RELENTLESS
THREE NOVELS
The Haunted Cottage
Telephone Terror
Mrs. Honey Pickle
Lindsey Stiles
Acclaim for the novels of Lindsey Stiles:
“Lindsey Stiles is a rising star in gothic suspense. She is this generation’s Mary Higgins Clark.”
—J.R. Rain, bestselling author of Moon Dance and Silent Echo
“Daddy’s Little Devil is creepy good fun!”
—H.T. Night, bestselling author of Vampire Love Story and The Fourth Sunrise
“Read Mommy’s Little Angel with the lights on!”
—Elaine Babich, bestselling author of You Never Called Me Princess and Intrusion
“Whispered Lies reminded me a lot of Sandra Brown and Lisa Jackson. A very fun…and very scary book. A star is born.”
—P.J. Day, bestselling author of King’s Blood and The Sunset Prophecy
OTHER BOOKS BY LINDSEY STILES
Mommy’s Little Angel
Daddy’s Little Devil
Whispered Lies
Mrs. Honey Pickle
The Haunted Cottage
Telephone Terror
Relentless: Three Novels
Published by Lindsey Stiles
Copyright © 2013 by Lindsey Stiles
All rights reserved.
Cover design by Lani at [email protected]
Ebook Edition, License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Haunted Cottage
Telephone Terror
Mrs. Honey Pickle
Reading Sample
About the Author
THE HAUNTED COTTAGE
A thriller by
Lindsey Stiles
The Haunted Cottage
Published by Lindsey Stiles
Copyright © 2013 by Lindsey Stiles
All rights reserved.
Ebook Edition, License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
The Haunted Cottage
Chapter One
I scowled at the newspaper as I looked through the Apartments for Rent section of the classifieds. There was not a single apartment in my price range. I threw the paper on the coffee table and took a sip from my cup of coffee. That’s when I saw an ad in the Houses for Rent section, which I hadn’t looked in, thinking it would be even more expensive:
Beautiful large cottage, 2bd 2ba
No security deposit or credit check
$500/month, includes utilities
Call Ray at 777-555-3121
In disbelief, I re-read the ad a couple more times. Could this possibly be true? A cottage this cheap and no credit check or security deposit? I called the phone number.
“Hello, may I speak with Ray?”
“Speaking.”
“My name is Jodie and I’m calling about the cottage in the paper. Is it still available?”
“Yes, it’s still available.”
I began to get excited. “What side of town is it on?”
“The southwest.”
“If the cottage is in the southwest, I don’t understand why the price is so low.”
Ray laughed on the other end. “Would you believe me if I said it was haunted?”
I began to laugh, too. I had never believed in ghosts and I thought that people who did were silly. “I don’t believe in ghosts.”
“Then you shouldn’t have a problem living there.”
“I guess not. When can I see it?”
“Right now, if you’d like.”
“Okay, I have time now.”
“Great, the address is 213 Bruce Street.”
“See ya in a few.”
I got into my Hyundai Accent and headed to the cottage.
Upon arriving at the cottage, I wasn’t too impressed. The paint was peeling off the outside, the weeds needed to be picked and the grass had definitely seen better days. Still, besides the price, there was something about the place that drew me in. A familiarity, or maybe just a sense that I felt a connection with the old place. I envisioned flowers in pots and a shabby chic look that would suit the cottage’s slight case of neglect.
A man came out from the front door, carrying a wrench. “Hello, I’m Ray.” He changed the wrench to his left hand and we shook hands.
“I’m Jodie, nice to meet you.”
“You as well.”
“Everything work in there?”
“Sure. I just put a new faucet in the kitchen.”
“Great.”
Ray led me into the cottage. Despite the neglected look of the exterior, the inside was very nice. It had a large entryway that led to a good-sized kitchen. The walls were freshly painted a crisp white and the old wood floor gleamed with a soft patina.
There was a big island in the middle of the kitchen that could be used as a breakfast bar. The living room was to the right. It had a few windows and a fireplace with a glass front.
He led me down the hall to the first bedroom which was wallpapered in a Star Wars theme.
“Hey. Neat! My son will love this,” I said.
“You have a son?”
“Yes, he’s five years old.”
“Will it just be the two of you living here?”
“Yes.”
He opened a closet in the hallway. “Here’s your washer and dryer . Everything works and is ready to roll.”
“Oh, this is wonderful!”
He grinned. “Okay, as the ad said, there is no credit check or security deposit.”
“Is that because it’s haunted?” I asked, trying not to laugh.
“That’s what the folks that lived here before told me. Actually, three families have lived in this cottage and none of them stayed long.”
“What a shame. The cottage is so charming. It feels like…a home. And that’s what I’m looking for. So, I am not even worried about ghosts in the least.”
“My family has owned this property for forty years and I’ve never seen any ghosts.”
“I am not a believer in the paranormal, so you have nothing to worry about, sir. I am looking for a place to call home for me and my son. I expect to be here for a long time.”
