There's no place like HOME (Emma Frost Book 8)

by Willow Rose

  “What do you mean?”

  “Ha! You have no idea, do you? You women are so predictable, BOY it’s almost too easy.”

  His eyes were flickering, and I wondered if he had completely lost it. He made me feel very uncomfortable.

  “You still haven’t told me why you’re here,” I said.

  “Ah!” Steffen Carlsen covered his mouth with both hands, and then he moved them and spoke. “It’s almost too EXCITING! See, the plan failed on one account. You were supposed to be dead. You were supposed to be the next victim, the home, and the police were going to find the red slippers in the ashes, and then they would know they had the wrong guy. But, that’s not how it went. Not that I’m disappointed. No, this way is so much BETTER!”

  “Plan? What plan?” I asked, while the pieces to my puzzle started to fall into place. “You planned this with her, didn’t you?”

  Steffen Carlsen laughed again. “Isn’t it beautiful? Magnificent. And I’m here to share the entire secret with you, Emma, only you. I want to see the look in your eyes when I tell you how I can get women to do anything for me. And I do mean ANYTHING!”

  “Like, go to prison for you?” I asked.

  “YES! Exactly.”

  “So, someone took the fall for you, and admitted to having killed your ex-girlfriend and her sons? You convinced her to take the fall?”

  “She suggested it on her own. She had been writing letters to me during the trial. She told me she would die for me, that’s how much she loved me. I told her she could do something almost as good. From there on, it was easy. I just told her where the bodies were buried, and where the bloody axe was that I used to kill them, then she could tell the police, and they would believe it was her. I let her in on every little detail, so they wouldn’t see through it, and she told them she was jealous of my ex because she was in love with me. We went over it again and again when she came to visit. I think, in the end, she actually thought she had done it. She lived the act, so to speak. Isn’t it wonderful?”

  “And, so Louise, your wife, did the same?”

  “That woman loves me more than anyone. See, I found out what she really likes.” Steffen Carlsen approached me and pushed me up against the wall. It hurt my back and I had the air knocked out of me.

  “See, she liked it hard. She liked the pain. And I loved watching her in pain. Just like I like watching you in pain right now,” he said, and grabbed me around my throat. I spurted and gasped for air.

  “Please…let…me…go.”

  “Tsk. You’re not listening, Emma. You need to listen, or you’ll ruin everything. I’m finally spilling the beans here, Emma. I’m telling you everything, just like you wanted me to. I’m telling you I did kill my mother on that night when we were watching The Wizard of Oz. I stabbed her with a kitchen knife again and again, while Dorothy followed the Yellow Brick Road. I was so SICK of her and her many different men. You know what they did to me, Emma? They did awful things to me, things you can’t even imagine and put in your little books. And my mother watched. She never stopped them. So, once when we had gotten a new home and moved for the thirteenth time and we were sitting in the living room watching my favorite movie, she told me she had met someone new, and that he would move in soon. She was so excited. She told me she was in love and promised me that this time it would be different. This one was a good guy. Do you know how many times I’d heard her say that? No, you don’t, Emma. You don’t know what it’s like to be chased around the house, your own home, where you should feel safe as a child, by some man who would beat the crap out of you if he got ahold of you. So, I hacked her into bits and pieces with my axe, while they sang about how they were off to see the Wizard. You know that song, Emma. Oh, the wonderful wizard, Emma. You know him, don’t you? He’s truly wonderful. But the best part is still the witch. I loved the witch, and I still cheer for her to be able to stop them, Emma. But she never does. She never stops them from getting to the Wizard. And then she melts. I hate that scene when she melts, and, oh, how I loathe the scream.”

  Steffen Carlsen loosened his grip on my throat a little. He looked like he was remembering something. “You know what I did when I was done hacking my mother into pieces?”

  I shook my head the best I could while gasping for air.

