| Fantasy Fiction posted September 12, 2023 | Chapters: |
...6 7 -8- 9... 
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Bessie tells about the night the victim's body was found.
A chapter in the book Return To Concorde Valley
Bessie's Story
by davisr (Rhonda)
The author has placed a warning on this post for violence.
Summary of the book so far:
Young Echo Jones is overlooked by First Responders as she hides in a wheat field during a house fire. Both parents killed in the fire, she escapes into an ancient forest behind her home. Alone and afraid, she meets up with a young boy from mysterious origins that tends to her while searching for help.
20 years later, Echo is working for a newspaper called the Taylorville Sun. Among other duties, she investigates a serial killer who has now struck in her small town, and covers the opening of a new mega-store, Super Handyman.
After gathering all she needs on the store opening, she meets up with Bessie, an elderly columnist from the Sun who has an inside scoop on the death of the woman killed in their town. Echo first has to sit and eat a large lunch with Bessie and fulfill the duties of a guest before Bessie decides it's time to tell her story.
End of Last Chapter:
Bessie filled another plate for herself and joined Echo at the table. Echo suspected that wasn't the first lunch plate she'd had that day.
For just a moment, Echo was able to escape her worries and responsibilities as she ate and enjoyed good company. She even forgot about her diet. No problem, she had only started it that morning.
Finally, when the dishes were cleared away, Bessie slapped her hands together definitively.
"Okay, that's taken care of. Why don't you come sit with me in the living room where we can talk?"
"I'd love to." Echo left off the word, finally, that she definitely thought.
She rose to her feet and followed her hostess. It was obvious that enough ritual had been observed to allow Bessie to share her story.
New Chapter Begins:
"Bessie, I really appreciate you taking the time to talk. This is a busy time of year for everyone."
"You're welcome, child. We're both newspaper folks. We gotta help each other out."
"For sure." Echo settled into a rather plush green sofa, her pen and notebook in hand. Ordinarily she would have had her phone set to record, but knew Bessie would refuse to talk if she did so.
"To be honest," Bessie began. She kicked back in her recliner and sipped on hot apple cider. "I didn't actually find Sherry Roe's body, that's the victim's name, you know, but I was one of the first ones on the scene."
Echo was well aware of the victim's name, as was everyone in Taylorville, but what she hadn't known was Bessie wasn't the one who actually found the body. That was worth writing down.
Bessie smiled in approval and continued. "Let me start at the beginning."
Echo swept her hand in front of her. "Please do."
"Sherry had just started working at my daughter, Sylvie's, flower shop two weeks ago. I help out there now and then when it's really busy, and happened to be there with her this past Friday. Poor Sherry was really struggling to get flowers delivered on time as she was still trying to learn the routes. We all tried to help where we could, but had plenty on our own plates."
"I'm sure. Like I said, it's a busy time of year."
Bessie nodded. "I swear, we've got orders for every Christmas party, dance, banquet, and office celebration for three counties. It's all one can do to keep up, and Friday, we were chasing our collective tails like a box full of Spring kittens. Anyway, I didn't see much of Sherry until about noon when we all ate together. She seemed awfully distracted, so I asked her what was wrong. You know how I am about people."
"Oh yeah, you watch out for all of us." The smile on Echo's face spoke volumes about her elderly associate.
"If only I could have stopped what happened to that poor girl Friday night."
Bessie stopped to wipe away tears and to blow her nose noisely in a tissue. Echo reached out and patted her hand. "You did what you could. What did she say about why she was out of sorts?"
Bessie sniffed a few more times. "She'd been delivering poinsettias to the police department for their award ceremony. A man met her in the parking lot before she could get inside. She said she never remembered seeing him there before, but described him as tall with olive skin, dark hair and blue or green eyes. He was dressed in dark colors, which seemed odd to her for morning attire.
"Was that the only description she had of him?" Echo asked, a chill running down her spine. The man Bessie described could very well have been the one she had seen earlier that morning.
