. When his eyes met hers again, he nodded. “I regret to inform you that we found a body this morning that appears to belong to your mother.”
The earth shifted beneath Felicity’s feet, but she steadied herself with a hand on the roof of her truck. Panic clawed its way up her spine. “What?”
The officer grabbed her by the elbow. “Are you sure you’re okay? Maybe we should at least sit on the porch.”
She straightened and shook off his hold on her elbow. Her mother? What kind of accident could she have gotten into? Where was her father? “Is my father okay?”
His brow furrowed. “Your mother was married?”
She blinked at him, feeling her own brow scrunch. “Of course she was married. Didn’t you go to her house first? My father would have been there. I don’t understand why you’re coming here to tell me instead of him … if he wasn’t involved in an accident with her?”
The detective drew up taller, staring at her for a moment. Then he let out a slow breath. “I believe we have a misunderstanding. Your mother’s name was Elizabeth Collier?”
Relief warred with sadness as her heart squeezed in her chest. He hadn’t been talking about her real mother—the one who adopted her and raised her and loved her. He’d been talking about her birth mother. Slowly, she nodded, talking past the lump that had lodged in her throat. “Yes, Liz is my mother.”
He nodded slowly with her. “And according to our records, she wasn’t married, and you’re her only living relative.”
The back of her jaw hurt as she ground her molars. “Yes, that’s right.”
“Then could I ask you to come with me to identify the body?”
The blood drained and left her lightheaded. He wanted her to identify Liz’s body. Liz, who Felicity had only known for the past six years, since she’d turned eighteen and had sought her out. They’d eaten lunch together a handful of times, but Liz had been too busy with her vineyard, and Felicity had been chasing her own dreams. They’d never really had the time to get to know each other well, and now that opportunity was gone.
The detective cleared his throat. “I believe it would be best if I drove you. This is sudden news, and it’s not safe to drive in a compromised emotional state.”
She blinked at him, her hand fisting on Jay’s leash. “I… It’s too short a notice. I don’t have anyone to watch my dog.”
He blinked at the Golden Retriever, and then knelt to get on the level with Jay. He scratched the dog behind the ears. “Are you a good boy? Want to go for a car ride?”
Jay stood and wagged his tail in response. It pleased Felicity that he took an immediate liking to the man. It helped relieve some of the anxiety that had tightened her chest.
Detective Willis stood once more. “He can go for a ride with us, although he may need to stay in the car while we’re at the coroner’s. I’ll find a shady spot.”
Felicity nodded slowly again and then followed the detective toward his unmarked sedan.
Darren couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something familiar about Felicity Stilton. Even her name almost rang a bell in the back of his mind, but he pushed it off. Maybe he’d seen her around town. Or he could have even pulled her over back when he made traffic stops. But now he was a rookie detective, so the last thing he wanted to do was ask the young woman where he might know her from.
Instead, he drove her to the coroner’s office in relative silence. He’d allowed the music of the radio to provide easy listening in the background of the drive, but he could barely hear it well enough to recognize the lyrics. When they pulled up into the shadiest space in the parking lot, Darren looked over at his charge.
Felicity had her dark blonde hair pulled back in a messy bun. A few wisps escaped and cascaded down the back of her neck. The girl
had a bit of a tan that made him feel she must have liked to spend a lot of time outdoors. Her sporty outfit gave her an athletic feel. Her blue eyes met his, full of emotions—confusion, fear, grief.
He let down each of the windows several inches. Luckily, the rain they’d had earlier had brought with it a bit of a cold front, leaving Redwood Cove a balmy, seventy-something degrees for the afternoon. Glancing in the rearview mirror, he checked the back seat where the Golden Retriever seemed to smile back at him.
“How did my mother die?” Felicity asked, finally.
Darren felt better that, this time, they were at least sitting in the car. He took a deep breath. “Your mother was on several different medications. It appeared that she overdosed on her sleeping pills, but we won’t know for sure until we get the coroner’s toxicology report back.”
Wrinkles appeared over her brows. “So, it was an accident?”
He shook his head slowly. “She was found at her kitchen table. By all accounts, it appears to be suicide.”
She blinked hard, and tears welled in the bottom of her eyelids. “I can’t believe it.”
An accident was always one thing, but suicide was quite another. Darren had already experienced how families reacted to both. No one wanted to accept either outcome, but to believe that a loved one could take their own life seemed too great a burden to bear. After she swiped at her eyes, she looked out the front windshield. It made sense that she’d need a moment to process this new information, and Darren was going to give it to her.
A cool breeze blew in through the window and across the skin of his forearm. He’d known what it was like to deal with death in the family--his own mother had died when he was a teenager. But there was something that bothered him about the way that this woman had first reacted to the news of her mother’s death. “Did you have a close relationship with your mother?”