Table of Contents
A LOST LOVE
To my Bethina,
~About the Author~
Preface
Chapter One
~End Sample of INSIGHT~ | For more go to www.Shadoepublishing.com to purchase the complete book or for many other delightful offerings.
A LOST LOVE
A Novella by Jennis Slaughter
E-Book Edition
Published by:
Shadoe Publishing for
Jennis Slaughter on E-Book
Copyright © Jennis Slaughter June 2016
A LOST LOVE
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PUBLISHER’S NOTE
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party Web sites or their content.
To my Bethina,
You found me,
You taught me what love means.
You held me,
You soothed my soul.
You offered your hand,
I gave you my heart.
I am yours
THE LISTS:
Things to do today:
Get lavender bundled and priced
Finish making soaps √
Post new work schedule for Anna
Talk with Erika about advertising
Pick up bracelet for Alexis
MUST GET DONE:
Dig hole
Make coffin to fit hole
Put coffin in hole
Test ventilation system
Test video system
Make chloroform
Clean gun
Load gun
Clean rag
Get Laurel
Bury Laurel
Go to WESH and talk with Alexis
Die
Important things:
Confirm schedule for week off X
Order airline and cruise tickets X
Arrange rental car and hotel
Call Laurel and ask to dinner
Get flowers
Make reservation at Avenue Thai & Sushi X
“Damn, it’s hot!” the woman thought as she gradually became aware of her surroundings. She brought up her right hand to wipe her brow, but instead came into contact with something directly above her. She opened her eyes to see a piece of Plexiglas covered with dirt. Abruptly, her head popped up, hitting the lid and forcing it back down, but not before she saw that she was inside a coffin.
There was a small light on the back wall so she carefully picked her head up again, this time to see that the sides and bottom were made of wood, leaving the sight of dirt about six inches above her face.
What had happened? Her throat was sore and she tasted something metallic, but couldn’t place the source. Carefully, she felt around and her left hand brushed against a piece of paper and something that felt like thick pencils. Bringing up one of the ‘pencils’, she saw that it was a glow stick. She surmised that the available light would not last for long so at least she had backup.
Placing the stick back down, the woman picked up the piece of paper and brought it closer to the light so that she would be able to see it better.
It read: “All I asked was that you love me and be loyal. You did neither. I am making sure that you never disappoint anyone else. I will not be around to tell anyone where you are. Think back on your mistakes. You will not be making any others.”
* * * * *
It was Laurel Taylor’s favorite time of day. She walked out of her office and across the courtyard, headed to the warehouse. She stopped for a few moments and tilted her face towards the sun, closing her eyes to enjoy the warmth. She loved having this brief moment when it was just her and the sun.
Laurel was the owner of Nature’s Scents, which made soaps, body lotions, massage oils, and lip balms from all natural ingredients. She had recently signed a contract to supply boutique hotels in Key West, Winter Park, Florida, and Vail, Colorado with personalized products.
For the first time in a very long while, her life was falling into place. Her health was finally back to normal after she had ended an abusive relationship. She was now running five miles a day with her good friend Jennifer San Juan and had started taking a Zumba class once a week. Her body was beginning to fill out again and she was smiling more often.
Another reason she was smiling more often was her new girlfriend, Alexis “Alex” James. They had met through Jennifer and had been together for about six months; they had been taking their relationship slow.
Alex was the reporter for a local news station in Orlando, WHSE, and had met Jennifer when the older woman had helped out at a local LGBT march. Jennifer had a daughter who had been out for years, but had not had a good relationship with her. Alex had helped her come to terms with everything and Jennifer, in turn, had introduced her to Laurel.
Sighing, Laurel ended her communion with the sun and entered the warehouse to inspect the first run of the soaps for the hotels. She made sure that the designs were legible on the soaps and that the wrapped products were up to her standards and the hotel’s specifications.
Pleased with everything, she went in search of her second-in-command and advertising manager, Kate Stone. After finding her in the back office, they spent the next hour going over contracts and future ads that would be going into publication.
It was almost lunch when Laurel headed back to her office to make some additional phone calls when her cell phone vibrated. She pulled it out of the side pocket of her painter pants and grinned when she saw Alex’s name.
Opening the phone, she said, “Hello, Sunshine...How’s your day going?” She heard Alex lean back in her squeaky office chair.
“A lot better now that I am talking with you. I’ve had to re-edit two stories because of time constraints and need to go out to shoot another one at four a.m. tomorrow morning. How many people are up at that time of day?” Alex grumbled. “Anyway, enough about me. How’s your day going?”
