Woeful Pines Read online

  Woeful Pines

  Copyright © 2015 by S.Y. Thompson

  Acknowledgments

  Dedication

  Epigraph

  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

  Other Titles from S.Y. Thompson

  Other Mystic Books

  About the Author

  Visit Us On Line

  Also by S.Y. Thompson:

  The Under Series

  Under Devil’s Snare

  Under The Midnight Cloak

  Other Titles

  Destination Alara

  Now You See Me

  Fractured Futures

  Woeful Pines

  by

  S.Y. Thompson

  Mystic Books

  by Regal Crest

  Texas

  Copyright © 2015 by S.Y. Thompson

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. The characters, incidents and dialogue herein are fictional and any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  Print ISBN 978-1-61929-220-8

  eBook ISBN 978-1-61929-219-2

  First Printing 2015

  9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  Cover design by Acorn Graphics

  Published by:

  Regal Crest Enterprises, LLC

  229 Sheridan Loop

  Belton, TX 76513

  Find us on the World Wide Web at http://www.regalcrest.biz

  Published in the United States of America

  Acknowledgments

  I’d like to acknowledge and thank the readers, my friends and family as well as the other fiction authors who inspire me. Heartfelt gratitude always to Linda North, who is available anytime I need help brainstorming. No one is a better friend or beta. Heather Flournoy who is the best editor ever, I learn so much from you each time we run through the process. Thanks also to Mary Hettel and Brenda Adcock, part of the wonder team that help me improve as a writer.

  Dedication

  For the ones who never fail to go along with my crazy habit of writing for hours on end; my fur-children. Bruce, Sassy, Xander, Jazz, Grayson, Bella and Cletus.

  Epigraph

  “And yet to every bad, there is a worse.”

  ~Thomas Hardy

  Chapter One

  DRIVING HAD BECOME unsafe. The interstate wound through the mountains, rolling on like the drive to infinity. There weren’t any lights along the shoulders of the road in this segment of the Kentucky blacktop. Heavy rainclouds as dark as charcoal inside a grill obscured any sign of a moon, full or otherwise. Wipers failed to sweep the relentless downpour from the windshield, forcing Emily Bannon onto an access lane just a short distance from the main roadway. Warning lights from construction barricades flashed some distance ahead, illuminating a battered sign that announced her arrival into the weather-beaten burg of Woeful Pines.

  A chill of foreboding corkscrewed down her spine and Emily attempted to shake it off by speaking aloud. “Cheerful name. Why didn’t you call it Devil’s Backbone or Hell’s Half Acre? I wonder if that explains the welcoming committee.”

  There wasn’t a soul in sight, though she could hardly blame them. The weather wasn’t even fit for ducks, much less two-legged, featherless, furless humans. The reduced speed went a long way toward improving visibility but that wasn’t really saying much. As quickly as the wipers cleared the rain, the glass fogged. Tall trees scattered the monotonous strobe from the barricades. Overall, the scene was far from cheerful but it was enough to reveal a paint-bare sign, the name all but obscured: Danny’s Garage.

  “What do you know? A real live service station.”

  Emily’s dry sarcasm was a familiar habit she adopted when unsure of a situation and she fell back on it now. The Chevy’s tank was half full but fuel wasn’t her priority. The garage would provide an overhang and brief respite from the deluge. Maybe if she was lucky, Emily could find an all night café and get something decent to eat. The closed Dairy Queen a few miles back at Lebanon Junction was the only restaurant of any type she’d seen. Emily was hoping for a Denny’s or IHOP to come her way. She could definitely go for a stack of blueberry pancakes smothered in butter and syrup.

  She had spent the last week at Pine Mountain Park enjoying her favorite past time, hiking. Emily planned to spend the rest of her somewhat forced vacation at a rustic cabin in the Kentucky hills. The Bureau owned it, but so far she wasn’t having the best of luck locating it. The cabin should have only been a few hours’ drive from the park, but the storm had started almost as soon as she climbed behind the wheel. Now darkness was pressing in and with the force of the rain, she had to concede to a night spent sleeping in the car.

  Finally, Emily located the ramshackle station. The concrete pad it rested on was cracked and weeds had pushed their way up through the openings. She steered the Tahoe into the parking lot next to the defunct pumps and out of the storm. With the rain no longer pounding directly on the roof, the weather didn’t seem quite as bad and she looked around curiously. Boarded-up windows masked the interior of the service center. Now that she studied the scene more closely, the whole town seemed deserted. No lights shone from any of the buildings she could see and there weren’t any street lamps. Emily recalled the sign announcing her arrival into Woeful Pines was also rather worn and battered. Had she somehow stumbled into a deserted mining town?