"Well, that's all she said and I didn't question her further. I had no idea he might become a murder suspect." Bessie shook her head from side-to-side and shrugged large shoulders.
"Of course not. I was just hoping for more." Echo shrugged as well and shook her head in frustration. It was so important to know details, details that could save future lives.
"Anyway," Bessie said, "Sherry said the man told her to just set the plants on the ground and he would sign her delivery form. She told him she would rather have someone sign for them she knew, but finally gave in when he became insistent.
"Later, she called the police chief to make sure he had gotten everything okay, but he said he hadn't. She told Sylvie what happened, who intervened at this point and assured her and the police chief she would take more out there personally."
"Wow, that was weird." Echo raised her eyebrows and cocked her head to the side like a curious puppy.
"I know, right? Well, later that evening, we sent Sherry with another big order to the police department, as it seems they wanted some cut flowers this time, and were willing to forget the mess-up from earlier. Sylvie told her to be sure to go all the way inside the building to deliver them. Sherry agreed and took off with the Suburban loaded down.
"We waited several hours for her to return so we could close up and go home. We tried her cell phone and got no answer, so we called the police station and asked if she'd made it there. They said they hadn't seen her all day, and that they didn't order any additional flowers, either. That's when we got worried and asked if they would send a squad car out looking for her. They said they would, but didn't seem too concerned, or at least not in my opinion.
"We decided we weren't going to just sit around and wait for the police to handle it since they were having their awards ceremony and if they sent anyone, it would probably be the new rookie, Officer Bradley. He's only been working at the station for a few weeks, and since he isn't from around here, we were afraid he'd just get lost and they'd have to send someone to search for him, too."
"What did you do, then?"
"The only decent thing we could," Bessie said. "We took off in my car to go look for ourselves."
"Well, that was smart."
"I don't know about smart," Bessie said, "but we were determined, and we hadn't been gone long before we saw flashing lights by the lake."
"Was it the police?"
"More-or-less. It was that rookie, Officer Bradley, kneeling over something. We jumped out of the car and ran over to him. He looked up at us with a strange expression on his face, and then the poor thing just burst out crying. He was cradling Sherry's head in his arms and rocking her back and forth. If I hadn't been scared half out of my mind, I would have found the scene pitiful."
"Had she been shot?"
"No, she looked liked she'd been strangled and beaten," Bessie answered like that sort of thing happened every day. "Haven't you heard already?"
Echo shrugged her shoulders. "Parts here and there, but no real facts."
"You can go by the Coroner's office and get more details if you need. Talk to Chancy, that's my grandson. He's one of the Medical Examiners."
"I will, Bessie, thanks. Was there anything else you noticed about the crime scene, or anything Sherry might have said earlier, you think would help us find her murderer?"
"Well, I don't know if this means anything, but the flowers Sherry took in the Suburban were nowhere to be found, not in the van, nor near the body."
"That is strange. Where was the van found?"
"There at the lake close to the body."
"Was there any sign of violence in it?"
"Oh, yeah," Bessie said. Her lips curled up in disgust. "It was pretty torn up inside. The police figure she was killed there and the body dragged out by the lake."
"Why not into the lake?"
"That's a good question. Maybe he got scared off by someone coming up."
"If so, someone might have seen what happened, or at least part of it."
"That's a good point, though no one has come forward that I know of. In my opinion, that rookie cop knows more than he's saying. You know, he's kind of tall and has dark hair and green eyes. He was crying and everything, but he might have felt bad afterwards. I think you and the detectives should look into his background."
"At this point, we can't afford to count anyone out, that's for sure. Well, thanks for the information and breakfast, Bessie. I've got to get back to the office and type this up."
"You're quite welcome. If I think of anything else, I'll call you on your cell phone. I have the number in my desk drawer."
"Good, now you said you have your list of the ads you took for the paper?"
"Oh yeah, wait right here, I'll go get them."
Echo waited on the couch for a few minutes while Bessie went to get the stack of papers where she sketched out the advertisements she gathered from businesses around town.