  “I rewound the movie and watched it all over again. I was sitting there in our new living room, with blood smeared all over me, and I watched the movie over and over again, singing along to all the songs. Then, I fed her to the pigs on a nearby farm. I rode there on my bike in the middle of the night with my chopped up mother in a garbage bag. They ate everything, and I enjoyed listening to the sound of her bones crunching. I was accused of killing her, but no one could ever prove it. There was no body. They never found her. Now, how did I get Louise to be in on this? Well, it wasn’t as hard as you’d think, my dear. First, I helped her kill her parents. I told her what to do and when to do it. She needed to be delivered from them. They were only holding her back. She did it while I was in prison. It was beautiful. I told her about anger and how she should let it grow…that it was her friend. Feed the hurt, nourish the pain till it’s strong enough to avenge you, I said. Save it inside of you. Treasure it. And she did it. She stabbed them to death in her own apartment, just because I told her to. It was magnificent. She stuffed them inside that freezer and brought them with her everywhere we moved to. I made her what she is. I created her.”

  Steffen Carlsen looked me in the eye. He was tightening his grip on my throat. “They would jump to their death for me, Emma. Do you understand that? Do you understand what kind of power that leaves me with?”

  I tried to nod, but he was holding me too hard, choking me. I was begging for my life now.

  “Please…” I pleaded.

  “No, Emma, dear. You know how all things must come to an end. Even good and fun things. This is your curtain call, Emma. Now that you know everything, you must die.”

  His gloved hands were pressing harder now, and I could no longer breathe. I saw light flicker before my eyes and an overwhelming dizziness came over me. In my dying moments, all I could think of was my children. Who was going to take care of them? Michael?

  In the distance, in my suffering darkness I heard a well-known song whispered in my ear.

  Somewhere, over the rainbow, way up high.

  There's a land that I heard of once in a lullaby.

  Somewhere, over the rainbow, skies are blue.

  And the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true.

  68

  August 2014

  I NEVER KNEW how it happened. All I know is that I was floating in a sea of stars above the rainbow, when suddenly, I was drastically pulled out of my dream. It felt like a tornado pulling my legs, dragging me back to harsh reality.

  I woke up to the sound of people fighting, and when I opened my eyes, I saw Morten and Steffen Carlsen going at each other.

  I coughed and tried to breathe, but my throat hurt so badly, I threw up on the carpet.

  Steffen Carlsen threw a punch at Morten and forced him to fly backwards, hitting the table behind him with a loud scream.

  “Morten!” I yelled, and tried to get up, but the dizziness kept me down. Steffen Carlsen was up fast and threw himself at Morten, punching him hard. I had just enough air to scream.

  “Morten!”

  Blood spurted onto the wall. I screamed again, and covered my eyes. Finally, I got to my feet, while Steffen Carlsen kept punching Morten. I tried to walk, but fell flat to the ground again.

  Steffen Carlsen was above Morten again. Morten lay lifeless on the ground, while receiving more punches and kicks to the stomach. I was terrified. As I fell flat to the ground, I spotted Morten’s gun. Steffen Carlsen must have somehow managed to get it from him, and he must have dropped it in the fight. It didn’t matter how it got there, but it mattered that I could reach over and pick it up in my shaking hands.

  I tried hard to get it to stay still in my hands when I pointed it
towards Steffen Carlsen.

  He laughed when he saw me. Then danced around while chanting:

  “Put ‘em up, put ‘em up! Which one of you first? I’ll fight you both together if you want. I’ll fight you with one paw tied behind my back. I’ll fight you standing on one foot. I’ll fight you with my eyes closed…ohh, pullin’ an axe on me, eh? Sneaking up on me, eh? Why, I’ll…Ruff!” he said, quoting the Cowardly Lion. Then, he jumped towards me, and as he landed on top of me, I did the only thing I could at that moment. I pulled the trigger and shot him in the stomach, whispering the words, “Ding Dong the witch is dead.”

  Then, I threw the gun and ran to Morten. I lifted his head and held it between my hands. “Oh, my God. Please tell me you’re all right. Please, Morten. I’ll never leave you again. I promise. We’ll figure it out, Morten.” I hugged his bloody face, as I heard noises in the hallway. Soon, the room was filled with people.

  “Call for help!” I screamed. “Call for help!”

  “Did you mean it?”

  I looked down. Morten’s gentle eyes were looking back at me. “Morten!”

  “So, did you?” he asked again through the pain.

  “Lie still till help comes. Did I what?”

  “Did you mean what you said before? That you would never leave me again?”

  I swallowed a lump of tears, and then smiled. I stroked his cheek.

  “Yes. We’ll figure it out, won’t we?”

