Table of Contents
Synopsis
By the Author
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
About the Author
Books Available from Bold Strokes Books
Synopsis
Love, loss, and lies—echoes from a past that threaten the future. Can a reluctant psychic set things right, or will an angry spirit destroy those she loves the most? Lorna Dutton is ready for something new and a chance to move beyond the numbness of a broken heart. Inheriting her great-aunt’s house on the shores of the Pacific Ocean, she embarks on an exciting adventure only to discover things are more complicated than simply starting over. Free spirited Renee Austin makes her feel again while visions and ghosts rock her world. Only when she embraces her newly discovered psychic abilities can she put the ghosts to rest and save the woman who captures her heart.
Twisted Echoes
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Twisted Echoes
© 2014 By Sheri Lewis Wohl. All Rights Reserved.
ISBN 13: 978-1-62639-272-4
This Electronic Book is published by
Bold Strokes Books, Inc.
P.O. Box 249
Valley Falls, New York 12185
First Edition: November 2014
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission.
Credits
Editor: Cindy Cresap
Production Design: Susan Ramundo
Cover Design By Sheri ([email protected])
By the Author
Crimson Vengeance
Burgundy Betrayal
Scarlet Revenge
Vermilion Justice
Twisted Echoes
Being deeply loved by someone
gives you strength,
While loving someone deeply
gives you courage.
—Lao Tzu
Chapter One
Not for the first time, Lorna Dutton wondered whose fucking idea it was to move to this place. Oh yeah, it was hers. With the sleeve of her shirt, she wiped away the icy rain that sliced across her face. She gave serious consideration to staying outside to let the rain beat her up. Somehow it was soothing to feel something, anything. Instead, she turned around and went back into the living room. The storm continued its unabated rage outside. From all appearances, she’d have plenty of time to let a storm kick her ass. Seemed like all it had done outside since she’d gotten here was rain and blow.
Inside the hundred-and-twenty-year-old Victorian, a fire blazed in the massive fireplace. The warmth almost thawed the ice around her heart. Almost didn’t really count. It would help if it was a little less isolated and strange. Except it wasn’t the house—lovely, old, and full of history. No, it was…well, everything. Where she was, why she was here, and worst of all, why she was here all alone. A pretty house and killer views couldn’t take the edge off of any of those things, especially the latter.
In the massive bedroom that was now hers, she shrugged out of wet clothes and dropped them in a heap on the floor. With the towel she grabbed off the bar in her private bathroom, she dried her hair as best she could, then slipped into nice dry sweats. Might as well get comfortable for another night watching movies. Wasn’t like she needed to dress up for anything or anyone. Old, ratty sweats were just the thing for hanging out all by her lonesome.
The only sound as she made her way back to the living room was the slap of her bare feet on the hardwood floor. She stopped and stared out the big window amazed that the rain still came down as hard as when she’d come in earlier. Did it ever let up around here? Her gaze drifted from the storm to the low table in front of the sofa. On it rested a small bottle of wine, one stemmed glass, crystal she was pretty sure, and a plate of cheese and fruit. The small kindness of the housekeeper, Jolene Austin, pushed back a bit of the loneliness. The only thing about it that rubbed Lorna wrong was the sight of the single glass. Not Jolene’s fault. Just another unfortunate reminder of how messed up her life had gotten.
She poured a little of the wine into the solitary glass and sipped it. A touch of depression was no reason to let good wine go to waste. The flavors tickled her senses as she swirled it in her mouth. Not too shabby. It would appear Jolene knew her wines.
She trailed her fingers along the back of the sofa as she walked around it while studying the room. The house was so much a reflection of Great-aunt Bea. From the burgundy accent wall to the cream leather furniture to the paintings with a touch of surrealism, it all screamed Bea. Eccentric and more than a little out-spoken, she was one of the most interesting people Lorna had ever known. How she wished she’d told her that, and regretted it was now too late.
Bea left her this place, and no one had been more shocked than Lorna. She could count on one hand the number of times she’d stayed here. That made the bequest of the handsome home overlooking a gorgeous stretch of the Pacific Ocean all the more odd.
When she gave it a little thought, perhaps it wasn’t such a peculiar bequest. Even if they’d spent time together only sporadically over the years, Lorna and Bea got each other in ways none of the others in the family did. They were kindred spirits. Or rather they had been.
When the news arrived about the house she could have easily refused Bea’s generous gift. Lord knows there were plenty of cousins ready and willing to step up and take her place. Her initial reaction was to do just that. Beautiful as the house was, it was four hundred miles away from Spokane where she’d been born and raised. Top it off with its rather isolated location, and it wasn’t the kind of gift she jumped and ran with.
