Alathia Paris Morgan
Ding Dong! Is She Dead?
Nova Ladies Adventures Book #1
To: My Brother Micah, since you went to heaven, I realized that life is short, so you are the reason that this book got finished. You may have gotten to heaven first, but I wrote the first book. Miss you tons…
To: My customers, thanks for the inspirational ideas that have inspired the creation of this fictional book. You are truly awesome.
ILoveDPG
This is a work of fiction and in no way is meant to portray actual people, names, places, events or situations. The ideas were from the author’s own imagination and any resemblance to people living or dead is entirely coincidental.
Copyright: 2014 Alathia Morgan
Acknowledgements: Thanks so much to my editors; I couldn’t have done it without you.
Maria Weaver, Gerree Bollum, Pam Geske, and Mom, who all took the time to read this and give your opinions.
Book cover: All credit with the book cover design goes to Nicole Paris, thank you. You Rock!!
Deposit photos for the cover design.
Prologue
Jennifer stepped out the back door of the bar and crossed to the dumpster, threw in the trash and closed the lid. She turned, then stilled when she heard hushed voices.
“Joe, lift it higher.”
“Shut the %@$& up, Freddie, I’ve got the heavy side. You’ve got the feet.”
Jennifer peeked around the dumpster and saw two men trying to lift a man into the back of a black Lincoln Town Car. As they struggled, she watched with growing horror as they shoved his legs in and slammed the trunk shut only to have the lid pop up when it closed on a protruding shoe.
Stifling a giggle, she ducked back behind the dumpster so they wouldn’t see her as they went back into the building.
She memorized the license plate number and type of car. She ran back into the bar, locking the door behind her. Hurrying to finish closing, she grabbed her bag and let Ted the bouncer walk her to her subway stop. Waving goodnight to Ted, she took a quick look around and hurriedly walked three blocks to the next bus station. She decided to let the police know what she had seen and let them decide on whether a crime had actually been committed.
At the precinct, she watched drunk and disorderly men and women in interesting attire. She might be wasting her time; it was Saturday night in New York. She gave her information at the desk and took a seat.
A pair of detectives approached her, “Ms. Jennifer Smythe, will you please come with us?” They took her to an office to help block out the noise. “You’re here to report a murder?”
After explaining what she had seen and where she worked, she added that it had seemed funny when the trunk wouldn’t close, but that was what had made it seem so real.
Watching the detectives exchange a glance, she quickly interjected, “I also have the license plate number if that helps.”
While she was writing down what she witnessed, one of the officers ran the plate number. Hearing a knock on the window, the other officer left quickly. When they came back a few minutes later, they told Jennifer to go home. They would contact her if they needed her.
On the way home, Jennifer wondered if it was just her imagination or maybe a good night of sleep would take care of whatever hallucination this turned out to be.
At 6 am she was awakened by a pounding on her door. Two people were at her door flashing a badge thru the peephole.
“Hold on just a minute, I am calling the number the officers gave me last night,” she said dialing the number; she hoped the two had not gotten off their shift yet and would still be available.
“Yes sir, may I speak with Detective Reagan please? Well, I have two people at my door saying that they are from the FBI and I wanted to make sure that they were legitimate. Oh, you guys sent them to bring me to the precinct? I’m to confirm that they are Tombs and Riley?
Hold on.” Walking to the door with phone in hand, “Can you please tell me your names?”
“Riley and Tombs from the FBI, Miss. We are here to make sure you get to the station without incident.”
“I’ll just be a minute while I get dressed, if that is alright?” Jennifer asked as she opened the door.
“Certainly miss, we just want to make sure you are protected while they work out the details.”
“Details? So it was true? That was a real body and those men were going to dispose of it?”
“OMG!!! I cannot believe this is happening. Am I just answering more questions or are they taking me into protective custody?”
“We are not sure exactly what is happening, but it would not hurt to pack a suitcase to last you for a short time.”
Jennifer sank to the chair. “This can’t be happening. I mean, all I did was go to work yesterday like normal, now I’m leaving my home with two FBI agents.”
Several days later, Jennifer was signing the paperwork that would change her life forever…
Chapter 1
In Texas, two years later, Allie took a second look at herself in the mirror. So much had changed; she no longer dyed her hair blonde having let her natural brown grow out. Now it was styled in a cute bob cut to help combat the summer heat. After eating fried food since her move, she had put on curves that filled out her girlish figure. On the inside she was still the same lonely girl who had left New York and travelled across the country to start over.
While she could say “y’all” with ease, some days it was just hard to remember who she had been before her entire life had changed. Fitting in had not been as hard to do as she had initially thought. Mentally surviving was a different story altogether. The change from big city to small town in the country was the most challenging adjustment so far.
There were live cows crowded into trucks driving down the main streets and occasionally someone on horseback would just be on the side of the road, out for a ride.
