by K T Brodland
An Unfortunate Incident
2019
KT Brodland
Contents
Acknowledgments
Synopsis
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
About the Author
AN UNFORTUNATE INCIDENT
Copyright © 2019 by KT Brodland
All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Produced in the United States of America. First Edition: 2019
Editor: Nat Burns, Sunwater Editing
Cover Designer: Ann McMan, Treehouse Studios
ISBN (Print): 978-1-950167-04-3
ISBN (eBook): 978-1-950167-01-2
PUBLISHER'S NOTE
The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author's rights is appreciated.
Dedication
To my loving wife, Bren, who believed in me, even when I didn’t.
Acknowledgments
It takes a village to raise a child. It also takes a village to bring a writer to the point where her ‘deathless prose’ is fit to be sent out into the world. I especially want to thank Darla Baker, from Stone Soup Community Press, Inc. 501(c)3, for stepping up to the plate and making it possible for me to realize a life-long dream. Of course, I must not forget Nat Burns, my editor, who actually thought I was a good writer. Many thanks also go to Ann McMan for the cover she designed for this book. And the beta readers who kicked my butt when it was necessary. McGee, Ameliah, Danna, Donna Jay. If I have forgotten anyone, my apologies. Blame it on a senior moment.
Synopsis
The owner of a successful market garden, Olivia Jeffries has neither time nor interest in relationships. Especially when she spends most of her time in front of her computer dealing out her own brand of justice to the ungodly who prey on the street kids in her town When a minor accident puts her in touch with Cat Harris, a local private investigator, she enlists the PI’s aid in an effort to solve the mystery behind the targeted shooting of her farm manager and his family. In doing so, she soon comes to realize that she enjoyed having the savvy, ex-cop around to help bring down the drug gang responsible for the death of the people who were the closest thing she had to family.
As for Cat, she makes her living uncovering other people’s secrets. It soon becomes clear to her that Olivia has more than her share of them. Not least of which is her ability to bypass alarm systems and move objects without touching them. During a routine background check, she discovered that Olivia Jeffries only arrived on the scene thirty years ago. During at least one incident involving a member of the gang they are tracking, she soon learns that Olivia wasn’t joking when she said she was more than capable of looking out for herself. Cat is shaken by what she witnessed and avoids the woman as much as possible afterwards.
When a figure from Olivia’s past surfaces and claims Olivia is her daughter who went missing after ‘An Unfortunate Incident’, Cat is compelled to bring the information she uncovers to Olivia’s attention.
An emotional reunion takes place between the two women, misunderstandings are cleared up, and the potential for renewed friendship takes place.
Not until Olivia confronts the dying woman who gave birth to her and is finally able to forgive the woman who stood by while the father abused his daughter and tried to kill her is she able to let go of the past.
Chapter One
O livia pressed her thumb against the doorbell for the third time and listened to the musical chime coming from inside the house. She waited a moment or two, hoping for the sound of footsteps. Anything at all to let her know someone was home.
Please, please, please, somebody be home!
She groaned as silence greeted her pleas. It was the same story at the other houses she had checked since her car had tried to bond with a big yellow pine several miles back up the road. To make matters worse, the battery in her cell phone was deader than the proverbial doornail. Shivering, almost in tears, she slumped against the door frame.
Why in hell didn’t I stay with the car? At least I would have been warmer. Not to mention drier.
Of course, without a working cell phone, she wouldn’t be any better off come morning.
She heaved a sigh and glanced back down the dark driveway, seeing nothing but the rain and the outline of the large trees dotting the expanse of lawn. She pulled her jacket closer, hoping for a little more warmth from the thin fabric. There was no way she could make it up the road again, only to find another vacant house at the end of yet another steep driveway. At least this place was a little more accessible. And all she wanted, for chrissakes, was the use of a landline so she could call a cab.
Her glance fell on the keypad mounted on the doorframe. A house in this neighborhood was probably wired six ways from Sunday, but she’d dealt with alarm systems before. Her gaze lingered on the keypad a moment longer, then she drew in a deep breath. Breaking in could end up with her being arrested but it was better than standing out here on this porch all night, risking hypothermia.
She cast one final glance over her shoulder, hoping whoever lived here would show up, but the driveway remained empty. She shook her head. “Here goes nothing,” she muttered and held her hand above the keypad. When she heard the expected faint electronic clicks, she moved back and tried the door. It opened without so much as a squeak. She picked up her suitcase, grateful that she was able to retrieve it from the Mazda’s trunk, and stepped inside.