In the end, she didn’t turn her back on Bea’s final wish. Instead, she quit her job, sold her condo, and headed to the coast. In the big picture the bequest was not only generous, it was incredibly well timed. A dramatic change was just what she needed, and it was handed to her in the form of a deed.
Spokane had been her home for all of her thirty-five years, and honestly, three and a half decades was enough. Beautiful and unspoiled, the city in northeastern Washington State had many positives. The cost of living was fantastic, and the area boasted every kind of outdoor activity possible. As an outdoor enthusiast, it was a great place for someone like her. The negative, in her opinion, was the staunch conservative base that called Spokane home. All in all, way too conservative for her taste. She felt like she’d done her part to help open eyes to the beauty of diversity, but frankly, it got tiring always having to be a crusader. After everything that happened, it was time for adventure, and Bea handed her the perfect exc
use to escape.
Except it really wasn’t the city she was trying to escape. Deep down the truth was she could deal with its conservative roots. She could live with small town mentality in a metro environment. She could be proud and loud. What she couldn’t handle was seeing Anna day after day, and knowing that what they’d shared was over. She couldn’t handle running into her having dinner with someone else. The lilt of her voice carrying across a restaurant as she laughed and smiled with another woman, or bumping into them at Huckleberry’s, the grocery store they used to shop at together. No, she couldn’t deal with any of that, and she took the chance to run without as much as a glance back over her shoulder.
Now, in the quiet of this place, she was beginning to think it wasn’t just the coward’s way out; it was the stupid coward’s way out. What the hell was she going to do here? She was more than twenty miles from the nearest town and much farther than that if she wanted a real city like Seattle. She’d been born and raised in a city. This was definitely not urban living.
And then there was the rain. It was raining when she drove up, and it didn’t seem to be in a particular hurry to quit. If it wasn’t so damned wet, it might actually be comfortable outside.
She tapped gently on the glass. “Rain, rain, go away,” she whispered, her breath fogging up the window. Her reflection was wet and wavy like a spirit dancing in the storm.
Despite the constant precipitation, the place did have an upside. Like the fact the view from just about every room was spectacular. It was like staring out at a fabulous painting every day, only this was real. Even when it was raining outside, from inside the house, the majesty of the ocean view took her breath away. This night when the weather was hideous, there was something magical beneath the icy rain and howling wind. As much as she was tempted to say fuck it and move back to Spokane, she didn’t. Beneath her heartache, loneliness, and confusion was something else. The way she figured it, she owed it to herself to stay long enough to find out what it was.
“Lorna?”
At the sound of Jolene’s voice, she jumped like a scared cat. Even after nearly a month living here she still wasn’t accustomed to co-habitating with her. At least once a day, Jolene startled her. It had to do with her way of moving around like a ghost. Quiet didn’t even begin to describe the way she floated through the house. Lorna rarely heard her coming. Housekeeper slash ninja. Good thing she was relatively young or she’d have succumbed to the big one a couple of days after moving in.
Lorna turned and tried for a smile. “Yeah?”
It must have worked because Jolene smiled back. She was one of those people who gave off warm and comforting vibes. It was hard not to like that about her. Lord knows her mother had never exactly been the warm and fuzzy type. Of course, in her defense, she was a single mother trying to raise two kids all by herself. With no one around to help, Mom was exhausted more than her share. Still, it would have been nice to have come home to a smile like Jolene’s once in a while. Mom wasn’t the smiling type.
“Are you hungry? I can put on something hearty if you are.”
The light snack arranged so prettily on the table was still untouched, and she shook her head. “I appreciate it, but I think this will do.”
Jolene’s smile morphed into a frown. “That’s not a proper meal. If you get any skinnier, you’ll fade away right before my eyes. How are you going to do that run thing you’re training for if you don’t eat? Let me fix you something more substantial.”
Lorna held up her hands as she laughed. That run thing was actually the endurance event Ironman. A bit more than just a run, but Jolene was trying. “Really, this is great. I’m tired tonight anyway, and I think I’ll turn in early. This lovely wine and cheese will be perfect, and I promise you can fatten me up tomorrow.”
“I don’t know…”
“I’ll be fine. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Jolene was muttering softly as she turned and walked away. Her words grew softer until silence once more fell. More than likely Jolene had reached the back of the house where she occupied a suite of rooms that comprised her private quarters.
“Well,” Lorna said to the empty room. “Might as well drink up.” She poured more wine into her glass and sipped. Dear old Aunt Bea had a damn good way with wine, and Jolene had a way of picking out exactly the right one. Speaking for herself, she didn’t have the knowledge to be anywhere even close to a buff. All she really knew was what tasted good, and this was yummy. Paired with the selection of cheeses arranged in a pretty fan on the plate, it was a snack made in heaven. The nicely stocked wine cellar was going to be fun to play with.
