Hello viewers, here is the blurb and excerpt for “Blood Ties,” one story in Wicked Intentions a paranormal/mystery anthology availabe now.
BLURB:
After the mysterious disappearance of twenty-six year old wife and mother Lisa Smalley, her twin, Audra Roper, begins having dark and disturbing visions of Lisa’s disappearance. Trying to survive while looking for Lisa, Audra’s life becomes a roller coaster of risks, heartbreak, and intrigue.
EXCERPT:
Blood Ties
“Wake up, sleepy head,” said a cheerful Kyle Roper to his snoring sister Audra. Living next door with a key to her place, he often visited unannounced”¦like this morning.
Audra stirred in her canopy bed, then slowly opened one bloodshot eye. “Is it morning already?” she asked, releasing a Wild Turkey and Coca Cola scented yawn.
“Wooo”¦weee”¦” said Kyle as he waved the noxious fumes away from his face. “I’m glad you’re on vacation so you can sleep late. What time did you bad girls leave the bar?”
“One hour after closing,” she said rolling onto her back and pushing her long chocolate-colored hair from her mascara-streaked face. “I feel like crap.”
“Maybe sooo”¦but if you’re gonna take Mom to the hairdressers, ya got less then an hour to shower and make it on time.”
“Eight a.m. is too early to be getting a perm. What’s wrong with that sweet mom of ours?”
“She’s an early bird, unlike a pair of twins I know,” he said pulling back the covers to reveal his sister’s Asian inspired silk pajamas. “I gotta go. I’ll call ya later.” He then left the room as Audra reluctantly rose from her bed.
Immediately she felt a severe pain in her abdomen and cried out, alerting her brother just before he reached the front door. He raced to her side and found her kneeling on the floor, holding her stomach with both hands. “Audra, what’s wrong?” He lifted her petite body onto the bed. “Do you need an ambulance?”
Her face twisted in agony. Each word was a struggle to release. “Lisa! Lisa!” She sobbed, horrifying her big brother.
“What about Lisa?” He shook her to get a response.
“Lisa,” she whispered before fainting. Kyle was shaking with the realization his other sister needed help. He grabbed the nearby telephone from the side table and frantically dialed Lisa’s number.
On the third ring, his brother-in-law Doug Smalley answered. “Hello,” he said with a grumpy tone.
“Doug, I need to talk to Lisa,” Kyle said with urgency.
There was a moment of silence. “Do you know what time it is? She’s asleep. She didn’t get in till after four. She’s dead to the world.”
“Well then”¦tell her ta call me or Audra as soon as she gets up,” said Kyle. “Don’t forget, Doug.”
“When could I ever forget my in-laws?” The line went dead.
“Bastard!” said Kyle before returning the receiver to its base.
At that moment, Audra regained consciousness. “I need to call Lisa.”
“Don’t bother. I already did, and she’s asleep.”
“Your stomach feeling better? How’s your head?” he asked, sitting down on the bed next to her.
“Can you get me two aspirins from the bathroom medicine cabinet?” Her older brother obliged. He returned shortly with the tablets and a glass of water. Audra swallowed the pills and liquid then said, “Something has happened. I can feel it. Like when we were kids and Lisa or me got hurt”¦”
“And one twin felt the other twin’s pain?” he said, finishing the explanation.
“Yes! It was just like that”¦but much worse.”
“Doug promised to tell Lisa I called.”
“So you didn’t talk directly to Lisa?”
“No, but you and I both know it’s not just alcohol Lisa is prob’ly on.”
Audra rebelled at her brother’s accusations against their sister. “So you believe Doug’s lies about Lisa using drugs?”
“Don’t forget I had a drug addiction once. I know the signs of a heroin addict. When Lisa calls you, make it clear to her that she needs to get help if she wants custody of the kids in the divorce.”
“If Lisa loses those kids, she’ll just die.”
“And that’s exactly why she must get help. I gotta go,” he said, kissing Audra on the cheek and leaving.
After hearing the front door shut, she remembered her previous obligation. “Oh crap! Mom!” She jumped off the bed and into the shower.
* * * *
Audra spent the next five hours with her beloved sixty-year old widowed mother. They spent the afternoon getting their hair done, shopping and eating cheeseburgers, and fries at the local Dairy Queen and washing everything down with chocolate milkshakes. When all was said and done, Audra dropped her mother off at her senior housing unit. She then drove straight to Lisa’s house which sat on the outskirts of the deserted coal mining town of New Straitsville, population 744.