Olivia lay motionless, her heart thumping in her chest, trying to figure out what had wakened her. She opened her eyes, cast a cautious glance around and was dismayed to find herself curled up on the leather couch she had bumped into earlier. She had no idea how long she’d been asleep, but it had to be more than the five minutes respite she’d planned on earlier. Not that she was going anywhere right now. She was too bloody tired and sore. Bruised muscles protested as she struggled to pull upright and braced for what lay ahead as she heard a door open, then close. Somehow the prospect of facing an irate homeowner seemed less daunting sitting up.
The sound of footsteps came from somewhere off to her right, followed by a solid thump as something heavy was set down. She shut her ey
es against the glare as a light was turned on. There was a moment of silence.
“Who the hell are you and what the fuck are you doing in my house?”
Olivia winced as the hard, flat voice drilled through the pain in her head. She sensed movement and opened her eyes in time to see a tall, black-clad figure come within striking range. The flash of silver appearing in a gloved hand turned out to be a cell phone and not a knife. A quick glance upward confirmed the speaker was a woman. She searched the angular face, hoping to find even the slightest trace of compassion. Hard slate gray eyes glared back at her.
The woman towered above her, fists on her hips, for several seconds before slumping down onto the nearest chair. She shook her head and raked her fingers through her short salt and pepper hair before snapping out new words. “I come home dead tired, and with three things on my mind—: a hot meal, a hot shower, and a stiff drink. Not necessarily in that order either. I walk in the door and find you camped out on my couch. Mind telling me how you managed to bypass my alarm system?”
“I would if I could. It’s…it’s not something easily explained. I’d have to show you and I doubt I could manage it right now.”
“Trust me, that’s exactly what you are going to do before you leave here.” The woman held up her cell phone. “Otherwise I will be making a call to the local cop shop.” She leaned forward, eyebrows drawn together in a straight line. “That’s some bruise on the side of your face. What in hell happened to you?”
Olivia shrugged and promptly regretted it. She was going to have quite a collection of bruises before long. “My car blew a tire and I spun out and ended up wrapped around a tree a couple of miles from here. It was pitch black out there, and it was raining and cold. The car charger must have come loose somewhere along the way because when I finally dug my cell phone out from under the front seat, the battery was dead so I couldn’t even call for help. I did knock on a few doors, hoping someone would offer to at least call a cab for me. Either no one was home, or they weren’t answering their doors. Can’t say as I blame them. It was getting quite late. I finally ended up at your place only to discover no one was home here either.”
“Huh. No wonder you look like something the cat dragged in and should have left out.”
Olivia thought that was undoubtedly a pretty accurate description of how she looked. Good description of how she felt as well. She sized up the woman seated across from her. The way she was slumped in her chair, head propped on her fist, her eyes at half-mast told its own story. “And did you get the license of the truck that ran over you?”
“Very funny. Are you always such a smartass?”
Olivia shifted to a more comfortable position on the couch and winced as she discovered more muscles that hurt.
“I could say the same about you, but no, just trying to make the best of a bad situation.”
“Hm. So how long have you been here?”
“I’m not sure. I came in, sat down for what I thought was going to be a couple of minutes before using your phone. Seems those few minutes lasted longer than I expected. If you could call a cab for me…”
The woman shook her head. “You won’t get a cab at this time of night and in this weather. And I’m too damn beat to haul out of here again.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to do anything of the sort. If I could just stay here on your couch until morning, I’d really appreciate it. I’m sorry I broke into your place, but I didn’t know what else to do. It was that or sit out on the porch and risk pneumonia.” She struggled to keep her emotions in check. The last thing she needed was to break down in front of this stranger.
“So, what were you doing in this neck of the woods so late at night? I know you don’t live around here.”
Sighing, Olivia explained. “To keep a long story short, I was contacted yesterday afternoon by the home security company I use. They informed me that they’d been alerted to a break-in at the mobile where my farm manager and his family lives. They notified the RCMP who sent a team out to follow up on the report. As near as I can make out the mobile was trashed. Worse still, I have been trying to contact my employees ever since, but all I get is their voicemail.”
“And you are only just now here to check that out?”
“I was in Calgary, have been for the past week. And it was too late in the day for me to head out.”
“Oh, okay, it is a bit of a hike between here and Calgary.”
“Yes, it is.” Olivia hesitated. “If it’s not too much to ask, do you have any Tylenol handy?”
“I think I can manage that.”
“Thanks,” Olivia whispered as she leaned against the arm of the couch and the world grayed out.
She woke with a start to find the woman leaning above her, shaking her shoulder.
“What? Oh. I must have drifted off again.”
