Briarcliff

by Lorraine Beaumont

  This is a work of fiction.

  Briarcliff © 2018 Lorraine Beaumont

  Briarcliff Series © 2012 Lorraine Beaumont

  Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are figments of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously.

  Text Copyright © 2017 Lorraine Beaumont

  All Rights Reserved

  Smashwords Edition

  No part of this book may be reproduced or stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the express written per-mission of the author.

  PRAISE FOR THE BRIARCLIFF SERIES

  "The paranormal romance that centers the story and pulls you into its embrace like a lover you had forgotten how much you enjoyed kissing. There is mystery and more than anything there is the need to find out what dark secret lies at the core of it all." Sookie Stackhouse Reviews

  “Kept me enthralled in the unbelievable”

  Amazon Customer

  “Wow! I was completely sucked in! It was almost like one of those movies you have to really pay attention to in order to understand it! Which kept me turning the page?” JC

  “I've loved this series so far, and now with such a nicely written wicked twist at the end, I cannot wait for the next!” Victory Lapp

  “ALL of her books (now that I've finished them), until the next one comes out, are beyond almost anything I've read before! Especially with the interactive games inside, they were SO MUCH fun! I read every book in one sitting! I would recommend these series to EVERYBODY I know (or don't know, that loves to read! Even if you don't love to read, these will books will pull you in, and do the job! You won't be able to get enough of them...I just can't wait until the her next book comes out... (Waiting impatiently. Toe tapping)” Kindle Customer

  “The author draws you into a world of hidden secrets, humor, and suspense! You are holding your breath one minute and the next you are cringing. So Exciting!” Amazon Buyer

  “This book just keeps the action coming. Likable characters - even the monsters - and the suspenseful storyline kept me on the edge until the end with surprise twists and turns. I can't wait to see if there will be another in this series!” Vicki

  “I can't begin to describe this book. Get it!!! Trust me. I read the entire thing in 2 days. And was wanting more NOW!” Kim H

  WHAT’S INSIDE

  BRIARCLIFF VOL I

  BRIARCLIFF VOL II

  BRIARCLIFF VOL III

  BONUS CONTENT

  Other titles by Lorraine Beaumont

  Ravenhurst Series

  #1 Bestselling Time Travel Romance

  Forgotten Time

  Shadows of Yesterday

  Time to Remember

  Dreams of Tomorrow

  Now and Forever

  Ravenhurst Collection

  A Victorian Christmas

  Lucian

  Merlin

  A Modern-Day Christmas

  ♦

  Ravenhurst Readers’ Choice Trilogy

  Ravenhurst Vol I

  Ravenhurst Vol II

  Ravenhurst Vol III

  ♦

  Lost in the Highland Series

  #1 Bestselling Scottish Time Travel Romance

  Lost in the Highlands, Book I

  Lost in the Highlands, Book II

  Lost in the Highlands, Book III

  ♦

  Briarcliff Series

  #1 Bestselling Dark Fantasy

  Briarcliff, Vol. I

  Briarcliff, Vol. II

  Briarcliff, Vol III

  Briarcliff Box Set

  ♦

  Edenbrooke Hollow Series

  Paranormal Time Travel Romance

  The Witches of Edenbrooke

  ♦

  New Series in the Works

  PROLOGUE

  The year of our Lord 1813

  The light receded and darkness filled the area, swallowing all around in its icy grasp. Once more, he struggled to break free, but it was no use. A torch lowered, setting the mound ablaze. Closing his eyes, he prepared to feel the burn engulfing him…his short life flashing by. But instead of feeling the burning heat of the fire, he felt a wave of cold move through him from the outside in, turning his human remains not to ash…but to stone.

  SECOND PROLOGUE

  Present Day

  A 1971 Grasshopper-Green Gremlin tore down the pothole-ridden road as Jay Z’s ‘Forever Young’ warbled out of the blown speakers of the car stereo.