Boots were the shoes of choice, whereas Allie was used to everyone wanting to own a pair of Manolos or L. Vittons so they could be somebody. In rural Texas, women mostly wear the Walmart brand: the main choice of fashionable taste.
Allie left for work at the store where she sold sports equipment, shoes and clothes. When she lived up “north” as it was called here, she shopped at several stores for each outfit or activity she was shopping for, versus all- in- one- stop shopping which seemed much more common here. Walmart and Target were the main shopping outlets in this rural area.
She often wondered what they were thinking when they sent people into witness protection so far from their comfort zones. Did they really expect them to acclimate to an entirely different culture? These people still had flags from the Civil War and didn’t take to outsiders very well.
After two years at her job, Allie had a few regular customers, but the couple that walked into her store today were completely different from any others she had come across before. This sweet older couple came in to find running/walking shoes in order to start exercising together since he was about to retire from his job.
After suggesting several ideas and trying on a few pairs of shoes, they found a style that was the perfect fit for both him and her. At the checkout, the lady reached into her purse and pulled out a business card along with her money. Plastered across the front were the words, “You can start your own career today!”
“Honey, you can make a commission on helping people just like you did with us today while working for yourself. Instead of a $300 sale where you made no commission, you could have made $100 to $150 for doing what you just did in less than thirty minutes. I’m Pat. You can give me a call when you get off. We can meet for coffee and I’ll tell you how get started.”
Allie took the card po
litely and finished ringing them up. People in the South were more helpful with giving unwanted advice. Everybody loved to give out advice, but only if they didn’t have to get physically involved in the people’s lives they were giving advice to.
After her shift, she ran her ticket to see what her sales were for the day. She was surprised to see that she had sold $1500 that day. She was only making minimum wage just $8.50 an hour. If that Pat lady was right, she could have made closer to $500 or up to $800 for the day instead of $85. What a difference that would make! It would change her life so much, she wouldn’t have to work two jobs to make ends meet.
Pulling out her phone as she walked to her car, she called Pat.
“Could we meet tomorrow at 8 a.m. for coffee? I would like to become a Nova Lady.”
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Two months later, Allie realized she had finally found her calling. Not only was she selling Nova cosmetics to help ladies build their physical confidence, but this was so much different than working for someone else. She was her own boss and had her own schedule. She quit her job selling sport shoes, but was planning to keep her night job of bartender at the Three W’s bar. She really enjoyed it.
Making deliveries one day, her first stop was to see Jessica and Britany at the ‘Salon’.
“Hey, girls, I’ve got the new nail polish you wanted. These are called ‘Hot Sprinkles’. They come in green, purple, pink and blue.”
Twenty minutes later, all five ladies in the shop had ordered two nail polishes apiece. They got the lipsticks that were on sale as well. Back in the car, Allie was about to go to the beauty shop, but changed her mind when she saw what time it was.
She moved the schedule around so she could make it to Miss Barbara’s house on time. If she didn’t arrive there by exactly 10 a.m., Miss Barbara would call her continuously until she got there with her $10 bottle of perfume.
She went in and came out of the house as quickly as she could, but still managed to smell like cigarette smoke from Miss Barbara’s constant chain smoking.
Miss Barbara might be eighty, but she understood good manners because she was the only person to ever offer Allie a cigarette. Allie had always declined. The rules growing up had always been that ‘You should just say NO to drugs and cigarettes’.
Miss Barbara was still smoking, even though most people had given it up since it was bad for your health. She even had her oxygen tank sitting next to her, so it would be ready with a breath of fresh air when she finished smoking.
Allie just chuckled to herself. How ironic was that? She needed the oxygen to breathe; yet she just couldn’t live without that cigarette which would blow up the tank if she got too close.
Knowing Miss Barbara enjoyed the company, Allie always tried to visit for a short time, but today she had a lot to accomplish.
Back in the car, she had to douse herself in a sample body spray so that she didn’t smell like smoke for the rest of the day. So many people were sensitive to smoke; Allie tried to be as accommodating as possible.
Allie’s next stop was much more pleasant. Dollies’ Salon was the beauty shop where one could always expect to hear the latest gossip.
Today, no exception: the high school band teacher and the English teacher had been caught doing it in the storage closet. Their punishment from the school administration was that they were to have a wedding in the near future, preferably before the band trip which was in three weeks. The band director could still chaperone the trip as long as he and the other teacher were married beforehand.
Allie used this opportunity to sell each of the three beauticians a bottle of the new perfume that they could wear to the upcoming ceremony. Hopefully the perfume would allow them to snag their own man after the wedding. She assured them that it would be delivered in time for the festivities.
Allie headed to Megan’s house, who had quickly become her best friend the few weeks they had known each other. Allie hadn’t made many friends since she moved to Texas. She and Megan hadn’t known each other very long, but she had come in to buy soccer shoes for her daughter’s first game. They had hit it off instantly. Allie was lucky to be able to deliver her friend’s order in time for them to eat lunch together. It was such a trial to take a lunch break at her “normal” friend’s house in a day filled with such unique individuals.