Making her way into her office, Laurel went to stand in front of a window as she answered the question, “My day is going great. We just finished the first run of the soaps and they look perfect, and now I’m talking to a beautiful woman who I happen to like a lot, so I won’t complain.” She ran her hand through her blonde hair as she turned towards her desk.
“So you like me a lot, huh? That’s good because I feel the same about you,” Alex purred back. “In fact
, I like you so much I called to see if you would care to have dinner with me tonight? I thought that we could try that restaurant that you heard about in Winter Park.”
Laurel sat at her desk and picked up a pencil. “Do you mean Avenue Thai and Sushi?”
“Yeah, I have to do the six o’clock program and then I’m all yours. What do you say?” The squeaky chair sounded again as Alex moved around.
“I say that we really need to get you some oil for that chair and I would love to go to dinner with you,” Laurel smiled as she imagined the taller woman sitting at her desk. “Do you want me to meet you at the station or at the restaurant?”
“I’ll come and pick you up, if that’s okay. I was thinking that maybe afterwards we could walk around Lake Eola and talk.”
Nodding her head, even though she couldn’t be seen, Laurel agreed, “Deal, I’ll see you then.”
“Great...and Laurel?”
“Yes...” she answered softly while doodling with the pencil.
Alex took a deep breath and quietly said, “I more than like you....”
Laurel couldn’t prevent herself from smiling as she answered back, “I more than like you too.” Neither woman had come out and said that they loved each other, but that was okay. “See you tonight.”
“Bye....”
“Bye...” Laurel responded and hit end on her phone. She couldn’t help but smile as she thought about her feelings. It had been so long since she felt this way. She felt loved and cherished, and it was great.
As she glanced down at her notepad, she wasn’t at all surprised that she had doodled hearts with hers and Alex’s initials inside. Biting her bottom lip, she shook her head as she tore the sheet off carefully, folded it up, and put it in her back pocket.
Slipping her phone back into the ruler pocket of her pants, Laurel picked the pencil back up to check off the making of the soaps and advertising on her checklist and just then there was a knock at her door. Checking one more item off, she called out, “Come in.”
The office door opened and Emma, the young woman that she put in charge of the front shop, stepped just inside the doorway.
“Umm...Laurel?”
“Hey, Emma. What can I do for you? And before I forget, we need to talk about your schedule sometime today,” Laurel looked up from the list.
“Okay, but umm...Dawn Lorrayne is here to see you.” The younger woman shifted from foot to foot. “Do you want me to call the police?”
Dawn was Laurel’s ex and she had a restraining order out on her. She wasn’t allowed within a hundred feet of Laurel, her home, or her place of business.
Immediately, Laurel’s palms became sweaty and her heart began to race. It had been nine months since she last had any contact with Dawn, but she was determined not to let the woman see that she still had the ability to affect her.
Closing her eyes for a moment, she concentrated on controlling her breathing and thought of Alex. Gradually, she calmed down, and when she opened her eyes she saw that Emma was still standing in the doorway awaiting her response.
“No, let’s just see what she wants,” she stood as she spoke. She walked over to the younger woman and patted her arm. “Thanks for your concern though.”
Emma stepped aside. “I’m gonna watch everything that she does and the first thing I don’t like, I’m calling the police.”
Walking out into the small store, Laurel spotted Dawn standing next to the front door with her hands in the pockets of the black jeans that she always wore. Laurel couldn’t ever remember a time when the older woman hadn’t worn that color of jeans. Today, she had on a white long-sleeve t-shirt and a vest, her ebony hair pulled back into a ponytail.
“Hello, Dawn...how have you been?”
Dawn watched the woman that she had once prized approach and had to admit to herself that Laurel was looking better than ever. Her honey gold hair was past her shoulders now and her green eyes were as bright as she had ever seen. She had gained a little bit of weight, but it looked good on her—rounding out the sensuous curves that she remembered were under the clothes.
Mentally she shook her head to get her mind back on the reason that she had come. “Hey, I’m not here to cause any trouble. I just want to return the few things that you had left at my place when you moved out. I found a photo album that you left in the hall closet that had pictures of your family.”
Laurel stopped a few feet away from her ex and hoped that she didn’t let the look of surprise show on her face. Dawn had never done anything for her without an ulterior motive. “Umm...that’s awfully nice of you. Thank you.”
“Not a problem. I’ve got everything in the boot if you want to come out and get it. It’s just a box that you can put into your car.” Dawn motioned outside to where her black Dodge Charger sat next to Laurel’s Nissan Juke.