  Heavy branches of ancient towering trees cast shadows across the worn pavement, blocking out the late afternoon sun.

  Ruby Hudson slammed on the brakes and her little car skidded to a halt on the faded pavement.

  Not ten feet in front of her was a worn, weathered sign covered in a deluge of bird droppings and briars, nearly impossible to see if you weren’t looking for it. It read: “We come to Briarcliff,” the letter L getting lost at some point over the years.

  “Gotcha!” she hooted merrily.

  The little bobble-headed figure of Ponce de Leon tilted sideways on the dashboard as she made a sharp turn down the narrow strip of road hidden within the folds of a remote part of the New England forest.

  “Not too much longer,” she assured herself and then made a face, catching a glimpse of her aged reflection staring back at her in the side view mirror.

  Ruby had seen better days, that was for sure. Her once vibrant red hair had nearly turned white and the lines around her lips were a reminder that she used to smoke and still did when the mood struck her.

  Slowing down, she turned one last corner and hit the brakes. Warning signs were posted to the gate and on the surrounding trees.

  Ignoring them, she turned off the engine and popped the tab of her ‘special occasion’ can of Diet Dr. Pepper. Her doctor told her she needed to quit drinking so many diet sodas because they were terrible for her. She tended to agree, so she had given them up, mostly, unless there was a special occasion. And this, she thought, staring past the gate into the woods, that this moment certainly qualified as a special occasion.

  Lifting the can, she made a silent toast and then then drank down every drop.

  The sound Cicadas and rushing water greeted her when she opened her door. Reaching into the car, she grabbed her backpack and her empty can along with it.

  Climbing over the gate with more ease than a woman of her advanced years probably should, Ruby made her way down the path leading into the woods.

  There were no bugs buzzing here or birds making a ruckus. No. This particular part of the forest was void of any sound with the exception of running water.

  Not wanting to give credence to her growing sense of unease that she was being followed she moved quickly down the path, pushing her way through overgrown brush until she made it to the edge of the embankment. As she set down her backpack, a heavy thud sounded behind her.

  This one was so close she felt the earth shake under her feet.

  She turned and her eyes widened in disbelief. “I’ll be damned…”

  A bright flash of light stole her sight and then everything turned black.

  Ruby Hudson crumpled to the ground… the can of Diet Dr. Pepper still held firmly in her grasp.

  1-PROVIDENCE

  Horrorfest in the Park after Dark- Present Day

  A bloodcurdling scream echoed out in the night, starting a similar chain reaction across the blanket-filled park. Pieces of popcorn showered down as two young girls frantically hopped across empty patches of grass, trying to get out of the park before the next victim was murdered.

  Chance widened his eyes for emphasis as Colton gave him a look of disbelief. “I swear!”

  “Dude, you lyin’?
Did he really piss himself?”

  Chance nodded his head enthusiastically.

  Colton scoffed, shaking his head. “What a girl!”

  Chance pushed his shaggy blonde hair back from his face. “I can’t judge man. That place is messed up.”

  “Yeah, it sounds like it.”

  Kingston stepped up to the edge of the blanket. “What are you two girls crying about?”

  “About how mess up Briarcliff Manor is,” Chance said.

  “I don’t care what it is or isn’t, that’s where my party’s going to be next weekend.”

  “No way,” Chance said.

  Kingston lifted his brow. “Yes way.” He finished off his drink. “Barnaby, you got anymore jungle juice?”

  Barnaby picked up the thermos and shook it. “Sorry dude, Colton drank the rest.”

  Colton gave Barnaby a nasty glare and mouthed “douchebag.”

  Barnaby shrugged his shoulders.

  “You want some of mine,” Colton asked.

  “No. Thank. You.” Kingston made a face and laughed.

  “What’s so funny, man?” Colton frowned.

  “Colton is such a baby,” Moriah whispered.

  I didn’t think so. I didn’t even hear what he was saying. I was too busy being mesmerized by his beautiful face.