"Here you are, honey." Bessie handed a folder over to Echo. "You'll find them all in here, along with the checks they gave me to cover the fees. Some said they would send the money in the mail, or electronically, whatever that means."
"Thank you, Bessie, as always, you do great work."
"I've had many years to practice it, sweetheart. And one way I lived long enough to get the cushy job of gathering ads is that I know how to stay out of trouble. Be careful, young lady, the man who killed our Sherry is probably the same one who has been on that killing spree in Atlanta, and I know you've been writing articles on him."
"I have been. Do you think I might have drawn him to Taylorville?"
"That's possible, but he may actually be one of our own. Just make sure Sherry is the only young lady we have to find beside the lake."
"That's kind of what the others said at the paper," Echo said, "but I can't just walk away. This guy needs to be stopped."
"Listen, you're not working for some high-falutin' newspaper out here," Bessie reminded her. She shook her finger at her like scolding a child. "You don't have to impress anyone. Just do what I did. Write normal, feel good articles where you end by saying 'a good time was had by all'. That's safe and it's entertaining."
"Okay, Bessie, I'll do my best to be more careful, but I don't always want to work for a small town newspaper, you know. Someday I want to work in Atlanta."
"Well, good luck, but don't mess with this serial killer guy, or the only article you'll have in the Atlanta Journal will be your own obituary."
"Understood. I'll do my best to be careful."
"Please do, you're still so very young. Take hold of your life and someday we can talk about your young'uns instead of your cat."
Echo couldn't help but chuckle as she watched a bright smile crease the old face.
"Alright, Bessie, see you next Tuesday for your ads."
"See you." Bessie rose slowly from her recliner to follow Echo out.
Echo thought about her conversations with Bessie as she drove off and finished several errands. She was a strange old bird, but was more perceptive than anyone she knew. If she was worried about her involvement in the serial killer articles, maybe she should be, too. But, like all young and ambitious people, Echo didn't pay much attention to warnings or choose to exercise prudent caution.
Summary of the book so far:
Young Echo Jones is overlooked by First Responders as she hides in a wheat field during a house fire. Both parents killed in the fire, she escapes into an ancient forest behind her home. Alone and afraid, she meets up with a young boy from mysterious origins that tends to her while searching for help.
20 years later, Echo is working for a newspaper called the Taylorville Sun. Among other duties, she investigates a serial killer who has now struck in her small town, and covers the opening of a new mega-store, Super Handyman.
After gathering all she needs on the store opening, she meets up with Bessie, an elderly columnist from the Sun who has an inside scoop on the death of the woman killed in their town. Echo first has to sit and eat a large lunch with Bessie and fulfill the duties of a guest before Bessie decides it's time to tell her story.
End of Last Chapter:
Young Echo Jones is overlooked by First Responders as she hides in a wheat field during a house fire. Both parents killed in the fire, she escapes into an ancient forest behind her home. Alone and afraid, she meets up with a young boy from mysterious origins that tends to her while searching for help.
20 years later, Echo is working for a newspaper called the Taylorville Sun. Among other duties, she investigates a serial killer who has now struck in her small town, and covers the opening of a new mega-store, Super Handyman.
After gathering all she needs on the store opening, she meets up with Bessie, an elderly columnist from the Sun who has an inside scoop on the death of the woman killed in their town. Echo first has to sit and eat a large lunch with Bessie and fulfill the duties of a guest before Bessie decides it's time to tell her story.
End of Last Chapter:
Bessie filled another plate for herself and joined Echo at the table. Echo suspected that wasn't the first lunch plate she'd had that day.
For just a moment, Echo was able to escape her worries and responsibilities as she ate and enjoyed good company. She even forgot about her diet. No problem, she had only started it that morning.
Finally, when the dishes were cleared away, Bessie slapped her hands together definitively.
"Okay, that's taken care of. Why don't you come sit with me in the living room where we can talk?"
"I'd love to." Echo left off the word, finally, that she definitely thought.