She parked directly in front of the small two bedroom single story house. She saw both Lisa and Doug’s vehicles and hoped the two were amicable with one another that day. Their marriage had been rocky for the past year, and only recently had Doug agreed to a divorce and Lisa retaining custody of the couple’s two young boys. Doug was bi-polar though and changed his mind faster than a revolving door, just to give Lisa a hard time.
After a deep breath to relieve tension and work up her nerve, Audra exited her pick-up and approached the faded white wooden fence that surrounded the once manicured lawn. As she walked up the sidewalk leading to the porch, she thought of how Lisa had prided herself in keeping the yard faithfully mowed and the flower bed weeded. But for the past six months, Lisa had paid little attention to her home and family and more to her mysterious night life and peculiar new friends that Audra had inadvertently heard about through former classmates. Could Doug be correct about Lisa’s alleged drug use, Audra wondered? The thought frightened her.
She knocked on the solid wood door out of respect. Before, when Lisa and Doug were happy, Audra and other family members never needed to knock when visiting. Now though, Audra and her mom felt uncomfortable and sometimes even intimidated when visiting Lisa and the children while Doug was present. At times, his dark eyes burned holes through his future ex-in-laws. Today was the first time Audra and Doug would speak in the past two months. She was not looking forward to the meeting and sweat profusely as she waited for the door to open.
Soon she heard heavy footsteps and knew Doug was approaching. She thought that odd if Lisa was home. Everyone who knew Doug knew he hated answering the door or telephone. He was the Neanderthal type when it came to entertaining. He insisted Lisa tend to any guests and be his round-the-clock maid. Once Doug’s work day was over, he never left the recliner until bedtime. Lisa even ran his shower or bath water, along with picking out his night wear, gathering his towel and getting the temperature just right for his large frame.
Audra wiped the sweat from her brow and dried her palms on her jeans as the door cracked open to reveal an unshaved and seemingly un-bathed Doug from the smell coming out of the small opening. “Hey, Doug, is sis home?”
He yawned wide and said. “No. She and my mom went to town for groceries.”
“Could I come in and wait?”
He hesitated momentarily. Audra found that odd also. “Is there some reason I shouldn’t come in?”
“No,” he said, opening the door wide and stepping back to allow Audra to enter.
She smiled extra big and entered. Once inside, she was shocked at the mess. “Did ya have a wild party I wasn’t invited to?” She then forced an awkward laugh which made Doug uncomfortable because he squirmed where he stood.
“Ahhh”¦.no. Jest some guys over for cards and beer when you girls were out last night. I’ll help Lisa straighten up when she gits back.”
Audra moved about the room, wondering what the hell happened. She knew Lisa was an immaculate housekeeper, but”¦she was pre-occupied these days. Maybe due to the stress of the upcoming divorce Lisa was too downhearted to clean house. Or perhaps Doug had entertained male friends last night and that being the reason the house was in disarray. Right now, everything was confusing, and Audra had a history of being a worry-wart. Perhaps there was nothing to be alarmed about, but she knew she would worry about Lisa’s unexplained absence until they could speak face-to-face.
“So”¦how you getting along these days?” she asked, not wanting Doug to see her apprehension. “The coal business still treating you good?”
“Yeah”¦yeah,” he said. “I’m still work’n.” A moment of silence engulfed the room. “So how’s the insurance secretary business go’n fer you?”
“Real good!” she said with far more enthusiasm than she felt. “At a meeting the other day we discussed how law enforcement is concerned about the drugs being brought in from other states. It’s gotten to be a real problem in this area. Insurance prices will go up with all the breaking and entering crimes, accidents and muggings the police say are connected with those drugs.”
“With all the real criminals in the world, you’d think the law would have better things ta do then chase down poor drug addicts?”
What was Lisa thinking when she married this moron, thought Audra. “And that’s a good point you got there, Doug,” she said. “Ya know, my throat’s dry. Do you think I could get a glass of water from the kitchen?” she asked, walking off toward the back of the home.
“Sure, help yourself.” Doug watched her until she was out of sight.
Once in the kitchen, she snuck down the short hall into the bathroom. Lying on the sink counter were Lisa’s makeup bag and birth control pills. Unlike her, Lisa loved wearing make-up. If Lisa had left Doug or town, she would have taken her personal belongings.
“Did ya find the glasses?” he called from the living room.
“Yes!” she called out as the sound of the television set came on. “I’m gonna take the aspirins I have with me.”