  Colton turned in my direction and my breath caught. Then I realized he wasn’t exactly looking at me, but instead at my best friend Moriah, a big-busted Barbie look-alike. Yeah, I had thought Barbie was just a pipe dream too, until Moriah came to town.

  Sighing, I crawled down to the end of the blanket and grabbed up a bag of chips.

  Boys were idiots, I thought, staring at them all lined up like wannabe rock stars at the end of the blanket. Kingston Hayward, the leader of the pack was smiling stupidly at Moriah while Chance and Colton smacked at each other’s hands like girls—stupid.

  I grabbed out a handful of chips and shoved them all in my mouth. No one was paying attention to me anyway.

  Barnaby plopped down on the blanket. “Can I have some?” He leaned back on his elbows. His head was near my lap and his dark curls skimmed my thigh.

  He had nice hair; I wondered if it was as soft as it looked. “Sure.” I held out the bag. “What’s Chance talking about?”

  “Oh, he’s having a baby over some shit that happened at Briarcliff.” Barnaby pulled out a handful of chips.

  “What happened?” I looked up at Briarcliff, the massive silhouette perfectly outlined in the glow of the moon.

  “Chance said some friend of his walked down the drive on a dare, and thought he heard footsteps coming up behind him, but when he turned around, no one was there and he ended up pissing himself.”

  “Are you serious?” I half-choked-laughed.

  “Totally,” he said. “I bet Chance was the one that peed, though.”

  I glanced at Chance as he pulled his fluffy hair back in a ponytail—he looked hot. “Probably,” I said and smiled.

  “Do you like the movie?” Barnaby reached out and grabbed some more chips.

  “Yeah, it’s okay.” Truthfully, I wasn’t paying much attention to the movie. Instead, my eyes were riveted on Colton most of the night. It was rare to have him in such close proximity so I wasn’t going to waste it by watching some stupid horror movie.

  “Army of Darkness is the best one,” Barnaby said and popped a chip in his mouth.

  “Oh, really?” I answered with a bit too much enthusiasm.

  Barnaby turned and gave me a weird look.

  “Uh…there’s more than one of these?” I widened my eyes.

  His brow creased. “Um, yeah Evie, it’s a trilogy.”

  “What did they just find?” I stared up at the big screen acting like I had been paying attention.

  “The Book of the Dead,” he said. “And watch.” He pointed at the screen. “They’re about to play the tape which will inadvertently unleash the demons.”

  “Eww.” I made a face. “I just don’t get it.”

  Barnaby’s eyes crinkled at the corners under the clear lenses of his glasses as he smiled. “What don’t you get?”

  He tucked a piece of my hair behind her ear.

  “Why would anyone want to go and hang out in the middle of the woods, in a shack?” I asked.

  “It wouldn’t be too scary of a movie if it was in the city.”

  “Yeah, I guess.”

  “Don’t look at this part,” Barnaby warned. “Cheryl is about to get it done by that tree.”

  I made the mistake of looking and almost gagged. “That’s just wrong.”

  “I know,” Barnaby, laughed. “Sam Raimi is a genius.”

  ♦

  “Scuzey, scuzey, Ms. Harrington,” Mr. Bixby said as he rushed past her doing a dodge-and-weave back onto the sidewalk.

  I pulled my mind back from the memory. “Hey, Mr. Bixby,” I called after him.

  His arm shot out in the air as he waved back.

  “Right on time,” I said, glancing at my watch.

  At eleven o’clock on the dot, Mr. Bixby would take an early lunch from the bank and high step (his signature workout move) around the town square. He looked like a prancing horse.

  Ms. Winters, backed out of alien—her neon-green hybrid car and lifted Darby, her miniature Shih Tzu out of the backseat.

  Mr. Bixby sailed past.

  Darby saw Mr. Bixby and made a break for it.

  “Darby! Get back here!” Ms. Winters hustled after Darby down the sidewalk.

