Mystery and Crime Fiction posted January 5, 2022 Chapters: 1 2 -3- 4... 


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Mysteries at Sweet Haven

A chapter in the book Vanished

Vanished - Chap 3

by Begin Again




Background
"Vanished" is the continuing saga of friends whose lives are bound together by love, mystery and crime, and legends about a Lady in White.







As Garth disappeared into the house, Allie and Liz remained in the rose garden, catching up on life, laughing, and enjoying the gorgeous morning.

"Guess Garth forgot about the coffee." Liz emptied her cup and glanced toward the house.

"He gets distracted easily. My bet is the workaholic cowboy is on that phone of his, gabbing about something." Allie inhaled the fresh air and sighed. "It's so nice to be home."

"I'm glad you're home and safe. When you were in Savannah, I was terrified."

Allie's eyes slowly roamed across the vineyards and then stopped at the winery door. Barrett's arms wrapped tightly around Cassidy as they shared a long kiss, suggesting far more than friendship.

"Looks like a little something is going on up at the barn." Allie snickered and tipped her head toward Cassidy. "I left for Savannah, and it appears our friend made a fast recovery. Who is Mr. Good-Looking?"

"Did I note a slight twinge of jealousy in that question?" Liz rolled her eyes and laughed. "You can't have them all. His name is Barrett, and he's working second string with Darryl."

"Nice!" Allie grinned. "I don't think there's a law saying a girl can't look. Besides, from what I see, Cassidy has this one locked down."

"Well, I'm not sure about that. Cassidy likes to have a good time in town and at Sweet Haven. I tried to talk to her about it, but she's a grown woman and doesn't care what I think."

"Sounds a lot like Jaz, and we both know how that ended. Cassidy was so innocent and insecure when Mason destroyed her, landing her in prison. I hope she doesn't think grabbing the bull by the horns is the ride she wants to take."

"I don't know. I sense something is going on, but Cassidy is not ready to share whatever it is. Maybe you will have better luck than me." They both watched as Cassidy lingered a few moments longer in Barrett's arms and then headed toward the house. "I've got things to do for the celebration tonight, so I'll leave you two to catch up a little."

"Before you go, Lizzie, I want you to know how proud I am of you. You've done an excellent job of moving forward after losing Jack. You two were so much in love, and I wasn't sure you could get past it."

"I don't think I'll ever get past the loss, Allie. It will always be a big aching hole in my heart, but I know it's what Jack would have expected of me. It wasn't until his death that I understood bad things happen, and it's our responsibility to pick ourselves up and begin again. No one can do it for us. It doesn't mean I love him any less."

"I keep wondering if I'd have the strength to start a new life if something happened to someone I loved. I feel I was on the verge of giving up when Jaz was missing. I might have if it hadn't been for Garth's support."

"Garth is a good man. This mother hen wants to remind you it's great to be independent, but it's better when you don't have to do it all alone. I want you to experience the same love Jack and I shared, but you can't do that if you aren't willing to give as much as you take."
 
"I know what you're saying, Liz, but I fought so hard to get where I'm at, and I don't want to be any less than who I am. Garth makes me happier than I've ever been, but will I resent being tied down? What about my career?"

"Allie, my dear, a love blessed by God and shared between two partners can never make you less than whatever you want to be." She looked up and saw Cassidy approaching the garden. Liz quickly added, "I love you so much, and I'll always be here to support you. Just don't be afraid to take a chance. And that's Love Lesson 101 today."

Liz hugged her friend and yelled over the top of the rose bushes, "Cassidy, we've got a visitor waiting to see you." She gave Allie a wink and headed inside.

*************
 
Listening to the pounding hammers and the buzz of the saws had become boring while Annie and Sebastian waited for Hank and Emmy to arrive. The view from the hill was beautiful, but at ten years, seven months, and five days, one could not remain motionless for an extended time. The duo continued their morning adventure by romping through the fields of wildflowers, setting their final destination with a visit to Grandma Mary.
After weeding around Mary's headstone and placing a bouquet she'd picked, Annie sat quietly in the rocking chair with Sebastian at her feet. She couldn't rock the chair because Darryl had anchored it for safety, but she liked to imagine her grandmother sitting in the matching chair.

She rubbed Sebastian's head. "What do you think, boy? Do you agree we tell Grandma about the woman?" Sebastian raised his head and laid it in her lap, wagging his tail side to side. Annie's head bobbed up and down. "Yeah, that's what I thought, too. I never kept secrets from her, and we need to tell someone."
Wanting to feel closer, she climbed off the chair and kneeled in front of the headstone. Annie glanced around and then whispered, "Grandma Mary, I don't know if you believe in spirits or ghosts, but Sebastian and I think we saw one outside Sweet Haven last night. First, Sebastian and I took a quick snooze while reading a scary story, and I saw a shadow with glowing red eyes.