Lorna set her nearly empty glass on the table and put her feet up on the soft cushions of the sofa. The wine, combined with the warmth of the fire, made her eyes heavy. Maybe she could lie here for a little bit and enjoy the warmth and comfort of her favorite room in the house. She might actually sleep for a little while without dreaming of Anna. The possibility of that was worth downing the whole bottle of wine. The last time she’d been able to go to sleep without heartbreak weighing her down and invading her dreams was hard to remember. Maybe tonight would be such a night. Her head felt suddenly very heavy so she slid down the sofa until she was stretched all the way out, her head resting on her arm. Yeah, nice and comfy.
Her eyes fluttered open, and for a second, she wasn’t sure where she was. Her house in Spokane? No, that wasn’t right. She didn’t live there anymore. Then the room came into focus and she remembered. Aunt Bea’s house by the ocean. Except, something was off. The living room where she’d fallen asleep looked and felt different. It wasn’t like she’d been asleep that long, and yet it wasn’t as it had been before she slipped into slumber. Then it hit her. The furniture, the paint, the rugs, they were all changed as if the room had been completely redone while she slept. Oddly, it seemed newer although everything about it had the flavor of expensive antiques.
She was about to push up when she lowered her head back to her arm, her body going very still. On the rug in front of the fire, two women sat close together. Neither one of them wore a stitch of clothing. Afraid to say anything, she held her breath, afraid one of them would turn around and see her. Too much like being a voyeur, and yet she couldn’t look away.
Firelight glowed on their naked flesh. One woman was pale with flowing brown hair that fell to her waist. Her breasts were full and firm, her face a beautiful oval with generous, red lips. Her slim fingers stroked the flawless brown skin of the other woman whose black hair was long and braided. Slim and small-breasted, she murmured in a voice too low to hear. Whatever she said made the other woman smile. They embraced their kiss passionate. Together they reclined on the thick rug, hands stroking, lips kissing, bodies moving together. Their moans grew louder as their lovemaking intensified. Suddenly, they stopped, fear etched on their beautiful faces as they reached for clothing strewn across the rug. The brown-haired woman jumped up, her dress pressed against her nakedness. A scream rose from her lips. “No—”
Lorna came awake with a start, her heart pounding. She jumped up from the sofa and did a three sixty. Nothing. The fire was still going, although it was beginning to die down. The walls were once again pale green, the furniture comfortable modern leather. The rug beneath her feet was a thick oatmeal weave. No expensive antique furniture, no Victorian patterned wallpaper, no naked women in front of the fire. She was alone. All alone.
She sank back down on the sofa and took a big swig from her glass. The zing of the wine helped. Wow, she’d wanted a little sleep that didn’t include dreams of Anna, but where the hell did that come from? It wasn’t just odd; it was odd, erotic, and more than a little crazy. Maybe she was losing it after all. Difficult breakups had a way of sending a person over the edge though she always thought she was made of sterner stuff than that. Apparently, she was mistaken.
*
Renee Austin stood next to the fire truck and willed herself not to cry. The fire raged despite the best efforts of the
men and women who fought it. Flames lit up the night sky in a show of red and gold that would be intriguing were it not for the fact her home and business provided the tinder.
Her heart hurt as she stood powerless to do anything but watch her life disappear. She tried to be a good person, to do the right thing, to keep her life in balance, and to give back to her community. Obviously, somewhere along the line she’d messed up, and karma was now giving her a big fat bitch slap. Why else would her home and her business be crumbling to ash before her eyes and the eyes of all her neighbors? Ten years of hard work and persistence gone, and all that was left was a smoking pile of debris, the stench of which made her want to gag. The one and only good thing to come out of it: Clancy hadn’t been inside when the building went up in flames.
“Ma’am.” A firefighter reeking of smoke touched her on the arm.
She didn’t flinch from his touch. Didn’t respond by word. What was there to say anyway? And why in the hell was he calling her “ma’am?” Made her sound like a little old lady. She was only thirty-seven for heaven’s sake. Ma’am was for older women.
“Do you have anywhere to go, or would you like us to call the Red Cross?” The tone of his voice never changed as if he was accustomed to people who stood like statues, stony and silent.
Finally, she looked up and met his gaze. He was a nice-looking man, maybe five or so years younger than she was. What bugged her right now was the idea he should be hitting on her instead talking to her like she was a delicate little flower. She opened her mouth to tell him that and then snapped it shut. Hitting on her? What kind of fire professional worth his salt would do something like that?
Maybe she was being a little bitchy about the ma’am thing. Possibly the reality she’d just lost everything she owned could be making her a shrew? All she could see in his face was concern. His kindness was appreciated even if she realized it was all part of his job. He wasn’t the one out of line; she was.
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