  It was possible, but not likely. Emily figured the residents had probably all gone home when the lightning started. No doubt, the owner of this particular non-functional business was just another victim of the economy. She wasn’t concerned. As a backpacking enthusiast, Emily was familiar with small, backwoods towns that time had all but forgotten. In the morning, the sun would be shining and barefoot kids wearing coveralls would be running all over the place. As long as the temperature didn’t drop too drastically, she’d be fine. It was warm enough now, even with the storm, and one more night of roughing it wasn’t going to kill her.

  Emily shut off the car, unbuckled the seatbelt, and pushed the unruly dark curls away from her face. She slid out from behind the wheel and climbed over the seats into the back. She was in the mountains and it would probably get cool with the engine off. There was no sense in letting the warm air out just to walk around to the back of the car and slide in again.

  Lithe and muscular, her physique was a testament to the high conditioning required for her job. She was grateful for that now as she opened the cooler and pulled out a plastic soda bottle. The ice had melted but things inside were still cold, drifting in a sea of frigid water. After a meal of corn chips, a turkey sandwich, and Pepsi, she settled into the sleeping bag. Quarters were tight but she was exhausted from the week’s activities and drifted toward sleep. Emily relaxed into the quilted down. While never completely unaware of her surroundings or the dangers presented from sleeping in a parked car, she could still manage a few hours of restful slumber.

  THE TWO HIDING behind the old blacksmith’s station utilized the cover provided by the huge trees. They did nothing to draw attention to themselves, a deliberate and often used tactic to
avoid detection. As they watched in silence, they saw the vehicle pull into Danny’s and heard the engine shut off. With a glance of mutual understanding, they agreed to wait to see if the occupant stayed the night. This was a familiar routine enacted so many times the need to speak was rare. The identity of the driver didn’t matter, man or woman. The only concern was that the targets were healthy and unimpaired by physical disabilities. By watching how their intended victim moved through the Chevy to climb into the sleeping bag, both requirements were satisfied. It was just a matter of patience now. They would eliminate the target if for any reason their prey somehow failed to measure up to their criteria. The vehicle was a newer model and that was in itself worth the effort of acquiring.

  Almost an hour later, the heavy rain came to a grudging halt. It continued to sprinkle for another twenty minutes, but finally the two decided it was time to move. One man, older and more seasoned, led the way. Mike Kurth considered himself the risk taker. He was the one who was always confident and sure of their right to do exactly what they wanted. He felt blessed with a lean and athletic body, and easily avoided the worst of the puddles to stay on firm ground. The slightest noise could wake their target and the game might end before it got a good start.

  He saw his brother Joey smile at him and then his eyes fixed on the Chevy. Their movements were silent and well coordinated. Mike moved around behind the car while Joey moved directly to the rear driver-side door. When they were both in position Mike looked down and found the doors locked, but he’d come prepared. He carried a Slim Jim lockout tool. If he had to he’d smash the window, but if he did, speed would be required to subdue their victim and things could get ugly very quickly. On the other side of the vehicle, his brother knelt down near one of the rear wheels.

  The crunch of tires on gravel alerted them seconds before a brown Jeep Patriot maneuvered through the trees. Bullitt County Sheriff’s Department was clearly emblazoned on the door. As a precaution, the pair crouched and scuttled back over to the blacksmith’s building. Mike expected that the vehicle would drive out of sight and they would be free to continue unimpeded. The storm had started up again and rivulets of rainwater cascaded down his face and soaked into his clothing.

  Instead of driving on, the law enforcement vehicle pulled in next to the white SUV. Mike heard the vehicle come to a stop, simultaneously watching his younger brother’s expression turn to one with which he was all too familiar. He called it Joey’s “whiney face.” He raised a hand, motioned for Joey to be quiet, and watched to see what would happen next.

  Chapter Two

  SHERIFF JENNA YANG frowned at the white Chevy Tahoe, wondering who in the world could be way out here. The vehicle was dark and quiet. She had the feeling it had been sitting for some time. There weren’t any motels in the immediate area so whoever owned the vehicle was surely asleep inside. Jenna wasn’t afraid of the driver, per se, but in an age where it wasn’t uncommon for your next-door neighbor to be a serial killer, a little common sense was in order. She reached for the radio mic and squeezed the button to talk to the night dispatcher.

  “Robbie, are you there?”

  “No, stepped out to get a burger, Sheriff. What can I do for you?”

  Jenna smiled at the young man’s good humor. “Hey, run an Ohio plate for wants and warrants, will you?”

  “Sure. Is something wrong?”

  “Probably not.” Jenna gave him the Chevy’s plate number and waited for a moment while Robert Landry keyed the information into the computer.

  “It comes back to one Emily Denise Bannon. Thirty-seven, black hair, blue eyes. No wants or warrants. Everything okay there?”

  “Just fine, Robbie. It looks like Ms. Bannon decided to wait out the storm at Danny Miller’s old garage in Woeful Pines.”

  “Smart move. That storm’s pretty bad, especially if you don’t know the roads.”

  “Right. I’ll just check on our guest and be on my way home, Robbie.”

