by Kit DeCanti
SECRET ON COBB MOUNTAIN
Kit DeCanti turns her love of the unusual county she has been blessed to live in, into a spellbinding romantic mystery that takes you on a wild and sometimes scary tour through Lake County, California. DeCanti crafts a stunning novel of intrigue and romance in a marvelous story of a rookie sheriff deputy determined to solve a mystery that his fellow officers can’t see- finding out whether it’s in truth or by design is a journey you’ll love taking. Travel around Lake County with Deputy Ron Simmons as he solves the
Secret On Cobb Mountain
Interesting read with good insights into human behavior. Twists as good as a ‘Philadelphia soft pretzel’.
~Dr. Robert Gardner, Lucerne, CA
I read the prologue and was hooked! I needed more!
~Sharon Wylie, Clearlake, CA
more…
Great plot- a good read! I sat down to read the book, and didn’t put it down, (except to get coffee) until I finished it! It got my attention right away. It is a very good story- a different way to look at suicide. I have to say when I read the prologue and the subject was about suicide, I didn't know if I would like it. (It’s an important subject- but uncomfortable for me) However it was addressed in an interesting and informative way; and as I got into it, the mystery got me hooked! I found the characters well developed and engaging, and kept me entertained until the end. Kit DeCanti is a very good writer. I especially like her description of life being like cotton candy. Beautiful, picturesque description of the Clear Lake area. I know this book will be a big success.
~Kay Gaumer, Coarsegold, CA
I loved the title; and the prologue really captured my attention, and got my curiosity up. I love mysteries and G rated romances.
~Jackie Allen, Lakeport, CA
more…
Secret On Cobb Mountain was spell binding. You don’t want to put it down once you start. You become involved with the characters and feel you’re right there on Cobb Mt.
Great romantic mystery to curl up with!
~ Judy Compton, Anderson, MO
The prologue alone is compelling; a good hook catching one up immediately in the mystery, wondering who, what, etc ... NICE!
~Sue Garcia, Clearlake, CA
Was totally involved right from the beginning!
~Carole Becker, Lakeport, CA
The story line was intriguing, kept me on edge the whole time. Kit DeCanti can certainly tell a tale. I was surprised when (and how) the mystery was revealed. Was definitely a twist to it! I didn’t come close to guessing how it would end. Would love to see this made into a movie!
~ Charlie Raincrow, Valley Springs, CA
Kit DeCanti’s books including
SECRET ON COBB MOUNTAIN
are available on
htpp://www.kitdeeproductions.com
Published by KitDee Productions
Most books by Kit DeCanti are available at special
quantity discounts for bulk purchases for
sales promotions, premiums or fund raising.
Special books or book excerpts can also be created
to fit specific needs with advance approval from author.
FOR DETAILS GO TO www.kitdeeproductions.com
Or email [email protected]
SECRET
ON
COBB MOUNTAIN
Kit DeCanti
>^..^<
Published By KitDee Productions
This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons- living or dead- is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2009 by Carolyn DeCanti
Copyright © cover photo 2007 Jeff Tangen Photography
Published by KITDEE PRODUCTIONS
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever.
For information contact KitDee Productions [email protected]
ISBN- 1442126787 and
EAN-13 is 9781442126787
First printing: May, 2009
Second printing: June, 2015
Printed in the U.S.A.
Special thanks to my sister Billie Ann Bauer who told me, when I was very young, that I could be anything I wanted. Although she says she doesn’t remember saying those words to me- I’ll never forget that she did. She has not only always encouraged my many endeavors- but she’s been a constant in my life and has cheered me on.
And to Donna Lynette Stephens, my youngest sister, who, although I can’t think why, always looked up to me, and expected good things of me. She has been a constant source of love and approval, and I hope she can say the same of me.
I also want to thank Billie and Donna both, not only for their help in editing this book, but their eagerness to do so! Without their help, you would be trying to make sense out of countless errors in spelling and grammar!
I’m very thankful to my good friend Al Smires, whose encouragement motivated me to publish, and his advice pointed me in the right direction.
And last but not least, a big THANK YOU to my good friend, Jeff Tangen of Jeff Tangen Photography, who provided the perfect picture for the cover! www.jefftangenphoto.com
Thank you to the following businesses and locations for allowing me the privilege of using their names in the content of this book.
Cactus Grill~Clearlake, CA
Clear Lake Queen~ Kelsyville, CA
Konocti Harbor Resort and Spa ~ Kelsyville, CA
Lower Lake Coffee Shop ~ Lower Lake, CA
Magoon’s North Jewelers~ Lakeport, CA
Mount St Helena Brewing Co ~ Middletown, CA
Main Street Bar and Grill ~ Clearlake, CA
Observer-American~ Clearlake, CA
Record Bee ~ Lakeport CA
Zino’s Ristorante ~ Kelsyville, CA
Dedicated to
my husband and soul mate,
Tony-
Who listened each night to my
daily writings with heartfelt
words of encouragement.