“Okay, let’s go.” Laurel turned to Emma, “I’ll be right back.” She had forgotten how much she used to like hearing Dawn speak. It was the English accent that had caught her attention in the first place.
Emma nodded her head and stepped closer to the door as the two women walked out.
“Nice day today,” Dawn commented as she reached into her pocket. “Just cool enough for someone to wish that fall would get here.”
Laurel agreed, “Yeah, this is my favorite time of year, right between fall and winter, even though there’s not that much difference here in Florida.”
Dawn paused for a moment to pull something out of her jeans and with her other hand, she pressed the boot release button on her key fob, watching as Laurel walked up to open the lid wider. Quickly pulling out a plastic bag, she removed a cloth and placed it over Laurel’s mouth before she could turn around to say that there was nothing there.
Laurel fought briefly, but Dawn was stronger and the homemade chloroform quickly had her unconscious and limp. Swiftly, Dawn pushed her inside, slammed the lid closed, and jumped into the driver’s seat, even as Emma was running towards the car.
Turning the ignition key, Dawn threw the car into gear and backed out of the spot, hitting the young woman and slamming her into the ground. “Don’t you know you should look out for reversing cars?” Dawn snarked as she sped away.
Things to do today:
1. Get lavender bundled and priced
2. Finish making soaps √
3. Post new work schedule for Emma
4. Talk with Kate about advertising √
5. Pick up bracelet for Alex
* * * * *
Driving away from Nature’s Scents, Dawn made sure that she obeyed all traffic laws because she wasn’t sure how long Laurel would be unconscious and she didn’t want to be pulled over. She swiftly, but carefully, made her way to the place where Laurel would spend the rest of her very short life.
Upon arriving, Dawn pulled as close as she could to the site. Getting out of the car, she carefully looked around, making sure that no one was watching. This was a community setting, but the lot was wooded and it was during the work/school day. There had never been anyone there while she had been setting things up, but one could never be too careful. She shook her head, thinking that people only saw what they wanted to see anyway.
Walking around to the back of the car, she listened carefully and hearing nothing, she pressed the boot button on her fob and the lid snickered open.
Reaching out, she slowly opened the trunk and saw that Laurel was still unconscious, laying on her side, with sweat beading on her forehead.
Leaning over, Dawn slipped her hands underneath Laurel’s knees and back and grunted slightly as she picked the woman up. Carefully, she made her way over to the hole in the ground and slowly knelt down to place the blonde into the box before sliding out her hands.
Before sealing the lid, Dawn slipped a note underneath Laurel’s left hand, along with some glow sticks. Pausing for a moment, she then leaned down to place a gentle kiss against the woman’s lips and whispered, “This is your own fault.”
Quickly, she placed the
Plexiglas lid in place and screwed it shut. Turning on the ventilation system, she paused for a moment, waiting to see the air move Laurel’s hair before she covered the box with soil. Once that was done, she wiped her hands on her pants before she placed the tools in the trunk and started a timer. Once finished, she paused for a moment to look back at the slight mound of dirt and then turned to look at the lot that was next door. She smiled and shook her head. No one would ever know...ever.
Getting into the car, she started it up and carefully backed out of the lot before turning towards her next destination. At a stop light, Dawn reached down for her phone and checked two more items off her list. Humming, she pulled away from the stop light and continued on with her drive.
She took her time driving to her next destination, stopping for a coffee and a croissant from a local coffee chain before driving to a nearby park to consume her snack.
Taking a bite of the buttery, flaky croissant, she remembered back to the day when she and Laurel first met.
It was at the Winter Park Art Festival, which is held every March on Park Avenue. Dawn was walking through the throngs of people, admiring the art, food, and the lovely ladies that were walking around.
She had come up to a booth that held handmade soaps, lotions, and bath bombs, but they were not what grabbed her attention. It was a stunning, blonde-haired, green-eyed, lightly tanned woman with an infectious smile.
“Hi. Can I help you with something?” the woman had asked.
Not wanting to come on too strong, Dawn had introduced herself and asked her to explain her wares.
Laurel shook her hand, introduced herself, and went over everything. She explained that all of her items were all natural and were made in small batches so that she could ensure the quality.
By the time Laurel finished, Dawn just nodded her head and said, “That sounds amazing. How much?”
Looking a bit puzzled, Laurel asked, “Which one did you want?”
“All of it,” she answered with a grin.
Laurel’s jaw dropped a little bit, “Do you mean one of everything?”
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