  Briarcliff Township had its fair share of eccentrics. Maybe the small town merely seemed to amplify the occupant’s personalities. If they were in a big city you probably wouldn’t notice them as much…well, then again, maybe you would. They were hard to miss.

  “Woo Hoo, Evie,” Jenny Jenkins called, trotting forward with a baby Bjorn strapped across her chest…her daughter Mable’s chubby legs dangling out the bottom.

  “Hey, Mrs. Jenkins,” I said and adjusted the angle of the chalkboard.

  “Are your mom and dad coming back for the holidays?”

  “Ah, it’s still kind of early.” I brushed the chalk off my hands. “I’m not real sure…maybe.”

  “Well if they don’t, you know you are more than welcome to come to our house for the holiday. Mi casa es sue casa.”

  “Yeah…uh…”

  “Oh, it will be perfect,” she cut me off and reached forward to squeeze my arm. “You need some meat on those bones of yours,” Jenny said. “Don’t you worry; Jenny will have you fattened up in no time,” she said in a babyesque voice. “It’s the least I can do for your mom. Of course that will give you plenty of time to play with my little Mable here.”

  Mable? Nooo! “Ah…I forgot. I think Moriah’s mom is making something for us if my parents can’t make it.”

  Jenny creased her brow. “Oh, I didn’t realize her mother cooked…” She cooed at her daughter and patted Mable’s bottom.

  “Yeah, she does, sometimes, um, on special occasions,” I lied, dodging the bullet. A gust of wind pushed my hair forward and I brushed it back over my shoulder.

  “Well,” she breathed, “if you change your mind…”

  “Of course,” I told her. “I will let you know. I mean if my plans change,” I added nicely. “Thanks for thinking of me.”

  “Well you know it is the least I can do. You poor dear…” She petted my arm and as she hit my bare skin, I noticed how cold her fingers were. “Stuck all alone, day-in and day-out with no family close by,” she said. “I don’t know what your parents were thinking, leaving you all alone. I would never leave my little babies alone, ever…would I, my little sweetheart,” she cooed to her daughter.

  Mable gurgled out a mouth full of bubbles.

  “I’m certainly going to miss playing with this sweet little girl,” I lied again, and touched Mable’s little frilly pink sock.

  Mable kicked out her foot and screamed.

  Jenny widened her eyes, covered Mable’s leg protectively wit
h her hand, and took a step backward. “My goodness,” she said, lifting her arm to look at her watch. “Would you look at the time,” she said a bit too loudly. “I better go before I’m late.” Then she took off down the sidewalk.

  “Kay, see you.” I waved, and exhaled. “That was too close.” Jenny Jenkins was nice enough, but she was always looking for someone to watch Mable. No ifs, ands, or butts about it, Mable was on her way to becoming a full-fledged brat. Dinner at her house would consist of Jenny getting tipsy on wine and chitchatting up her guests while she unloaded Mable on me. Then I would get stuck at the kiddies’ table, squashed between little Jimmy Jenkins and Timmy, his twin brother, who had a fascination with breasts. They liked to poke them with their stubby fingers and yell “booobies.” Then I would get to clean up the dishes. I knew this because I made the mistake of going last year.

  No. Thank. You.

  Bending over, I picked up the little silver bucket of chalk off the sidewalk and walked back inside the coffee shop.

  Mrs. Hayward and Ms. Collins had their heads together in the corner and looked to be in a deep discussion. Grabbing the remote off the table, I flipped on the television. The Barefoot Contessa’s velvety soft, slightly raspy voice filled the room as I fixed the chairs and pushed them back under the tables. She reminded me of a Christmas cookie…warm and sugary. I bet she would be a good hugger.

  I picked up a gray bin from the corner and cleared off the tables from the morning rush. Pulling out a rag from my gingham apron, I wiped off the coffee rings and moved on to the next table.

  This was the slow time in the café; it was after the morning rush but before lunch. After placing the cups in the tub, I lifted up a newspaper someone had left and a small clip caught my eye. Unfolding the paper, I spread it out on the table.