The Stranger In the Guest Room

by V. K. Lockwood

  Genre: Fiction / Psychological Thriller / Romantic Suspense

  Text Copyright © 2021 by Kaira Lansing

  All rights reserved.

  Visit the Author’s website at www.vklockwood.com

  Editing by SJS Editing

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any

  means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any

  information storage and retrieval system without the written permission

  of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents

  either are products of the author’s imagination or are use fictitiously. Any resemblance

  to actual living persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  VKL Books is an imprint of Kaestes Publishing.

  LCCN 2021901168

  ISBN 978-0-9908166-6-9 (Paperback)

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  The Stranger In The Guest Room

  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

  The End

  Epilogue

  The End

  The Shadows | are Falling

  “...I went for a drive last night with a buddy, shining for deer.

  At least he was. My mind kept going back to you.

  We drove through the canyons and up the mountain and over

  to some lake. The moonlight was beautiful.

  I really wanted you to be the one I was sharing the drive with.

  I wanted to call and tell you all about it, but I couldn’t.

  You should have seen the lake in the moonlight.

  And at the base of the mountain, there

  was the soft yellow glow from the moonlight.

  I know where I want to take you next time.

  If I ever get a next time...

  Love & forever yours.

  Brooks

  Just don’t take too long, you’re starting to miss so much.”

  Chapter One

  “Hey, Margo.” I grinned as I answered the video

  call.

  “Happy Thursday over there in the Northwoods,” she chuckled. “Well, how is the day so far?”

  “Cold. Freezing.”

  “I was watching the weather, and it looks like you have one killer of a storm blowing in up there.”

  I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, to magnify the scene and to be over-dramatic. Margo laughed and again requested I move back.

  “You’ll be back.”

  “I don’t think so, Margo. I love it up here. It’s peaceful. Very private now that most of the neighbors left for the winter. I still have one... two neighbors. One right in the next cabin and another a few cabins down. So, I’m not quite alone up here. I mean, have you noticed how much work I’ve been able to get done? I’ve had no interruptions, just the silence...”

  “Of the falling snow.” She smirked as she finished my sentence for me.

  “Yes, it can be silent. Unless it’s not. Kind of like what’s headed this way.”

  “Are you stocked up on everything you’ll need? You have enough food, gas, emergency supplies?”

  “I’ve been stocking up since I moved in. You just never know when something evil will show up.”

  She grimaced as she readjusted her headphones. “Somehow I knew you were way ahead of the game.”

  “I always am,” I beamed. “I don’t like to be surprised.”

  She chuckled. “Okay. Check in with me tonight for dinner. And Erika, thank you. Thank you for putting in more hours to wrap up this book...”

  “Hey,” I consoled her. “I’d step up anytime and do anything you need me to do. This story is flowing nice so far. Once I get past this next chapter, it should be easy sailing.”

  “Okay. I’ll let you get to work for the day, and we’ll be in touch. Let me know if you need anything from me.”

  “Thank you, Margo!” I waved to her. “We’ll talk soon.”

  I let Margo end the video chat like always.

  Moving to the Northwoods was never on my bucket list. In fact, I took a drive out east and west to uncover the perfect place to start over. I finished my road trip with a never-ending list of places I admired, however, there wasn’t one place I loved or that connected with me. In a crushed heap, the last road I traveled was through the Northwoods of Wisconsin. I’d be lying if I didn’t say I fell in love with the beauty of this area in that first trip through. One wrong turn had me lost on the backroads, driving down some narrow dirt driveway until I came to a secluded little area that contained thirteen cabins, dispersed out just enough to each have their own private section of wilderness. When I turned around, I caught the For Sale sign attached to the tree in front of a three-story cabin at the end of the road. At first, I was reluctant to take a picture of the phone number. But once I did, I couldn’t wait to get service to call on the place. And all fell into place from there. I moved in a month later, not realizing how dicey the winters could go up here.

  Margo came up to help me move in and was in complete awe at the landscape and my new home. “This place is you. I have to admit, it has you all over it,” Margo said as she set the box down and paraded through the main floor.

  She was right—this cabin was me. It was perhaps one reason it reverberated with me so much that I disregarded the bitter, long winters. The exterior had a gothic vibe to it, along with the two lion statues that greeted you before you walked onto the sidewalk. The cabin itself was three floors, with a walkout basement that dominated the lake, and dark‚ charcoal-grey‚ wood siding with burnt, rustic‚ wood shutters. A dark wooden porch wrapped around three sides of the cabin and on two sides‚ a small woodland of mature trees and shrubberies sequestered it. In the summer, the pond was awake with fish, and the sound from the waterfalls was so calming, I could fall asleep on the porch. It was the ideal place to have an outdoor office on the warmer days.

