Written Fireside - Part 4

Here's the story so far:

Part 1 - Lori Connelly
Part 2 - Teresa F Morgan
Part 3 - Carmel Harrington

We're seated around the camp fire, marshmallows toasting, wine and warmth making us rosy... now here's my contribution to the story:

Clara cruised down Main Street, her eyes scanning for a parking outside the Lucky Number Café. A car pulled out into the street ahead of her, leaving a space right out front of the café.
But what she saw through the front window made her put her foot on the gas and keep on going. The summer house it was.

Only when she hit the freeway did her heartbeat slow down enough to enable her to think. What was Derek doing back in town? And what business did he and Mark have together?

Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the steering wheel. Had Mark’s invitation to talk been a trap? She didn’t want to believe it of him...not him of all people...but what other explanation could there be for the two of them sitting together like old friends in the café?

The sun was already going down when she pulled into the long, overgrown drive leading to the summer house. She hid her car in the garage and walked to the house. Her hands still shook so badly she dropped the key twice before she managed to get the front door open.

Inside, the house was full of creepy shadows and smelled musty. But Clara didn’t turn on any lights or open any windows. Better not to advertise her presence. She shut the front door behind her and double locked it.

Barbara had told her she’d sold the house years ago. She’d said she couldn’t face returning here, where the memories of that fateful night cast a pall over everything, obliterating every happy memory they’d ever made here. So why had she kept it, after all?

Clara found the flashlight in its usual spot on the shelf behind the door. She flicked it on. The beam was weak, but it was enough.

There was only one reason Barbara would have kept the house, and only one reason she would have lied to Clara. She’d hidden It in the house. And Clara needed to find it.

The next installment of this story will be from AJ Nuest, followed by Charlotte Phillips. 

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Don't forget to check out Lori Connelly's new release The Outlaw of Cedar Ridge, available now from Amazon, Amazon UK, Barnes & Noble, iTunes, and all other good eBook stores.