She rose to her feet and followed her hostess. It was obvious that enough ritual had been observed to allow Bessie to share her story.
New Chapter Begins:
"Bessie, I really appreciate you taking the time to talk. This is a busy time of year for everyone."
"You're welcome, child. We're both newspaper folks. We gotta help each other out."
"For sure." Echo settled into a rather plush green sofa, her pen and notebook in hand. Ordinarily she would have had her phone set to record, but knew Bessie would refuse to talk if she did so.
"To be honest," Bessie began. She kicked back in her recliner and sipped on hot apple cider. "I didn't actually find Sherry Roe's body, that's the victim's name, you know, but I was one of the first ones on the scene."
Echo was well aware of the victim's name, as was everyone in Taylorville, but what she hadn't known was Bessie wasn't the one who actually found the body. That was worth writing down.
Bessie smiled in approval and continued. "Let me start at the beginning."
Echo swept her hand in front of her. "Please do."
"Sherry had just started working at my daughter, Sylvie's, flower shop two weeks ago. I help out there now and then when it's really busy, and happened to be there with her this past Friday. Poor Sherry was really struggling to get flowers delivered on time as she was still trying to learn the routes. We all tried to help where we could, but had plenty on our own plates."
"I'm sure. Like I said, it's a busy time of year."
Bessie nodded. "I swear, we've got orders for every Christmas party, dance, banquet, and office celebration for three counties. It's all one can do to keep up, and Friday, we were chasing our collective tails like a box full of Spring kittens. Anyway, I didn't see much of Sherry until about noon when we all ate together. She seemed awfully distracted, so I asked her what was wrong. You know how I am about people."
"Oh yeah, you watch out for all of us." The smile on Echo's face spoke volumes about her elderly associate.
"If only I could have stopped what happened to that poor girl Friday night."
Bessie stopped to wipe away tears and to blow her nose noisely in a tissue. Echo reached out and patted her hand. "You did what you could. What did she say about why she was out of sorts?"
Bessie sniffed a few more times. "She'd been delivering poinsettias to the police department for their award ceremony. A man met her in the parking lot before she could get inside. She said she never remembered seeing him there before, but described him as tall with olive skin, dark hair and blue or green eyes. He was dressed in dark colors, which seemed odd to her for morning attire.
"Was that the only description she had of him?" Echo asked, a chill running down her spine. The man Bessie described could very well have been the one she had seen earlier that morning.
"Well, that's all she said and I didn't question her further. I had no idea he might become a murder suspect." Bessie shook her head from side-to-side and shrugged large shoulders.
"Of course not. I was just hoping for more." Echo shrugged as well and shook her head in frustration. It was so important to know details, details that could save future lives.
"Anyway," Bessie said, "Sherry said the man told her to just set the plants on the ground and he would sign her delivery form. She told him she would rather have someone sign for them she knew, but finally gave in when he became insistent.
"Later, she called the police chief to make sure he had gotten everything okay, but he said he hadn't. She told Sylvie what happened, who intervened at this point and assured her and the police chief she would take more out there personally."
"Wow, that was weird." Echo raised her eyebrows and cocked her head to the side like a curious puppy.
"I know, right? Well, later that evening, we sent Sherry with another big order to the police department, as it seems they wanted some cut flowers this time, and were willing to forget the mess-up from earlier. Sylvie told her to be sure to go all the way inside the building to deliver them. Sherry agreed and took off with the Suburban loaded down.
"We waited several hours for her to return so we could close up and go home. We tried her cell phone and got no answer, so we called the police station and asked if she'd made it there. They said they hadn't seen her all day, and that they didn't order any additional flowers, either. That's when we got worried and asked if they would send a squad car out looking for her. They said they would, but didn't seem too concerned, or at least not in my opinion.
"We decided we weren't going to just sit around and wait for the police to handle it since they were having their awards ceremony and if they sent anyone, it would probably be the new rookie, Officer Bradley. He's only been working at the station for a few weeks, and since he isn't from around here, we were afraid he'd just get lost and they'd have to send someone to search for him, too."