  Inside, the open floorplan was handcrafted with beams and customized French doors throughout. There were two master bedrooms upstairs, and each had their own bathroom. There was a shared loft between the rooms that overlooked the main floor from both sides. The main floor had a library enclosed with two sets of double French doors. It was gorgeous and something I didn’t notice I needed in my life. It looked over the backyard and had an impressive view of the lake. Off to the corner, a door invited me out to the second-floor deck that wrapped around the backside of the cabin, again with pleasing views of the lake. This would be a perfect place to have my morning coffee once I invested in some furniture.

  The walk-out basement was open and set up for a wood smith. The previous owner had his own business creating leather mugs, belts, and handbags. I didn’t know what I would use this space for, but for now, I would leave it as is. It was like a memorial to the preceding owner when I stepped down here. Some tools still dangled on the hooks, and I found a few scraps of leather as I washed the house, so I arranged those on the table he once used.

  The previous owner had been the sole owner. This was his dream home he built with his bare hands. He lived here for some thirty years, bef
ore passing away from a heart condition while visiting family down south. He was a widow, so his home went on the market and remained vacant for a year. According to the realtor, the weather turned potential buyers away. They didn’t want to invest the amount of money they were asking if they would only live here four months out of the year. Yes, winter lasted about eight months up here.

  The wind howled, and I peered up to glance at the clock.

  6:25.

  Shit! I said to myself as I logged in to video chat with Margo. She didn’t answer. I bolted from my chair when I heard a loud knock on my front door. I never had company up here, and the closest neighbor, Easton, always used the patio door to come in, and he never came after dark. I put my cell phone in my pocket and headed towards the door. At first, I didn’t turn on the light, so I could stare out through the peephole. I flipped on the light and opened the door in tense excitement.

  “Brooks!” I announced, more like a question.

  “Hey, Erika,” he beamed. It was like my full heart melted all over again as he stood there staring at me.

  “What...” I tried to say before he stopped me.

  “I was just passing thorough and wanted to check in and say hi. So, hi.”

  “I didn’t know you knew where I lived.”

  “Yeah, trust me, it was quite the labyrinth I had to go through to find you.” He shivered and nudged his hands into his pockets.

  “I’m so sorry. C’mon in. You don’t need to stand in the cold.”

  “Thanks,” he smirked.

  “Take your boots off and stay for a bit. Well, if you have time.”

  “I don’t want to stay too long. Just needed to see you before I...”

  We both made eye contact and chuckled as the wind roared.

  “We’re getting a massive storm.”

  He grinned.

  It thrilled me to have not only company, but to see him again, even if it was forbidden.

  Chapter Two

  I watched Brooks get comfortable as he wrapped up with the blanket I had folded over my couch. There was so much to catch up on, we were topic hopping for the first few hours—like friends picking up on all the lost years.

  “So, how is Jaden?” I asked as I set my glass of whiskey on the coffee table between us.

  He acted more serious. “He’s better now.”

  “Good. Good,” I acknowledged. “I was hoping he wouldn’t become traumatized by her.” I meant his wife, or ex-wife now. Either way, she did everything she could to use Jaden as a missile against Brooks.

  “I didn’t come here to talk about him.” Brooks smiled. His eyes went from me to his whiskey glass, and then he directed his gaze on the fireplace. “I needed to see you. When I heard the rumors you had left back then, I couldn’t believe ‘em. I drove by your house for weeks, hoping it wasn’t true. Then when I saw the For Sale sign, it was like a dagger to my heart.” His voice trailed off as he glanced at me. “So, why did you move?” he asked.

  “I’m sure you heard more rumors than me. I mean, we were both part of the rumor for a while. The small-town scandal, I think would be a proper term I suppose.” I took a sip of whiskey and sat up in my chair. His smirk was an acknowledgment he knew what I meant. “I felt I had to leave town, or that they ran me out of town. Kind of felt like I just had to get out of there.”

  “In the middle of the night?”

  “You heard that rumor too, huh? No, I didn’t leave in the middle of the night like some have said. I left during normal daylight hours. Even rented a moving truck.” I rolled my eyes and grinned. “I rented an apartment about an hour away, in White Cove. Stayed there for a few years to save up money, and then I found this place. Couldn’t pass it up. Moved here a few months ago.”

  He responded with a smile. “I don’t know the truth from the gossip. And didn’t pay much attention to what everyone was saying. I just wanted to know the truth. It felt like people wanted to find out something from me, like I knew what happened.”

  “It was too much. My divorce. Us. Hearing details from so many women in town, I didn’t know what to think anymore. It pushed me to the edge by everyone.”

  “I tried to be there for you.”

  He did. I could sense the sadness in his words. “If I could’ve changed how things ended, I would relive all that pain. I would go through everything all over again if I could change how it all ended.”

  “Who says it ended?”

  I studied him with questions written all over my face.

  “Who says it ended? Do you think that just because you moved away, everything stopped? That people avoided talking about you? About me? Us? Do you think they just stopped like that?”