  “Ten-four, Sheriff.”

  Jenna clipped the mic back to the radio and jammed the Smokey onto her straight black hair. She pulled the neck of the green rain slicker a little tighter and stepped into the soggy night. Mud splashed over the tops of her black waterproof boots, but Jenna barely noticed as she walked to the overhang and what little protection it could provide from the elements. Her eyes remained fixed on the silent vehicle, checking for any movement that would indicate a threat. There were no sounds to disturb the scene other than the rain, not even the pop and tick of a cooling engine. She couldn’t feel any heat when she held her hand over the hood. Her first assessment had been correct; the vehicle had been sitting there for a while.

  Jenna pulled a flashlight from her Sam Browne belt and clicked it on, shining it around the exterior of the Tahoe out of habit before she checked out the cab. Even before she directed the light inside, she knew the driver wasn’t behind the wheel. After a few seconds, she spotted a quilted lump in the rear. The seats had been let down and someone was snoozing away in a sleeping bag. The occupant was about to receive a rude awakening, but better from her than someone else with malicious intent.

  Strange happenings had been going on for the last few months. There were things Jenna couldn’t quite put her finger on, but something was definitely off. Grim thoughts swirled in her mind as Jenna used the rim of the flashlight to tap on the side glass. The occupant jerked and immediately sat up. Wide, discerning eyes met hers. Though the occupant didn’t seem particularly frightened, Jenna rushed to reassure her.

  “Bullitt County Sheriff’s Department. My name’s Sheriff Yang. Are you all right?” Jenna bit back a smile when a look of irritation washed over the stranger’s face. The expression gave her the impression that this woman wasn’t easily intimidated.

  “Well I was. You just scared ten years off my life.”

  “Sorry about that.” The annoyed look remained and Jenna thought Ms. Bannon doubted her sincerity. “Look, I really didn’t mean to scare you, but it’s not safe to sleep out here by yourself.”

  Finally, Emily Bannon leaned over and opened the door a crack so they didn’t have to shout through the glass. Jenna grasped the edge of the door and opened it enough that they could communicate, but not enough to soak the interior of the car with the rain that dripped off her hat’s brim.

  “And just what’s so dangerous about this place? It looks pretty deserted to me.”

  Jenna shrugged. “You hear stories every day about things happening. I’d just rather they didn’t happen in my county.”

  “You’ve got a point, but I didn’t really have much of a choice.”

  “So I see.”

  Emily glanced overhead. “Yeah, you really have some rain out this way. I thought I’d pull over and try to wait out the storm.”

  “Actually, I meant that you must have driven over something when you pulled off the main road. You have a flat.”

  “What?” Emily clearly didn’t believe her.

  “See for yourself.”

  The stranger struggled for a moment to extricate herself from the sleeping bag, pausing to push curly black hair out of her eyes, and then stepped out onto the concrete. Jenna detected a sweet scent that reminded her of cloves and vanilla. She noticed that Emily barely reached her shoulder height, but she wasn’t really paying attention to Jenna. Emily’s attention was on the rear tire.

  “That’s great. Now what? This gas station doesn’t exactly look like it’s been open for business recently.”

  Jenna was accustomed to helping out stranded motorists. It was part of the job description and not unheard of for a small town area.

  “It’s no problem. Do you have a spare?”

  “Yes, but...You’re not suggesting that you change it?”

  “It’s all right. I don’t mind.”

  For a moment, it occurred to Jenna that this woman was saying she wasn’t strong enough and she felt tempted to be offended. Then their eyes met and she forgot about the topic of conversation. She felt like
someone had just removed all of the oxygen from the world around her. In that brief instant, it was difficult to draw breath. Immediately annoyed, Jenna clamped down on her unexpected reaction. Emily didn’t seem to notice and continued speaking.

  “I mind. It’s cold out here and the wind is blowing rain under the overhang. If you can recommend a hotel, I’ll get the tire fixed in the morning. That is, if there’s a working service station around here somewhere.” Emily hugged herself and Jenna noticed it had cooled significantly with the thunderstorm.

  “Why don’t you grab whatever you need and hop in my car? I’ll run you over to a hotel in Grays Landing. It’s only a couple of miles from here and Danny can bring you back to fix the tire in the morning.”

  Emily smiled for the first time and Jenna was so stunned she almost missed what she said next. “So Danny is still around?”

  “Yeah, he moved the station into Grays Landing a few months ago. The business is better there.”

  “Go figure. All right, Sheriff. I’ll take you up on your offer. Let me grab my stuff.”

  Jenna waited while Emily pulled on a lightweight jacket and began cramming belongings into a bag. Watching the smaller woman’s quick strong hands, she felt a shiver of awareness trail down her spine and wondered what was wrong with her. She had moved out to this part of Kentucky five years ago and felt no desire to be with any woman she’d seen. Now, in less than ten minutes, she couldn’t seem to keep her eyes off this beautiful stranger.