"What did you do, then?"
"The only decent thing we could," Bessie said. "We took off in my car to go look for ourselves."
"Well, that was smart."
"I don't know about smart," Bessie said, "but we were determined, and we hadn't been gone long before we saw flashing lights by the lake."
"Was it the police?"
"More-or-less. It was that rookie, Officer Bradley, kneeling over something. We jumped out of the car and ran over to him. He looked up at us with a strange expression on his face, and then the poor thing just burst out crying. He was cradling Sherry's head in his arms and rocking her back and forth. If I hadn't been scared half out of my mind, I would have found the scene pitiful."
"Had she been shot?"
"No, she looked liked she'd been strangled and beaten," Bessie answered like that sort of thing happened every day. "Haven't you heard already?"
Echo shrugged her shoulders. "Parts here and there, but no real facts."
"You can go by the Coroner's office and get more details if you need. Talk to Chancy, that's my grandson. He's one of the Medical Examiners."
"I will, Bessie, thanks. Was there anything else you noticed about the crime scene, or anything Sherry might have said earlier, you think would help us find her murderer?"
"Well, I don't know if this means anything, but the flowers Sherry took in the Suburban were nowhere to be found, not in the van, nor near the body."
"That is strange. Where was the van found?"
"There at the lake close to the body."
"Was there any sign of violence in it?"
"Oh, yeah," Bessie said. Her lips curled up in disgust. "It was pretty torn up inside. The police figure she was killed there and the body dragged out by the lake."
"Why not into the lake?"
"That's a good question. Maybe he got scared off by someone coming up."
"If so, someone might have seen what happened, or at least part of it."
"That's a good point, though no one has come forward that I know of. In my opinion, that rookie cop knows more than he's saying. You know, he's kind of tall and has dark hair and green eyes. He was crying and everything, but he might have felt bad afterwards. I think you and the detectives should look into his background."
"At this point, we can't afford to count anyone out, that's for sure. Well, thanks for the information and breakfast, Bessie. I've got to get back to the office and type this up."
"You're quite welcome. If I think of anything else, I'll call you on your cell phone. I have the number in my desk drawer."
"Good, now you said you have your list of the ads you took for the paper?"
"Oh yeah, wait right here, I'll go get them."
Echo waited on the couch for a few minutes while Bessie went to get the stack of papers where she sketched out the advertisements she gathered from businesses around town.
"Here you are, honey." Bessie handed a folder over to Echo. "You'll find them all in here, along with the checks they gave me to cover the fees. Some said they would send the money in the mail, or electronically, whatever that means."
"Thank you, Bessie, as always, you do great work."
"I've had many years to practice it, sweetheart. And one way I lived long enough to get the cushy job of gathering ads is that I know how to stay out of trouble. Be careful, young lady, the man who killed our Sherry is probably the same one who has been on that killing spree in Atlanta, and I know you've been writing articles on him."
"I have been. Do you think I might have drawn him to Taylorville?"
"That's possible, but he may actually be one of our own. Just make sure Sherry is the only young lady we have to find beside the lake."
"That's kind of what the others said at the paper," Echo said, "but I can't just walk away. This guy needs to be stopped."
"Listen, you're not working for some high-falutin' newspaper out here," Bessie reminded her. She shook her finger at her like scolding a child. "You don't have to impress anyone. Just do what I did. Write normal, feel good articles where you end by saying 'a good time was had by all'. That's safe and it's entertaining."
"Okay, Bessie, I'll do my best to be more careful, but I don't always want to work for a small town newspaper, you know. Someday I want to work in Atlanta."
"Well, good luck, but don't mess with this serial killer guy, or the only article you'll have in the Atlanta Journal will be your own obituary."
"Understood. I'll do my best to be careful."
"Please do, you're still so very young. Take hold of your life and someday we can talk about your young'uns instead of your cat."