  I shrugged my shoulders.

  “I’m not mad at you. You did what you had to do. For you.”

  “I’m furious with myself, Brooks. I knew what I needed to do, or what I should do, and I chose to just take off.”

  “I didn’t come here to call you out, or hurt you, or make you feel worse. I didn’t come here to bring up past hurt emotions. I just needed to see you since I was passing through. But you know, Erika...” He took a deep breath, stretched back on the couch, put his elbows on his knees, and stared back at me. “You hurt me. Bad. The way you left hurt me deep. It was like I was divorcing you instead of her. You walking away almost killed me. And hell, an hour away? I would have driven an hour if that meant I could see you. You know that.”

  “I’m sorry...”

  “I was so in love with you. Guess I was more in love with you than you were with me. Don’t take that the wrong way, I’m just saying how I felt. How is it you always get me to reveal my feelings, and I can never open up to anybody? But when it’s you, I can open my entire soul up to you so easily.” He laughed. “Explain that.”

  Sleet pitted against the window as a burst of wind blew like it could lift the roof off the cabin.

  “I should get going,” he said as he stood. “Thank you for answering your door. I contemplated for a good half hour down the road if I should even pull into your driveway.”

  “Well, I’m glad you stopped.”

  “Sure?”

  “Positive. It was nice to catch up and nice to see you. Tell Jaden I said hi when you get back.”

  He said nothing—just stood from the couch and folded the blanket before following me towards the kitchen. I set my glass on the counter and closed my laptop, noticing that Margo had not returned my video call.

  My heart plunged into my chest when Brooks placed his hands on my shoulders and squeezed. “Thank you,” he whispered. “I needed this.”

  “Thank you for stopping by.”

  He grinned as he put on his boots and zipped his jacket. He lifted off his ballcap, ran his hands through his hair, put the cap back on, and opened the door. A forceful gust of air blasted the door against the wall as snow flew inside. Brooks grabbed the door and closed it. “So, what are the odds you have a shovel inside here?” He chuckled. “It looks like it snowed a solid four feet already!” He expressed more in shock.

  I just giggled at him. “It couldn’t have snowed that much.” I stepped towards the door and glanced outside. “Oh, my...”

  “See?” he roared. “Is that not four feet or close to it?”

  “That came down fast. I can’t believe it snowed that much. You haven’t even been here that long.”

  “So, do you have a shovel in here?”

  “Oh, yeah. No.” I grinned. “I wasn’t planning to go anywhere, so I didn’t grab it.”

  “Where is it?”

  “In my garage.”

  He shook his head and grinned. “If I would have thought it would snow like this, I would’ve worn something other than work boots.”

  “That is a lot of snow,” I repeated as I stared out the window. “Maybe you should just stay here for the night.”

  He peered at me.

  “It’s also expected to get worse. As in trapped inside for a week, worse.”

  “What?” he re
plied. “That’s just what they say to keep the idiots off the roads.”

  I chuckled. “Is that what you think?”

  He winked.

  We listened to the wind howl as the ice pelted the glass. “Just stay here for the night instead of driving in this.”

  “I’ll be fine. It’s just snow.”

  “It’s also almost seven o’clock and dark out. Plows won’t be out in this.”

  “Are you sure you want me to stay? I only meant to stop for a quick...”

  “I’m sure. I have an extra bedroom upstairs. It even has its own private bathroom. At least stay for the night, and you can head out in the morning when it’s light out. Maybe they’ll have some roads plowed by then.”

  “Okay. Well, let me attempt to get my bag out of my truck.” He turned to smile at me, opened the door, and forged his way through the snow towards his truck.

  It would be nice to have company for a change. No one had dropped by since I moved here. Well, I shouldn’t say no one. Margo came by when I was unpacking. And Easton, the neighbor who lived in the nearest cabin, dropped by sometimes. But that was it. I was alone up here. To say I felt lonely wouldn’t be true. I loved every minute of the solitude. It was a good thing I got along so well with myself.

  I watched Brooks struggle against the wind and blowing sleet. He made it to his truck and once he could get the door open, he dove inside, closing it. He flipped on the cab light, and I could see him fumbling around in his truck.

  Things were messy. Life was chaotic. We had a good thing, he and I, but it was the wrong time for both of us. He always told me I would have loved him had I met him first. He was wrong. I loved him. I still loved him more than I could explain. Things moved fast that summer. That’s all it took—two weeks to rebound on the road to complete destruction. It was like taking hold of string and tugging down the sky all around us as we lingered away—our life shattering on the ground. But we were too blind in passion to notice the destruction.

  Chapter Three

  “So, tell me,” Brooks began as he leaned up against the island in the kitchen. He clutched his glass of whiskey and took a sip as he smirked at me. “How is it you’ve kept us out of your books?”