“Where do you work?”
“I teach fifth grade at an elementary school close by.”
“Sounds like this is going to work out for you.”
“I think it will be great. Can I see the rest of the cottage?”
He showed me the rest of the house, and I was quite pleased with the cleanliness, the huge closets and the sunny kitchen.
“I’ll take it,” I said firmly.
“Okay, when can you pay the first month’s rent? Because someone else called and wanted to see it, too.”
“I’ll pay the rent right now.” I pulled out my checkbook and wrote a check for $500.
“Thank you. You can start moving in right away.” He handed me the keys.
“Sounds like a good plan.”
“I’m glad, Jodie. If you need help moving anything in, just ask. I am right across the road.”
“I’m afraid we don’t have much to move in. I haven’t got anything heavy. I just went through a divorce and he got everything. It was either that or pay storage fees because we have been staying with a friend. So, I sort of left everything behind.”
“Everything?”
“Well, my son has his twin bed, and we have a small flat-screen TV. I just don’t have a bed or a couch, or even a kitchen table.”
“W
ell, you’re in luck. The people that lived here last left everything behind because they actually left the state. I’ve been storing it in my garage. I called them and asked when they were going to send someone for it. I heard back that they just wanted me to donate their things. They didn’t want to come back to the so-called haunted cottage.”
“Wow, looks like I am not the only one to start over.”
“We live in a transient society, which is kind of sad. I’ve loved living in this neighborhood. I hope you will, too.”
“It’s a fresh start for Trenton and me.”
“At least once in your life, everyone needs one of those,” he said cryptically.
“Yep.”
“Jodie, you’re more than welcome to have what you want of the previous tenants’ household goods. Just come over when you get your own stuff settled in and you can pick up kitchen things and a dinette set with chairs. And there’s a full-size bed with a dresser. Even towels and sheets and pillows. They are all clean; they just need a tumble dry to freshen them.”
“Thank you, that’s very nice of you.”
We said goodbye and I left to pick up my son, Trenton, from kindergarten.
Sitting in the school parking lot, I tried to look as sick as I could. I actually taught fifth grade at Trenton’s school, but I’d had to call in sick this morning, so I could find us a place to live. Because the school had to pay a substitute teacher, it made me feel bad to call in sick when I wasn’t but that cheap cottage would have gotten snapped up long before the weekend. More than that, we had been staying with my friend, Tori, for the past couple of months and the situation had become intolerable.
Tori had a son, Matt, who was three years older than Trenton. The boy was always picking on him and had even started hitting him. I told Tori about his bullying, but she just shrugged her shoulders and had said, “Boys will be boys.”
That wasn’t good enough for me, so I’d decided we needed to leave. I didn’t have much money left. I had used all my savings for an expensive divorce lawyer. My ex-husband was determined to have full custody of my son and he was a jerk about it, which cost us even more than I expected. Thanks to my lawyer exposing my ex’s drinking problem and his related behavior, I had full custody of Trenton—my ex saw him two days a week, as long as he could stay sober.
So far, he had managed to not drink, but I wasn’t holding my breath for perfect behavior. Even though it had taken almost all my savings, it was worth every penny to have my baby with me and have legal custody of him.
As I sat waiting for my son, I saw a couple of girls in my class walk by. “Hi, Ms. Hoffmann.” That’s what they called me now, instead of Mrs. Hoffmann. The kids took it in stride when I briefly explained the change to them. Fifth graders understood what divorce was and the kids were so sweet. For about a week after I told them I would now be Ms. Hoffmann, they had brought me flowers they picked and gave me cupcakes with smiley faces on them and cards saying what a “cool teacher” I was. If only my adult friends were as sympathetic to my situation.
I waved through the window, giving my students my sickest face and pretending to cough. They gave me worried looks and I immediately felt bad. I hated lying to them, but now we had secured our new place and Trenton wouldn’t have to worry about Matt bullying him.
When the bell rang, I watched the kindergarten double doors open as Trenton’s teacher lined up the children outside. Trenton was the first one to come out. I noticed his navy blue Scooby Doo shirt. I honked my horn and waved at his teacher, giving her the okay that she could let him walk to my car. She nodded and pointed to the car. Trenton waved goodbye to his friends and headed to the car. He got in the back seat, closed the door, put his backpack on the seat and buckled up.
“Mommy, Mommy we had a visitor today.”
“Really, who was it?”
“The firemen came in and they brought a big spotted dog. Well it wasn’t a real dog. I think a person was wearing a costume. But don’t worry, I didn’t spoil it for the other kids.”
I searched my mind and then remembered that today was the day that the firefighters came to teach the children about fire safety. “That’s awesome, sweetie. Did you learn anything?”
“Yes, if I ever catch on fire, I’m supposed to stop, drop and roll. We practiced and we all got stickers when we did it right. I got dirty from the floor but I brushed it off.”
“That’s excellent, Trent. I have some good news, too. Mommy found us a new place to live.”
