…the living are always more dangerous than the dead…
Happy Halloween!
If you’re in the mood for a ‘dark and stormy night in a haunted house‘ kind of romance novel, MIDNIGHT COVE is the book for you.
Writer Bree Blaylock leaves Florida and an abusive fiance for a quiet cabin on the lake in a small South Carolina town. The fact that the cabin is haunted doesn’t bother her in the least. In her experience, the living are always more dangerous than the dead.
When she meets her handsome new neighbor, local lawman Jake Hanson, she wonders if it might be time to take another chance on love.
But can Jake keep her safe when the past comes calling?
Here’s a brand-new teaser from MIDNIGHT COVE.
With Main Street blocked off, Rusty parked the truck in a designated area, and the pair set off on foot, joining dozens of other costumed townspeople as they made their way toward the center of the action.
Midnight Cove had been transformed into a black and orange fairyland that would have made Tim Burton proud. Orange lights were strung back and forth in zig-zag patterns across Main Street, and carved jack o’ lanterns of varying temperaments grinned in front of every business.
The nostalgic aroma of fried dough and onions and fresh popcorn filled the air as Bree spied a row of food kiosks down the center of the street. An area at one end of the street featured Halloween-themed carnival games for children, and residents had begun to arrange their chairs along the sidewalks, huge containers of candy at the ready for the trick-or-treating to begin.
At the opposite end of Main Street from the games, several stands offered adult beverages, and that’s where Rusty led Bree. “I told her to meet us at the Dew Drop Inn tent,” he explained. It’s right in front of the bookstore.
Just as they arrived at the orange and black canopy, the door of the Plucky Peacock opened, and a familiar figure emerged. She locked the door and walked toward them.
“Hey, y’all! Ooh, Bree, you look fantastic! I love your makeup.” She rose on her tiptoes and gave Rusty a kiss.
Bree shrugged lightly. “It’s not too much, is it?”
“Girl, it’s Halloween. Let it all hang out, that’s what I say. Speaking of which,” she lowered her voice, “great cleavage! Jake’s gonna love it.”
Beneath the heavy makeup, Bree blushed profusely. “So, what’s this all about?” She waved toward April, hoping to change the subject.
April held her hands out to her side and slowly rotated in a circle. “Get it?” she grinned happily.
Bree scanned her friend up and down. April was covered from her shoulders to her knees in a shaggy brown faux fur tube. Her arms and legs stuck out from holes in the sides, and the whole thing narrowed to an elongated point that dragged on the ground several feet behind her. A round fur hat completed the ensemble.
“What are you supposed to be?” Bree wondered.
April rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “I’m a tail.” She tucked her arm through Rusty’s. “He’s a fairy. Together, we’re a fairy tale.” She gestured between herself and Rusty.
“Oh, for Pete’s sake,” Bree laughed lightly. “Listen, have you seen Jake?”
“I don’t know. He was down here earlier, but they may have sent him to the kids’ area. We’ll find him later. Let’s go get us some Witches Brew.”
Bree glanced around, but Jake was nowhere to be seen. Reluctantly, she joined April and Rusty in line. Ten minutes later, they each held a black plastic bucket containing a fruity alcohol concoction.
“Thirty-two ounces of different kinds of rum with a tiny splash of juice.” April giggled. “Any other day, it’s called a voodoo bucket, but on Halloween, they call it Witches Brew.”
Bree sipped hers, deciding the combination of different rums and juice was an enjoyable mixture.
“Okay, what now?” Rusty asked.
“I really need to find Jake,” Bree responded.
“I thought we could work our way over to the nachos.” April sounded a bit disappointed.
“You guys go ahead,” Bree told her. “I’ll catch up with you in a little while.”
April looked to Rusty and rolled her eyes comically. “The girl has the serious hots for your best friend,” she told him.
Bree laughed with more patience than she felt. “Really, I’ll find you again. And thanks for the drink. Next round is on me.”
“Now, you’re talking. Okay, go find Jakey-boy,” Rusty teased. “We’ll see you in a while.”
Bree watched the pair make their way to one of the food tents. Then she turned and headed back toward the other end of the street. Her sense of unease growing, her gaze flitted around as she scanned the crowd searching for Jake.
She finally spotted him just as he was leaving the children’s game area. Before she could reach him, he was stopped by Darlene Bright, who was sporting a very short plaid skirt and a white blouse tied around her bare midriff. Her long blond hair hung in pigtails, and she wore white knee socks and black stilettos.
Nodding at something Darlene said, Jake looked up and saw Bree coming toward them. Grinning broadly, he excused himself and met Bree in three long strides.
“Hello, beautiful! You make just about the sexiest witch I ever saw.” He leaned down to kiss her lightly. “And I see you found the official Halloween libation. Where are Rusty and April?”
Bree hooked a thumb over her shoulder. “They went to get something to eat. I wanted to find you, though.”
“The festival’s going really well,” he commented, looking out over the crowd. “The weather is perfect, and everyone’s having a great time. Are you hungry? The onion rings are to die for. My treat?”
Shaking her head, she put her free hand on his arm. “I need to talk to you.”
At her urgent tone, he frowned. “Is everything okay?”
She sighed deeply. “It’s just…” She looked around. “Can we talk someplace quiet?” She dropped her drink into a nearby trash can.
He nodded. “Sure. Come with me.”
Taking her hand, he led her through the crowd to the police station. The front doors were unlocked, and he led her through a swinging wooden gate into the inner office. Brow furrowed, he turned to face her, leaning a hip on one of the desks. “What’s the matter, Bree? You’re worrying me.”
She exhaled sharply and paced a few steps away. “This is going to sound nuts. But I need you to believe me.”
Jake crossed his arms and nodded. “Just tell me what’s going on.”
“Mr. Meyer killed that girl all those years ago. Christie. And he killed his brother, Steven, too.” She wrung her hands together, desperate for Jake to believe her.
His frown deepened, and he swiped his hand across his chin. “What makes you think so?”
Bree chewed her lip, hesitating. “I saw him do it.”
She watched his eyes widen.
“You saw him.” He shook his head. “Bree, that murder happened forty years ago. How could you have seen it?”
“I know how this sounds, Jake. But I saw him. Out on the island. I don’t think he set out to do it, but he strangled Christie, then he hit Steven in the head with a rock. He buried Steven in the basement of the lake house.”
Pushing away from the desk, he approached her, taking her hands in his. “Bree, I just don’t understand. What do you mean, you saw him do these things?”
“It was a dream.” Her voice was nearly a whisper.
Relief flooded Jake’s face. “A dream. Bree, you just dreamed you saw Meyer do those things.”
Frustrated tears threatened to spill down her cheeks, and she swallowed hard. “Jake, I need you to believe me. It’s true. The murderer has been here the whole time. People should know the truth. Steven and Christie deserve justice.”
He watched her for a moment, then pulled her to himself, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “It’s not that I don’t believe you, babe. But let’s say I do believe you. I can’t act on something you saw in a dream. I need concrete evidence, something irrefutable. I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to–“
With a grunt, Jake went limp and slid to the floor. Where he’d been, Eric Meyer stood glaring at her, a heavy glass paperweight in his hand.
“See what you made me do?” he said to Bree.
MIDNIGHT COVE by Pandora Spocks
Pandora Spocks 