Echo couldn't help but chuckle as she watched a bright smile crease the old face.
"Wow, that was weird." Echo raised her eyebrows and cocked her head to the side like a curious puppy.
"I know, right? Well, later that evening, we sent Sherry with another big order to the police department, as it seems they wanted some cut flowers this time, and were willing to forget the mess-up from earlier. Sylvie told her to be sure to go all the way inside the building to deliver them. Sherry agreed and took off with the Suburban loaded down.
"We waited several hours for her to return so we could close up and go home. We tried her cell phone and got no answer, so we called the police station and asked if she'd made it there. They said they hadn't seen her all day, and that they didn't order any additional flowers, either. That's when we got worried and asked if they would send a squad car out looking for her. They said they would, but didn't seem too concerned, or at least not in my opinion.
"We decided we weren't going to just sit around and wait for the police to handle it since they were having their awards ceremony and if they sent anyone, it would probably be the new rookie, Officer Bradley. He's only been working at the station for a few weeks, and since he isn't from around here, we were afraid he'd just get lost and they'd have to send someone to search for him, too."
"What did you do, then?"
"The only decent thing we could," Bessie said. "We took off in my car to go look for ourselves."
"Well, that was smart."
"I don't know about smart," Bessie said, "but we were determined, and we hadn't been gone long before we saw flashing lights by the lake."
"Was it the police?"
"More-or-less. It was that rookie, Officer Bradley, kneeling over something. We jumped out of the car and ran over to him. He looked up at us with a strange expression on his face, and then the poor thing just burst out crying. He was cradling Sherry's head in his arms and rocking her back and forth. If I hadn't been scared half out of my mind, I would have found the scene pitiful."
"Had she been shot?"
"No, she looked liked she'd been strangled and beaten," Bessie answered like that sort of thing happened every day. "Haven't you heard already?"
Echo shrugged her shoulders. "Parts here and there, but no real facts."
"You can go by the Coroner's office and get more details if you need. Talk to Chancy, that's my grandson. He's one of the Medical Examiners."
"I will, Bessie, thanks. Was there anything else you noticed about the crime scene, or anything Sherry might have said earlier, you think would help us find her murderer?"
"Well, I don't know if this means anything, but the flowers Sherry took in the Suburban were nowhere to be found, not in the van, nor near the body."
"That is strange. Where was the van found?"
"There at the lake close to the body."
"Was there any sign of violence in it?"
"Oh, yeah," Bessie said. Her lips curled up in disgust. "It was pretty torn up inside. The police figure she was killed there and the body dragged out by the lake."
"Why not into the lake?"
"That's a good question. Maybe he got scared off by someone coming up."
"If so, someone might have seen what happened, or at least part of it."
"That's a good point, though no one has come forward that I know of. In my opinion, that rookie cop knows more than he's saying. You know, he's kind of tall and has dark hair and green eyes. He was crying and everything, but he might have felt bad afterwards. I think you and the detectives should look into his background."
"At this point, we can't afford to count anyone out, that's for sure. Well, thanks for the information and breakfast, Bessie. I've got to get back to the office and type this up."
"You're quite welcome. If I think of anything else, I'll call you on your cell phone. I have the number in my desk drawer."
"Good, now you said you have your list of the ads you took for the paper?"
"Oh yeah, wait right here, I'll go get them."
Echo waited on the couch for a few minutes while Bessie went to get the stack of papers where she sketched out the advertisements she gathered from businesses around town.
"Here you are, honey." Bessie handed a folder over to Echo. "You'll find them all in here, along with the checks they gave me to cover the fees. Some said they would send the money in the mail, or electronically, whatever that means."
"Thank you, Bessie, as always, you do great work."
"I've had many years to practice it, sweetheart. And one way I lived long enough to get the cushy job of gathering ads is that I know how to stay out of trouble. Be careful, young lady, the man who killed our Sherry is probably the same one who has been on that killing spree in Atlanta, and I know you've been writing articles on him."
"I have been. Do you think I might have drawn him to Taylorville?"
