| Fantasy Fiction posted September 24, 2023 | Chapters: |
...7 8 -9- 10... 
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Echo's story begins to catch up with her.
A chapter in the book Return To Concorde Valley
Reckoning
by davisr (Rhonda)
The author has placed a warning on this post for violence.
| Background Years after a fire took her parents lives and devastated her home, Echo works at a small town newspaper as an investigative reporter. Very soon, her past and present are destined to collide. |
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.
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:
"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.
"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.
New Chapter:
By the time she made it back to the Taylorville Sun, Echo had all but decided the series she was writing was quite safe and that she had a divine calling to finish it.
With a smile on her young face, she climbed out of her silver Impala, and headed toward the building. Her eyes danced as she thought of the prospects of working for an Atlanta newspaper. This series was her chance to get noticed. Mind, she wasn't glad Sherry Roe had been killed, far from it, but she was happy to be part of the process of getting her and the other victims avenged. If she gained notoriety in the process, so be it.
With a sort of skip to her step, Echo approached the front of the building. She heard the sound of festive Christmas music vibrating through the old wooden door and it made her smile in anticipation. She hadn't had time to go home and change since she'd run those errands after leaving Bessie's. She still wore her pretty red dress, though, which would have to serve as party attire.
Just before she went inside, she noticed an envelope resting on the porch. On the front was a typewritten label. Curiously, she picked it up and strode inside.
Brian was sitting in his swivel chair, a plate loaded with holiday goodies on his desk. He looked up when she entered. "What've you got?"
"I'm not quite sure," Echo said. She sat on the edge of his desk, not far from his plate. She reached over and took a pickle and popped it in her mouth. "I found this envelope on the ground outside. It has my name on it."
"Well, tear it open and let's see what your secret admirer has left you."
Echo cut her eyes over at him in an attempt to stem his sarcasm. She wasn't sure if it worked, but, after opening the envelope, she simply didn't care.
Inside were three color photographs. Two were of Sherry Roe, one before her murder and another after. The third picture was of a young woman in a bright red dress, a coat draped over her arm and looking at a display in Super Handyman. There was a scribbled note at the bottom... Nice legs. Echo let out a scream.
Claude dropped the plate of food he was carrying and rushed over to where Brian now held the pictures, his face displaying pure horror. "What's going on?"
Silently, Brian held up the photos. Claude took them and walked over to a lamp. He thumbed through the set, his eyes opening wide in disbelief. Finally, he dropped them on the table and shook his head.
After a pause, he said, "I'm calling the police."
Frankie rose from her seat and joined him. With a gasp, she clamped a hand over her mouth.
"That's Sherry... and... and...you, Echo. Oh, Echo, we need to get the Atlanta police involved, too."
"Who sent those?" Sara Beth asked. She peeked over Frankie's shoulder and cocked her head like a little blonde puppy. Her lavishly attired body exuded expensive perfume, her carefully coiffed hair, opulence. "Is that from the serial killer guy or something?"
Echo nodded and sank into her chair. Her heart was beating so hard it was physically painful. Dark questions pranced a macabre rumba in her head as she tried to sort things out. Maybe, just maybe she had misjudged the danger of her series.
A loud knock on the office door jolted the entire staff, and at least one of them screamed. Claude looked dramatically around the room, then went to answer it.
"Who is it?" he asked.
"Uh, Junior," a voice answered. "Frankie invited me to your office party. I'm afraid I'm a bit late."
"Oh my gosh, I forgot." Frankie leapt to her feet. She swept her brother aside with a diminutive arm and opened the door. A tall young man with dark, wavy hair walked through.
Echo's eyes flew to the man's face. His eyes were brown, not green. She let out a sigh that would have been audible but for the Christmas music vibrating the air. Everyone in the room relaxed.
"This is my neighbor, Junior," Frankie explained. She looked pointedly at Echo. "He happened to be free tonight, so I invited him to join us."
"A pleasure to meet you all," Junior said formally. "I've heard so much about you." Like Frankie, he looked straight at Echo.
"All good things, I hope," Echo said. She cringed at the euphemism that flowed automatically. Normally, she was more eloquent than that.
"All good, I promise," Junior said. He reached out to shake Echo's hand.
Sara Beth slipped deftly between them. She took Junior's hand and guided him toward the buffet table. "Here, let me show you where the food is."