Who was scared with me, while
I wrote myself into and out of
the dark Lake County woods!
Who cheered on my main character;
worrying that he was going to
mess up and not get the girl!
If it weren’t for Tony, I wouldn’t know
how to write a love story.
PROLOGUE
The sky was crystal blue, as the young woman parked her car in the lonely lot. She quickly strolled over a footbridge that crossed a pond, and headed towards the nature path. In her hand was a water bottle.
An explosion of color covered the hillside brought on by recent rains. The young woman didn’t notice the wild flowers being crushed under her feet as she made her way up to the trail. The bird’s joyous songs fell on deaf ears.
The woman’s pace increased as the trail led into the woods; and even the glorious blooming dogwoods failed to get her attention. Nothing would slow her down now. Her heart was pounding and her breath came in short puffs, an excitement building with each step. As she pressed on towards a fork in the path she glanced down at the water bottle and a little smile crept across her face. She took the left fork leading deeper into the woods. “Soon,” she thought, “soon the pain will be gone.”
As she approached another fork in the path, a loud snap in the brush a few feet off to the right broke through her thoughts. She paused, turning to look. Nothing. She continued on. Before long she heard movement near the pa
th just ahead. She paused again, but could see nothing. “A curious deer,” she reassured herself as she moved on.
The trees were taller and closer now, blocking out the clear blue sky. She was almost there. She stopped and drew in a deep breath. Leaving the path she headed down the side of the hill, towards a small clearing and rock formation below. Struggling to keep from sliding in the mud, she grasped branches and rocks with one hand while clutching the bottle with the other.
Suddenly an ominous dark figure darted behind a tree! She froze, staring into the dark woods!
It was still early afternoon. Back in the parking lot, the sun was dancing on the pond; but here in the woods the gloom hung thick, blocking out the light.
The young woman squinted, trying to see clearer. Again, nothing. “Just my imagination,” she muttered. “The shadows playing tricks on my eyes!” She continued making her way down the hill, working to keep her footing- still clinging to the bottle.
Reaching the bottom, she glanced back up the hill just in time to see a tall figure draped in a long trench coat darting behind a tree a few yards up! She gasped! The figure was between her and the path.
The young woman’s eyes darted around trying to get her bearings. Disorientated by the trees and hills, she had no idea which way to go. She ducked behind the nearest tree, hoping the intruder would move on. As she leaned into the tree, she strained to listen for what seemed an eternity. Hearing nothing, except her own heart pounding in her ears, she stepped out from behind the tree almost bumping into the tall dark figure wearing a trench coat, and hideous Halloween mask!
A scream escaped her lips as she dropped the bottle she had been clinging to. She looked wildly towards the hill, then back to the figure. It didn’t move. It seemed to be expecting her to run. She peered into the eyeholes of the mask.
The young woman stood frozen for a few moments; then glanced down at the bottle on the ground, then back into the eyes of the mask; and calmly reached into her own jacket pocket and pulled out a pistol.
A single gunshot broke the silence of the dark woods.
CHAPTER ONE
The Body
Wednesday, March 28th, 2007
A car was reported abandoned in the lonely parking lot of Boggs Mountain Hiking Trails, along side Highway 175, near Cobb, California. A purse on the front seat had a California Drivers License belonging to a young local woman; and the car had a parking sticker from the local college. A search of the nearby paths and surrounding areas resulted in a grizzly find.
Pictures were taken of the body and scene. The body was removed and everyone left.
Everyone, that is, except a young Lake County sheriff deputy- Deputy Ron Simmons.
Although the first evidence seemed to point to a suicide, and there was no sign of a struggle; the young rookie wasn’t satisfied. He stood there wondering why he seemed to be the only one concerned with some unusually large footprints near the body; and why the water bottle next to the body wasn’t gathered as evidence. He carefully picked it up and placed it in a plastic bag, noticing that although the seal had been broken, it appeared to be full.
He stood there surveying the scene, then began circling the area where the body had laid, expanding with each circle trying to disturb the terrain as little as possible. Several yards away, he came across another full water bottle. This bottle also had a broken seal. He remembered seeing another similar bottle as he was climbing down the hill. “Hmmm… just a coincidence?” Ron wondered, as he climbed the hill and made his way back to his patrol car. He was taught in the academy that there is no such thing as a ‘coincidence’.
He sat in the car for a few minutes staring at the three bottles, which he had placed in individual labeled bags, before heading back to town.
The dead girl was identified as nineteen year old Heather Williams, and was the registered owner of the vehicle found in the parking lot. She was a local college student with a history of depression.
The time of death was determined to be Tuesday, March 27th 2007, at around 4 PM. Just one day before she was found.