"That's possible, but he may actually be one of our own. Just make sure Sherry is the only young lady we have to find beside the lake."
"That's kind of what the others said at the paper," Echo said, "but I can't just walk away. This guy needs to be stopped."
"Listen, you're not working for some high-falutin' newspaper out here," Bessie reminded her. She shook her finger at her like scolding a child. "You don't have to impress anyone. Just do what I did. Write normal, feel good articles where you end by saying 'a good time was had by all'. That's safe and it's entertaining."
"Okay, Bessie, I'll do my best to be more careful, but I don't always want to work for a small town newspaper, you know. Someday I want to work in Atlanta."
"Well, good luck, but don't mess with this serial killer guy, or the only article you'll have in the Atlanta Journal will be your own obituary."
"Understood. I'll do my best to be careful."
"Please do, you're still so very young. Take hold of your life and someday we can talk about your young'uns instead of your cat."
Echo couldn't help but chuckle as she watched a bright smile crease the old face.
"Alright, Bessie, see you next Tuesday for your ads."
"See you." Bessie rose slowly from her recliner to follow Echo out.
Echo thought about her conversations with Bessie as she drove off and finished several errands. She was a strange old bird, but was more perceptive than anyone she knew. If she was worried about her involvement in the serial killer articles, maybe she should be, too. But, like all young and ambitious people, Echo didn't pay much attention to warnings or choose to exercise prudent caution.
 Recognized |
A special thanks for the artwork Maelstrom by avmurray on FanArtReview.
Echo Jones: Young girl left stranded by a fire that took her home and parents in the first part of the book, then as an adult, she's an investigative reporter for a small town newspaper.
Her main assignment is to investigate a serial killer that has struck in their small town in Georgia, just out of Atlanta.
A side assignment is to cover the opening of a fancy hardware store in Taylorville, Georgia.
Claude Baker: Editor of the newspaper, Taylorville Sun
Brian Baker: Claude's adult son who works at the newspaper as a typesetter and photographer
Frankie Lawrence: Claude's older sister and co-owner of the newspaper
Sara Beth: works at the newspaper as a columnist. She specializes in fashion and gossip and is Echo's nemesis.
Bessie Johnson: 83-year-old columnist that works for the Sun and gathers ads from local venders. She has knowledge of the attack on the local woman killed by the serial killer.
Kitty Sunshine, aka Sunny: Echo's Russian Blue cat
Theo, A nickname for the boy Anthos: An 8-year-old, of mysterious origins, who finds young Echo in the forest and tends to her needs.
Cindy: Echo's teddy bear she leaned on for comfort as a small child, the only belonging that made it out of the fire with her. She left it behind in the forest after her rescue.
Pays
one point
and 2 member cents. Echo Jones: Young girl left stranded by a fire that took her home and parents in the first part of the book, then as an adult, she's an investigative reporter for a small town newspaper.
Her main assignment is to investigate a serial killer that has struck in their small town in Georgia, just out of Atlanta.
A side assignment is to cover the opening of a fancy hardware store in Taylorville, Georgia.
Claude Baker: Editor of the newspaper, Taylorville Sun
Brian Baker: Claude's adult son who works at the newspaper as a typesetter and photographer
Frankie Lawrence: Claude's older sister and co-owner of the newspaper
Sara Beth: works at the newspaper as a columnist. She specializes in fashion and gossip and is Echo's nemesis.
Bessie Johnson: 83-year-old columnist that works for the Sun and gathers ads from local venders. She has knowledge of the attack on the local woman killed by the serial killer.
Kitty Sunshine, aka Sunny: Echo's Russian Blue cat
Theo, A nickname for the boy Anthos: An 8-year-old, of mysterious origins, who finds young Echo in the forest and tends to her needs.
Cindy: Echo's teddy bear she leaned on for comfort as a small child, the only belonging that made it out of the fire with her. She left it behind in the forest after her rescue.
Artwork by avmurray at FanArtReview.com
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