  He smiled and closed his eyes as more people rushed in. One of them told me he was a doctor on vacation. He could help, he said. Half an hour later, Morten was picked up by a helicopter and taken to the hospital in Esbjerg.

  EPILOGUE

  “ONE, TWO SKIP a few…ninety-nine, one hundred.”

  The numerologist skipped along the sidewalk. She was in an incredibly good mood this morning. She was doing so well. She was getting very close to the family now, and they still didn’t suspect a thing. No, they didn’t. And that thing, the incident…the fire had been like it was sent from heaven. She couldn’t have planned it better herself. Again, it had been the numbers making sure she was there at the right moment. At one minute to midnight. One again.

  Best of all, was that Emma Frost hadn’t suspected a thing. Apparently, she believed her little story about being outside of her house coincidentally. Didn’t she know that nothing was coincidental? Nothing at all. It was all written in the numbers and the stars.

  She had been outside of Emma Frost’s house because she was keeping an eye on her and her family, monitoring every moment of her life. She still did that. While tutoring Maya Frost, the numerologist had put up small cameras in Emma Frost’s home, and that way she could see everything they were up to, every little movement. Even when she was having sex with that awful boyfriend of hers, who was now back from the hospital and was staying at her house while Emma took care of him. Apparently, they were back together again…having sex all the time, being all over each other. It complicated things slightly, but it wasn’t something the numerologist couldn’t handle.

  She would still go on with her plan…her plan to get rid of Emma Frost. She wanted it done properly. That was the real reason why she had stopped that crazy woman from burning down the house. It wasn’t supposed to happen like that. Emma Frost’s death should be spectacular. And it certainly shouldn’t be left in the hands of someone as incompetent as that woman.

  Instead, it had come as an opportunity for the numerologist to win the trust of Emma Frost. All she needed was to get just close enough to make her move. Emma Frost was never going to know what hit her. Never. All she was waiting for now was the right time and place. The numbers would tell her. They never let her down. It was all written in the numbers.

  THE END

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  Dear Reader,

  Thank you for purchasing There’s No Place Like Home (Emma Frost #8).

  I had a lot of fun writing this book, and hope you enjoyed it just as much as I did. I’m very excited to start writing the next book soon and learning what the numerologist is up to and who else will try to cross Emma Frost’s path. Is anyone else getting hungry? I did from writing this book. I got a sudden urge to bake a cake.

  Don’t forget to check out all of my other books and series as well, by following the links below. And don’t forget to leave reviews if possible. It means the world to me.

  Take care,

  Willow

  BOOKS BY THE AUTHOR

  MYSTERY/HORROR NOVELS:

  ONE, TWO ... HE IS COMING FOR YOU (Rebekka Frank #1) - http://www.amazon.com/One, two ...

  THREE, FOUR ... BETTER LOCK YOUR DOOR (Rebekka Frank #2) - http://www.amazon.com/Three, Four ...

  FIVE, SIX ... GRAB YOUR CRUCIFIX (Rebekka Frank #3) - http://www.amazon.com/Five, Six ...

  SEVEN, EIGHT ... GONNA STAY UP LATE (Rebekka Frank #4) - http://www.amazon.com/Seven, eight ...

  NINE, TEN ... NEVER SLEEP AGAIN (Rebekka Frank #5) - http://www.amazon.com/Nine, ten ...

  EDWINA - http://www.amazon.com/Edwina

  ITSY BITSY SPIDER (Emma Frost #1) - http://www.amazon.com/Itsy Bitsy Spider

  MISS DOLLY HAD A DOLLY (Emma Frost #2)- http://www.amazon.com/Miss Polly

  RUN RUN AS FAST AS YOU CAN (Emma Frost #3) - http://www.amazon.com/Run run

  CROSS YOUR HEART AND HOPE TO DIE (Emma Frost #4) - http://www.amazon.com/Cross your heart

  PEEK A BOO I SEE YOU (Emma Frost #5) - http://www.amazon.com/Peek a Boo

  TWEEDLEDUM AND TWEEDLEDEE (Emma Frost #6) - http://www.amazon.com/Tweedledum and Tweedledee

  EASY AS ONE TWO THREE (Emma Frost #7) - http://www.amazon.com/Easy as One Two Three

  THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME (Emma Frost #8) - Coming out sept 2014

  HORROR SHORT STORIES:

  EENIE, MEENIE - http://www.amazon.com/Eenie, Meenie

  ROCK-A-BYE BABY- http://www.amazon.com/Rock-a-bye

  NIBBLE, NIBBLE, CRUNCH - http://www.amazon.com/Nibble, Crunch

  HUMPTY, DUMPTY - http://www.amazon.com/Humpty, Dumpty

  CHAIN LETTER - http://www.amazon.com/Chain Letter

  PARANORMAL ROMANCE/SUSPENSE/FANTASY NOVELS:

  BEYOND (AFTERLIFE #1) - http://www.amazon.com/Beyond

  SERENITY (AFTERLIFE #2) - http://www.amazon.com/Serenity

  ENDURANCE (AFTERLIFE #3) - http://www.amazon.com/Endurance

  COURAGEOUS (AFTERLIFE #4) - http://www.amazon.com/Courageous

  SAVAGE (Daughters of the Jaguar #1) - http://www.amazon.com/Savage

  BROKEN (Daughters of the Jaguar #2) - http://www.amazon.com/Broken

  A GYPSY SONG (The Wolfboy Chronicles) - http://www.amazon.com/A Gypsy song

  I AM WOLF (The Wolfboy Chronicles) - http://www.amazon.com/I am WOLF

  BOX SETS:

  REBEKKA FRANCK SERIES - http://www.amazon.com/Rebekka Franck

  DAUGHTERS OF THE JAGUAR - http://www.amazon.com/Daughtersof the Jaguar

  THE AFTERLIFE SERIES - http://www.amazon.com/Afterlife

  HORROR STORIES FROM DENMARK - http://www.amazon.com/Horror Stories

  THE WOLFBOY CHRONICLES - http://www.amazon.com/THE WOLFBOY CHRONICLES

  EMMA FROST MYSTERY SERIES VOL 1-3 - http://www.amazon.com/Emma Frost Mystery vol 1-3

  EMMA FROST MYSTERY SERIES VOL 4-6 - http://www.amazon.com/Emma Frost Mystery vol 4-6

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  WILLOW ROSE is an international Best-selling author.

  She writes Mystery/Suspense/Horror, Paranormal Romance and Fantasy. Originally from Denmark, she now lives on Florida's Space Coast with her husband and two daughters. She is a huge fan of Agatha Christie, Stephen King, Anne Rice, and Isabel Allende. When she is not writing or reading, you'll find her surfing and watching the dolphins play in the waves of the Atlantic O
cean. Sold more than 700.000 copies of her books.

  Connect with Willow online:

  http://www.willow-rose.blogspot.com/

  http://www.facebook.com/willowredrose

  https://twitter.com/madamwillowrose

  The following is an excerpt from Willow Rose's Bestselling Horror Novel

  EDWINA.

  CHAPTER 1

  "ARE YOU SURE you want to do this?" The social worker, Line Petersen who was handling the girl's case said. "I mean we're thrilled that you want to take Edwina in, don't get me wrong, but Edwina is ... a special case."

  "Mother used to say that no pit is ever so deep that God can't reach into it and pull you out," Marie-Therese replied calmly even if she wasn't sure she believed in it. She was neither religious nor superstitious, even if her mother had been both.

  "Well that's settled then," Line Petersen said and handed Marie-Therese the case file.

  It wasn't the first time the girl came into foster-care. Every time before this had gone wrong somehow. But that didn't frighten Marie-Therese. She had heard about the girl's unfortunate story from Mrs. Hansen who owned the local grocery-store that Marie-Therese visited almost daily. The girl's mother used to work at the grocery store back when they had just arrived from Ukraine. But now the mother was dead, leukemia they said, and the father had died before they left Ukraine to move to Denmark.

  Marie-Therese knew perfectly well why the girl was the way she was. She was introverted and shy because of the mother - and probably the loss of her father in an early childhood. But the mother had to have been the worst factor. To think that she had hid Edwina from the world for almost a year when they moved here from Ukraine, was something that would have made Marie-Therese furious if she wasn't such a controlled person who never let her temper (which her own mother had taught her could only come from the devil) get the best of her.