The Boggs Mountain hiking trails are crawling with hikers on weekends, but it would have been quiet on a Tuesday afternoon this time of year. In another week, it would be Spring Break and even a Tuesday could have a dozen or so hikers on the trails.
Heather Williams was new to the area. She had recently moved to Clearlake from San Jose, California. The gun, found at the scene, was registered to her, and purchased a little over a year earlier from a gun shop on the Almaden Expressway in San Jose. Her fingerprints matched the only ones on the gun and spent shell. There were no other bullets in the gun. The test results for gun shot residue on the dead girl’s hands was positive. She had fired a gun recently.
There were no initial hits on her fingerprints, so no criminal record.
A search of her apartment didn’t turn up much information on her. Other than her school books, several library books on family law, a few articles of conservative clothing, along with the bare necessities of personal care products: tooth brush, hair brush, shampoo and the like- there wasn‘t much to go on.
Seemed like a simple case of ‘lonely person deciding to check out’.
But still, Deputy Simmons had a gut feeling about it. “Too bad her roommate is out of town,” he muttered to himself, “maybe when she gets back she’ll be able to provide some missing pieces.” The number the school had as an emergency contact was disconnected. Ron hoped the roommate could help with that as well.
CHAPTER TWO
The Cobb Mountain Retreat
Thursday, March 29th , 2007
Twenty-four hours after the discovery of Heather Williams’ body off the Boggs Mountain Hiking Trails, Deputy Simmons still hadn’t convinced his supervisor, Sgt. Lenard, to have the contents of the water bottle examined.
“The county can’t afford to send every bottle of water we find to the lab. What’s so hard for you to understand here? A mental patient kills herself- case closed!” He scoffed and then muttered, “Rookies! Always looking for a mystery to solve.”
Not easily put off, Deputy Simmons pointed out that the bottle was evidence because it was found located next to the body. Sgt. Lenard finally conceded to running the two sets of fingerprints found on the bottle.
One set came back belonging to the victim; no hits on the other set. On a hunch Deputy Simmons ordered prints done on the other two bottles found in the same area.
The results were very interesting. They, also, had two sets of fingerprints on each. And one set was common on all three bottles- they matched the unidentified fingerprints on the bottle found next to Heather Williams’ body.
Deputy Simmons sat staring at the bottles, which he had sealed with paper tabs, wishing he had developed more connections locally. Ron had moved to Lake County less than six months ago. He had been hired by the Sheriff’s Department right out of the academy. He wasn’t, however, the total rookie that his fellow deputies assumed.
Deputy Ron Simmons was the stepson of the chief investigator for the Attorney General of the State of California; Bill Norris. Ron had not included his step dad on his list of references. He was determined to make his own way without undue influence.
Ron decided to have a talk with the therapist that had treated the deceased. He reached for the phone, and then thought better of it. He decided to drop in unannounced. Although he didn’t want to use the fact that he was the step son of Bill Norris to help his career; he did not, however, see any wrong in using some of his stepfather’s experiences as points of references in his own investigations. Ron recalled several situations, when his stepfather was able to get doctors to speak more candidly when they were caught off guard.
As Ron drove to Dr. Fleming’s Kelseyville office he utilized the fifteen minutes making a mental list of questions, but was disappointed to find the doctor was not in. He was at his retreat up on Cobb Mountain. “Hmm. Well that’s the chance ya take when you try just dropping in on someone. But it’s not a
ll bad- gives me a good opportunity to check the place out,” Ron thought as he returned to his patrol car.
Ron directed his patrol car towards Bottle Rock Road and headed up the winding road to Cobb. Midway he stopped to remove a rather large piece of obsidian rock that had broken off and rolled into the roadway. He left it close enough to the side of the road to be seen, knowing it would probably be gone by the time he drove back down the mountain. “The county is full of rock hounds, and this will make someone’s day,” Ron thought smiling.
He continued driving up the pine lined winding road to the retreat.
Dr. Fleming was just getting into his car with a wide brief case when Ron pulled into the Cobb Mountain Retreat parking lot. Ron recognized him from a picture in an old issue of the Record Bee that he found in his rented house. The paper featured the opening of this unorthodox retreat, and included several photos. The doctor didn’t appear surprised to see him.
“I wonder if he got a ‘heads up’ from his Kelseyville office,” Ron wondered.
“Good afternoon Dr. Fleming, do you have a minu…” Ron started but was cut off by the doctor who put his hand up as if blocking Ron’s words, and said he was running late and to call for an appointment.
However young Ron looked, he wasn’t put off that easily. “Sorry Doc, but this is important. I am investigating the death of one your patients.”
“I thought it was a cut and dry case of suicide,” interjected Dr. Fleming. Ron noted that the doctor didn’t question which patient, but then reminded himself that the county, though large in square miles, was mostly water and word spreads quickly in small communities.