Immediately she went to Lisa’s hiding place. It was behind the washing machine in the corner. Reaching behind the machine, Audra located the brown paper sack Lisa kept her sexy clothes in. Articles she wore when clubbing. She quickly opened the bag and removed the items. The sleazy tops and tight miniskirts Lisa now loved wearing were safely hidden from Doug’s clutches. He would surely destroy them if found.
“Audra, you okay?” he called out as the sounds of his stocking feet stomped down the hall.
Audra shoved the items back into the sack and replaced it behind the machine. “I’m fine!” she answered just before pushing down the commode handle. Immediately Doug stopped in his tracks, convinced she was relieving herself. Afterward, she moved to the sink and turned on the water as if washing her hands. “I’m done!” she said, emerging from the room. “Just tell Lisa to give me a call tonight, and don’t be late for Mom’s birthday party tomorrow.” She then walked past Doug and out the front door before he could answer.
Once inside her truck she called Kyle on her cell phone. “I think Lisa’s okay. All her things seem to be at her house.”
“That’s what I thought all along, Audra,” he said with relief. “You worried us both for nothing.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry. Now don’t forget to bring the ice cream and hamburger buns for Mom’s party.”
“I won’t forget this time,” he said with a laugh before they said goodbye and hung up.
* * * *
Audra prepared a cook-out at her mother’s complex. She invited all the residents and held the party in the backyard. Kyle brought the birthday girl down from her apartment, and everyone surprised her by singing “Happy Birthday to You’.
The party was filled with laughter. The birthday girl and guests stayed busy with horseshoes, cards and badminton in the complex’s spacious yard. Audra forgot her worries that afternoon and played the gracious host. She dished out cake and ice cream when not posing for pictures with her mother and Kyle.
It would have been a great day if only Lisa and her children had shown up. Even Doug was a no-show. A birthday was an occasion the other twin never missed. All the siblings were dedicated to their aging mother. No one had heard from Lisa that day though, causing more fears to grow within Audra. Yet another telephone call to Lisa’s house turned up nothing.
“Where’s Lisa and the boys?” asked Martha before joining Audra and Kyle at their table. “She and the boys never miss my birthday.” She sounded disappointed.
“Well”¦you know her and Doug are going through a rough time now,” explained Audra, not wanting to alarm her ailing mother about Lisa’s possible disappearance. “So I guess she had her reasons for not being here.”
Kyle took his mother’s hand in his. “Everything is gonna be okay. I’m sure Lisa has an explanation for her absence.”
“That’s what your lips say, but your heart says different,” said Martha before standing and allowing Kyle to escort her to her apartment.
When her family was out of sight, Audra silently cried. The feeling of doom had returned. She must find Lisa. Her children’s and the family’s happiness depended on it.
Only minutes passed before Kyle spoke from behind Audra, his voice low and concerned. “What do you have in mind?”
Audra dried her face with a napkin from the table. “I’m going to report Lisa missing if I don’t hear from her by tonight, and I’m gonna hound Doug about her whereabouts.”
“What can I do to help? She’s my sister, too,” he said, taking Audra’s hand in his.
“Let me sleep on it, and I’ll get back with you,” she said as they hugged, and she left for home.
Lisa called her siblings and mother like clockwork. As the evening progressed, Audra sipped her wine, paced the floor and watched the wall clock tick. Still no call from Lisa. The fear of something bad seethed in Audra, but she did not want to call Kyle and upset him all over again.
By midnight with still no word from Lisa, Audra telephoned again. Doug answered. The fear of something terribly wrong returned threefold. “Hello,” a drunk-sounding Doug said into the receiver. This time Audra did not care if she woke or angered her bully brother-in-law. She wanted to talk to her missing sister.
“Doug, put Lisa on the phone,” she said adamantly.
Momentary silence filled the air, but then, “What the hell makes you think you can call at this hour and wake me up?” he yelled into the receiver. Just then the sound of a crying child could be heard in the background. “Now look what ya did, bitch. Ya woke up little Jimmy!”
“I want to talk to my sister now!” Audra yelled into the phone. “I won’t take no for an answer.”
“You’re on crack like your slut sister, ain’t ya?” he sneered.
“Lisa’s not there, is she? What did you do to her, you bastard?”
“That bitch left me and the boys for a drug dealer she met in them bars you girls go to. I didn’t do noth’n to her. Now don’t call here again.” He slammed the phone down.
Buy links for “Wicked Intentions” A paranormal/mystery anthology
http://www.melange-books.com/authors/joannemyers/WickedIntentions.html
http://www.lulu.com/shop/search.ep?keyWords=wicked+intentions&categoryId=100501
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