“Really? With a different friend?”
“No, all by ourselves. Just you and me.”
“Wow. An apartment or a trailer?”
“No, it’s a little house. A cottage.”
“Like in a storybook?”
“Yeah, it looks like that. We have a yard with grass and flowers and there is a picnic table in back. We’re going to move in this weekend.”
Trenton clapped his hands. “Yay! No more Matt?”
“Yep, no more Matt.” I gave him a smile and headed to Tori’s to pack us up and get us the heck out of there.
Chapter Two
We moved in that Saturday. As a teacher, it was really nice that I had the weekends off to do important things. Like move!
Trenton loved his Stars Wars room. It was a big hit and he took out his Star Wars toys and arranged them on his low bookshelves that Ray had put in the room. There was even a little TV set and some Disney animated DVDs. Truly, Ray had made it like Christmas for us! I was thrilled.
Ray had even brought in a nice sectional sofa. It was in great condition, almost brand new. I couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to leave it which made me think that maybe it had bedbugs? I made sure to do a thorough cleaning before placing it in the cottage. The kitchen table and chairs were a little beat-up, but nothing too bad.
By the end of the day, the cottage was starting to look like a real home. Since we hadn’t gone grocery shopping yet, I decided to take Trenton out for pizza. We went to his favorite pizza place, Scotty’s Pizza Palace, where they also had a huge arcade and an indoor rollercoaster. Trenton loved the rollercoaster. It wasn’t a big one, just a smaller one for younger kids. He usually talked me into riding it with him every time we came. Not a big fan of rollercoasters, this one wasn’t very fast and actually was quite fun, even for me.
As soon as we arrived at Scotty’s, Trenton ran inside.
“Trenton, stay with me. I don’t want you getting lost.” It was Saturday night and the place was packed with kids. Trenton waited for me at the door. “Sorry, Mom.” I broke a $5.00 bill in the token machine and gave the tokens to Trenton. “As soon as we order our pizza, I will take you to spend them.”
He nodded.
“What kind of pizza do you want tonight?”
“Pepperoni and sausage. Please.”
We went to the counter to order.
“What can I get for you?” asked a teenage boy with a pierced nose.
“Okay, can I get a medium pepperoni and sausage pizza for here and two drinks?”
The teenage boy rang it up and said, “That will be $13.76.” I handed him a twenty.
He handed me the change and gave me a receipt with my number on it. Trenton and I played a game of air hockey and then some skee ball. I could tell he was having a blast and that made me happy. He’d had a pretty hard time after his father and I split. The two of us we’re getting a fresh start, and it was nice that he had stopped asking about his dad when we went somewhere to have fun. Apparently, I was enough for him, now. Either that, or he was just getting used to only the two of us going places together.
After our number was called, we sat down and enjoyed our pizza.
“What are you learning in school?” I asked.
“Stuff I already know. My colors. ABCs. Same old, same old.”
I laughed. “Did you learn anything you didn’t know before?”
“Besides stop, drop and roll if you’re on fire?”
“Yeah.” I smiled. “What else?”
“Wow. Is a snake an amphibian?”
“No, Mom. A frog is. Because he is a tadpole when he’s a baby and then he grows up into a frog. First gills, then lungs.”
“Very cool.”
Trenton giggled. “What did you learn in school?” he asked.
“I’m teaching fractions to the fifth graders. I learned that some of them don’t get it.”
“What’s fractions?”
“It means a part of something. Like…see our pizza cut in eight pieces?”
“Yes. Except we ate two pieces.”
“Well, each part of that pizza was one-eighth of a pizza. And we ate two pieces. So now, we have how many parts left?”
He looked at the pizza pan. “Six pieces are left.”
“Okay, so that is six-eighths of a pizza left. That is a fraction.”
“Cool, Mommy.”
“Do you get it?”
“Uh, huh.”
“Really? What fraction of the pizza did we eat already?”
“You ate one eighth and I ate one eighth.”
“Hey, you are pretty smart for a kindergarten boy.”
“Grandma Lulu says I get that from you.”
“When did you talk to her?”
“At Daddy’s house. She came over because she thought it would be fun to see me.”
“Hey, that’s nice.”
“I still like Grandma Lulu, even if you are divorced from Daddy.”
“I’m glad.”
“Do you still like her, too?”
“Yes, she’s very nice,” I said of my ex’s mother. Truthfully, we had not gotten along when I was married, but she had always been very good to Trenton. In fact, he was the apple of her eye.
There was a lull in the conversation as we ate the pizza. And then Trenton asked, “Mommy? What happens when the kids in your class are bad?”
He always found it very fascinating that I was a teacher. I knew his fascination wouldn’t last for long so I made sure to answer all his questions. I found this particular question amusing because Trenton had never really been in trouble at all.
“It depends what they are doing. And how sorry they are. For example, if they are talking out of turn, without raising their hands and me calling on them, I might give them a warning and if they do it again, they might have to stay inside for recess, instead of going out to play.”
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