“Apparently.” The woman indicated the bottle of Tylenol and a glass of water on the coffee table along with a soft cold pack. “Help yourself. Although from the look of you, a trip to the nearest ER seems more in order. Were you unconscious at any time?”
“No.”
“Any dizziness or nausea?”
“No again. Other than a headache and a few bruises I seem to have gotten off lucky. Better than my car did, anyway.”
Olivia finally managed to get the bottle open. She fished out two red tablets, palmed them into her mouth then washed them down with one long swallow of water. She ignored the shaking in her hand as she placed the glass on the coffee table. She picked up the cold pack and placed it against the side of her face and moaned softly as the cold numbed the pain. Hopefully the pain meds wouldn’t take too long to kick in.
The woman nodded. “We can check that out once I’m mobile in the morning. I’ve had a long day so don’t expect it to be early.”
She lapsed into silence, then spoke again. “Once we are both up, I’ll drive you out to wherever your car is. Another friend of mine is an ace mechanic. He’s not cheap, but he will fix your car up so no one will ever know there has been any damage.”
She covered a yawn with a large, capable looking hand. “In the meantime, I suppose introductions are in order. Name’s Cat Harris.”
Olivia managed a feeble wave of her hand. “Olivia Jeffries. If it isn’t a rude question, what is Cat short for?”
Cat’s lips tightened. “If I told you, I’d have to kill you.”
Olivia groaned at the bad joke. “Well, we can’t have that.”
“I guess not, because then I’d have a mess to clean up afterward.” Cat massaged her forehead, exhaled. “So, where do you call home?”
“I’ve got a place out on Boundary Road.”
Cat cocked her head to one side. “Do you now?” Her forehead crinkled. “There’s a market garden out there. Jeffries Veggies. Are you by any chance related to them?”
“There’s only one Jeffries now and I’m it.”
“Well, I’ll be damned. Now I know why you look familiar. I’ve stopped by there the odd time. Usually there’s an older woman and a kid I presume is her son tending customers. Once in a while, I’ve seen another woman with the same gorgeous white-blonde hair you have helping out.”
“That would have been me.”
“Small world, isn’t it?”
“So I’m told.”
Cat scrubbed her face with her hands again. “I don’t know about you, but I can barely keep my eyes open. I’m going to bed. You are clearly in no condition to go anywhere. There’s a spare bedroom upstairs, complete with its own bathroom. You’re more than welcome to it.”
It took Olivia less than a minute to come to a decision. She patted the couch. “This will do just fine.”
“Huh. You’d be singing a different tune after a couple of hours. That couch has been around longer than I have and the padding in a couple of the cushions needs to be replaced.”
“I appreciate the warning, but if you don’t mind, I’d still rather stay down here. I’m not sure I can manage the stairs.�
�
“Not a problem. I’ll take your suitcase, you hold onto the railing.”
Olivia hesitated, then sighed. “Fine, if you insist.”
“I insist. Besides, you might seem all right at the moment, but from what you’ve told me about your accident, you could be dealing with a mild concussion. Since you won’t agree to go to the ER, I’d prefer you to be nearby. I don’t fancy having to rush downstairs if you end up in trouble during the night.”
Olivia held up her hands in surrender. “Okay, okay. You win.”
Cat was about to get up, then sat down hard again and groaned. “Damn. It’s almost midnight. When did you last eat?”
That required some thought on Olivia’s part. “Ah, just before I left Calgary. I have no idea what time that was.”
“That was definitely a few hours ago. I don’t have much on hand, but I should be able to come up with something if you’re hungry.”
Olivia slowly shook her head. “Thanks, but I think I’ll pass.”
“You sure?”
Olivia nodded, barely able to keep her eyes open.
“Okay. Let’s get you settled then.”
Olivia waited while Cat retrieved her suitcase from the front entrance, then headed up after her. Given that her legs felt like they were made from rubber bands, she was relieved that Cat was standing watch at the top of the stairs. Even so, she clung to the railing all the way.
Cat motioned to a solid-looking oak door on the left side of the hallway . “Make yourself at home. There’s a linen closet in the passage between the bedroom and the bathroom. You’ll find towels and anything else you need in there.” She pointed to a second, equally solid-looking door on the other side of the hall. “I’m just there if you run into any problems.”
Olivia smiled her thanks and waited until Cat had set her suitcase inside the bedroom. Once she was alone, she slumped down on the edge of the bed and buried her head in her hands. Wincing at the renewed pain in the side of her face, she dug through her shoulder bag and found her cell phone and its charger. She plugged the cord into an outlet she found next to a small bedside table. Next, she opened her suitcase and checked on her laptop. It didn’t seem to be any worse for wear, but she plugged it in anyway.