When Allie got to Megan’s house, she hopped out to grab her bag of goodies and locked her car. The habit was ingrained from her big- city ways. As she turned toward the house, she noticed the door hanging off the hinges and partially open.
Chapter 2
“What the hell is going on?” She muttered as she approached.
Allie called out, “Hello, Megan? Are you here?”
Torn between finding Megan and calling 911, Allie heard a whimper and pushed the door open to follow the sound. She stepped through the broken front door and into the living room, which was a mess. The coffee table was bashed in. The cushions were pulled off the couch; there were signs of a struggle.
Spotting blood on the carpet, Allie walked cautiously through the house hoping that whoever had done this was long gone. Continuing toward the sound, she discovered Megan in the bathroom. She was sitting on the floor, curled up next to the bathtub, holding a towel to her head over what looked like a nasty wound.
“Oh, Megan, what happened?” Allie leaned toward her friend, but Megan flinched, moaning as Allie put her hand on her arm.
“I’m here, Megan,” she said quietly. “No one can hurt you now. We will call the police and figure out how to keep you safe.”
Megan looked up at Allie and finally focused on who was there. Realizing who Allie was, Megan bursting into sobs; thankful that it wasn’t her attacker. Megan reached out and grabbed Allie’s hand.
“Mike got drunk last night. When he woke up this morning he was pissed and started chasing me. He threw me onto the coffee table and kept hitting me until I passed out. I guess he showered and left for work after that. I crawled in here and I don’t remember much after that.”
“Where would he go after something like this?” Allie was concerned that he might return before they could call the police.
“I think he showered, because the towel was wet when I got in here. He must have gone to work knowing that he didn’t want to get fired.” Megan answered.
“Oh, sweetie,” Allie sighed, feeling overwhelmed that anyone could do harm to someone and leave them in pain.
“We need to call the police and get you to the hospital. I’m pretty sure you will need stitches in your head, and you may have a concussion. There could be internal injuries from your ribs being broken.”
Megan reacted as Allie’s words sank in. “No, if Mike comes home and finds me gone then I’ll get a lot worse next time. It would look bad for his job image with his coworkers. We can’t call the police because Mike works for the county Sheriff’s office and they monitor all city calls as well in case they are needed for backup.”
Allie tilted Megan’s head and looked directly at her. “Megan, you have two choices. Leave now and make sure that you and Sally are safe, or stay here and next time I come to see you, you could be dead. Worse than that, he might hurt Sally.”
“While you think that you can take everything he dishes out, what happens when he starts taking it out on Sally because she spills her cup of juice? Plus, this will give her the idea that people can just bully you and beat up on you and nobody will care.”
“Megan, I care. I don’t want to lose you, but this is your decision. I will respect whatever you decide.”
Sensing Allie was concerned things were going to continue getting worse. Megan nodded. Just that small motion made her head start pounding horribly again. It increased from a quiet drum beat to a loud jackhammer and she started to feel nauseous. Realizing that she was much worse off than she had thought, Megan closed her eyes and spoke softly.
“Yes, we can leave now. I have suitcases in the front closet that are packed. This has been going on for years now, a
nd I really thought this was the end for me. I have them ready, we just need to get my purse and add a few things from Sally’s room that she might miss.”
Allie went to the living room and took out her camera to video document the trashed room and the broken door. She followed the blood trail to the bathroom, taking in Megan’s crouched position on the floor. Then she took still shots of each room just in case the officers misplaced the evidence when they got involved. There was no guarantee they wouldn’t change things to go in Mike’s favor.
Pulling out the suitcases, she set them by the front door. Having been to Megan’s house several times, she knew there were some boxes on the back porch that she could use to pack things. Allie took as much as she could out of Sally and Megan’s closet, knowing first hand that it was not fun to replace your entire wardrobe.
It took four boxes to get all the clothes and shoes from both rooms. As she finished carrying them to the front door, she went back to check on Megan making sure that she was still conscious.
“What else do you want so that you don’t have to worry about coming back to this house or him destroying things that you really love?” Allie was trying to think of what she had needed when she left home.
“Um, did you get Sally’s baby doll and her blanket? Also, the photo albums in the living room and my computer on my bedside table would be great. I should really help you with all this.” Making a move to rise, Allie caught her and helped her back to the floor.
“Absolutely not, I have it under control! When I get it all in the car, I will come and get you so you don’t pass out on me. I can handle it. I’m not the one who has a bloody head and is about to pass out.”
Allie headed toward Megan’s room for the computer. Looking around she didn’t see anything else that she might need in there. Grabbing the photo albums and the address books from the desk, Allie remembered that Megan might need birth certificates and other important documents in the coming days. “Where do you keep Sally’s birth certificate and other stuff?”
Ding Dong!! Is She Dead? Page 1