"You know how it is when you wake up suddenly; I was frightened until I realized how foolish I'd been. Through the window, we saw the red moon. Bet you had a better view than us.
 
"I know, Grandma, I can hear you. 'Get to the point, child. A person could take a walk, and you'd still be talking.' Sorry.

"Sebastian and I saw this woman dressed in a beautiful white dress, kind of like a wedding dress. The wind blew her long black hair across her face. She was walking outside the rose garden, near the vineyard entrance.
At first, I thought I'd been dreaming, but this morning I accidentally overheard Mommy and Aunt Liz talking about the same woman." She paused for a second as if her Grandma was scolding her and then continued. "I know it's nice to listen to other people's conversations, but I knew they'd seen her too. There was even a shotgun propped against the coat closet."

"I wish you could answer me, Grandma. I'd feel better if I knew you believed me."

Sebastian dozed in the warm sunlight close to Annie's side. The young girl opened her book. "See, Grandma, this is the book I was reading. Would you like me to read it to you? I'm much better at the words than I used to be." Annie smiled and opened the book. She was proud to show her grandmother how improved she was and read—
 
Closing the door, she turned, wanting nothing more than her warm bed. A shadow with glowing red eyes stepped toward her, and she shrieked in terror.

The little girl wanted to escape, but her feet felt like bricks. Her eyes widened in fear as she struggled to move away, but she couldn't. The surrounding air suddenly felt heavy, and a powerful scent of must irritated her nostrils.

"The shadow moved into the light, allowing the girl to see it. Her fear eased when she saw the glowing red eyes were brass buttons on the red shirt the spirit wore. The shadow spoke softly, "I'm not here to hurt you.
 
The St. Bernard raised his head from his grassy resting place and looked out over the yard toward the pond. Within seconds, he was standing. A low rumble rattled in his throat.

"What's wrong, Sebastian? Did you see a rabbit?" Annie surveyed the area. "There's nothing out there, you silly dog. Don't tell me you're afraid of ghost stories."
 
Sebastian's answer was a rapid succession of sharp barks as he raced across the grass, disappearing into the field of wildflowers.

Annie dropped her book and scrambled to her feet, yelling. "Sebastian, stop. Sebastian!" She saw the tall grasses swallow her dog as he disappeared. "Sebastian, leave those poor rabbits alone and come here."

Expecting him to rush back to her, Annie walked closer to where he'd disappeared and listened. She couldn't hear anything but a crow squawking as it sat on the arm of a nearby scarecrow. Her voice quivered as she called once more. "Sebastian." Tears glimmered in her eyes. "Sebastian, please come here."

A sharp gasp escaped Annie's lips. In the distance, the woman in white stood beneath an oak tree by the pond. Annie's head snapped in the other direction when she heard Sebastian's bark. Without hesitating, she raced through the tall grasses, searching until she realized something had changed.

Ir was eerily silent. Annie shivered, and the tears spilled down her face. Sebastian wasn't barking. Staring toward the pond, she saw the woman was gone.

Frantic, she spun around and around, crying and screaming for Sebastian until she collapsed on the ground, moaning and calling her beloved pet. She buried her face against her arms and prayed, "Please, Lord, bring Sebastian back safe."
 

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Garth Woodman is a FBI Agent, and Allie's love interest
Alyssa Shelton is a Investigative Journalist and Liz's best friend
Elizabeth (Liz) McKinley is a widow, owner of Sweet Haven and twin sister to Faith
Faith Cranston-Newton is a recovering cancer patient and mother to Annie
Annie Cranston-Newton is Faith's precocious young daughter
Sebastian is a St. Bernard and Annie's sidekick
Mary Hunter is Liz and Faith's deceased mother
Hank and Emmy Armato are retired detectives and current Private Investigators
Tango and Poppa are Garth's top FBI Agents
Sheriff Diego Ortiz is Napa Valley's law enforcement
Cassidy Rotello is a rescued victim of a solved drug crime and friend
Michael Lansing is a neighbor to Sweet Haven Winery (Liz's home)
Darryl Pennington is the Long time Estate Forman at Sweet Haven Estates
Miguel Sanchez is the former vineyard supervisor currently residing in jail
Mason Caldwell is a recently deceased drug and crime boss in Napa Valley
Father Tobias is a priest recently assigned to Hayden's notorious church
Barrett O'Brien is an eager newly hired employee at Sweet Haven Estates
MJ Cichella is an upcoming Writer and Director and honored guest for Napa Valley's first film festival

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