With a backward glance at Echo, Junior followed the usurper where she led. With all she had been through, Echo decided to yield the battle and its spoils to Sara Beth.
~~~~~~~~
"They're sending an officer over," Claude said. He replaced the phone on his desk and, at long last, headed to the buffet table for a new plate. "It's not Atlanta, but our guys can take a statement and get a description of the man you saw watching you today."
"Thank you," Echo said. She joined her boss at the buffet. It had been a long time since the lunch Bessie had fed her, and telling everything she had learned that day had been hungry work.
"I see Sara Beth stole your boyfriend," Brian said when Echo returned with a loaded plate. He pointed at Junior, who was seated at Sara Beth's desk. Echo shrugged and rolled her eyes.
"She's welcome to him."
"Are you sure you don't want me to call one of my old college buddies?"
"Not if my life depended on it," Echo said. "And, I don't see you with anyone. Did your date cancel at the last moment, or did she have to be back at the Nursing Home by 8:00?"
Brian just laughed, forgoing the chance to strike back. Sara Beth wasn't so nice.
"Where's your forest boy?" she asked. "I thought he might, at least, show up."
"Why do you care?" Brian asked. "Do you want to take him from Echo, too?" He got a round of chuckles from everyone except Sara Beth and Junior.
"I'm not saying I want the forest boy," Sara Beth said. "I was just looking out for Echo."
Echo popped another dill pickle in her mouth. "I'm not the one worried about him."
Sara Beth sort of grunted a reply, and then began playing up to Junior again, hoping to drive Echo into a jealous fit. It didn't work.
Echo finally relaxed enough to look around. The office had been transformed from a normal everyday newspaper room into a warm holiday extravaganza.
The artificial Christmas tree sitting unadorned in one corner of the office for nearly a month, now sported shiny bulbs of all imaginable colors. Lights danced about the imitation limbs inviting eyes to linger and hearts to stir.
Garland hung off every structure in the room, twinkling lights gracing their shiny frills. Echo's heart was moved beyond the worries of the day and she felt content. She may never get the job in Atlanta, but she had friends and that truly meant something to a child who had grown up without parents and siblings.
Another dramatic knock on the door shattered her euphoria. Once again, Claude answered it, and once again, he let in a stranger.
"I'm Officer Tony Bradley," the stranger said. He was tall, muscular and wore dark clothing. A woolen hat was pulled down to his ears.
"You're the man who found Sherry's body, aren't you?" Echo blurted out. Enough was enough for one day. First, the pictures and now, the very man Bessie suspected of murder.
The officer hesitated, his head bowed, his face hidden in shadows. He turned slowly toward her. Blue green eyes bore into hers.
"It wasn't my finest moment," he replied.
"Why, because you found a dead body," Brian asked, "or because you got caught?" He reached out a hand and touched Echo's. Her skin felt clammy and her face was as pale as snow.
Book of the Month contest entry
 Recognized |
A special thanks for the absolutely perfect artwork, Memories by cleo85 on FanArtReview.
A note: This book targets young adults and is fantasy. The crime element I try to keep surface as its leading to the fantasy realm and not a study of the criminal mind. I avoid the darkest parts for a reason.
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 look into 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. Younger brother of Frankie, one of the editors.
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.
Sherry Roe: A local victim of the serial killer Echo has been writing a series on.
Officer Tony Bradly: Rookie officer for the Taylorville Police Department. He's the one who found Sherry Roe's body after the murder. Also, the man Bessie feels is the killer.
Junior: Frankie's neighbor who comes by the office Christmas party.
Man in dark: A man Echo saw watching her the day of the Super Handyman Opening. Presumably 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. A note: This book targets young adults and is fantasy. The crime element I try to keep surface as its leading to the fantasy realm and not a study of the criminal mind. I avoid the darkest parts for a reason.
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 look into 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. Younger brother of Frankie, one of the editors.
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.
Sherry Roe: A local victim of the serial killer Echo has been writing a series on.
Officer Tony Bradly: Rookie officer for the Taylorville Police Department. He's the one who found Sherry Roe's body after the murder. Also, the man Bessie feels is the killer.
Junior: Frankie's neighbor who comes by the office Christmas party.
Man in dark: A man Echo saw watching her the day of the Super Handyman Opening. Presumably 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 cleo85 at FanArtReview.com
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