The First Time I Knocked

This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental. THE FIRST TIME I KNOCKED First edition. January 18, 2023. Copyright © 2023 Jo Macgregor. ISBN: 978-0639737522 Written by Jo Macgregor. The First Time I Knocked Jo Macgregor VIP Readers’ Group: If you would like to receive my author’s newsletter, with tips on great books, a behind-the-scenes look at my writing and publishing processes, and notice of new books, giveaways and special offers, then sign up at my website, www.joannemacgregor.com. The First Time I Knocked first published in 2022 by Jo Macgregor ISBN: 978-0-6397-3751-5 (paperback) ISBN: 978-0-6397-3752-2 (eBook) Copyright 2022 Jo Macgregor The right of Joanne Macgregor, writing as Jo Macgregor, to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988. All rights reserved. No parts of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical or electronic, including photocopying and recording, or be stored in any information storage or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the author. Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. All the characters, institutions and events described in it are fictional and the products of the author’s imagination. Cover design by Jenny Zemanek at Seedlings Design Studio Evil is easy … When Pitchford police chief Ryan Jackson gets asked by his ex-wife to help solve the murder of a family in New Orleans, psychic private eye Garnet McGee accompanies him, eager for a romantic weekend away. But it’s not easy investigating a crime that’s already been solved — officially, at least. Even worse, in the Big Easy, nothing is as it seems, and the dead don’t stay buried. Determined to prove herself and the worth of her unpredictable psychic abilities, Garnet has to solve the mystery — if there is one — before she’s stopped by the person who wants to keep the truth permanently buried. Now she’s attracting attention from a presence beyond the thinning, who offers to help. And Garnet is tempted … This is the fourth book in the Garnet McGee series that started with The First Time I Died, The First Time I Fell, and The First Time I Hunted. Contents – 1 – – 2 – – 3 – – 4 – – 5 – – 6 – – 7 – – 8 – – 9 – – 10 – – 11 – – 12 – – 13 – – 14 – – 15 – – 16 – – 17 – – 18 – – 19 – – 20 – – 21 – – 22 – – 23 – – 24 – – 25 – – 26 – – 27 – – 28 – – 29 – – 30 – – 31 – – 32 – – 33 – – 34 – – 35 – – 36 – – 37 – – 38 – – 39 – – 40 – – 41 – – 42 – – 43 – – 44 – – 45 – – 46 – – Epilogue – Dear Reader, Other books for adults by this author Acknowledgements “Where ask is have, where seek is find, Where knock is open wide.” — Christopher Smart, Song to David “Why are you knocking at every door? Go, knock at the door of your own heart.” — Rumi – 1 – Every woman secretly hopes that her boyfriend’s ex is ugly. Ryan’s wasn’t. Every woman secretly hopes her boyfriend hates his ex. Ryan didn’t. On that cool Vermont evening in early October, I was in the right place at the right time to witness both of these unwelcome truths. Outside, the trees wore their fall blaze of sunset colors — candy-apple red, egg-yolk yellow, Halloween orange. Inside Ryan Jackson’s house, the colors were more muted, and we were in a mellow mood. I sat at one end of the long couch and he at the other, with my feet in his lap, while we watched the logs in the fireplace burn down to a steady glow and sipped at our glasses of red wine, unwinding from what had been a long week for both of us. Ryan — police chief of Pitchford, Vermont, and the thirty-five-year-old, attractive, smart, and sane man who’d inexplicably chosen me as his plus-one — had been investigating a spate of fires that some arsonist kept starting around town. I’d been helping my parents clear out the basement at our old family house. Spending time with my mother always left me in the state of annoyed exhaustion that made me feel guilty for being such an impatient, difficult daughter. So it felt good to sit still and get my feet massaged. My eyes closed, and I was just drifting off when Ryan’s phone rang. He checked the screen, and his eyebrows rose. “Videocall. From Desirae.” Desirae Jackson was Ryan’s ex-wife. They’d divorced five years ago, and Ryan had told me they usually only exchanged texts on birthdays and Christmas, which was the kind of distance I welcomed between them. I hitched what I hoped was a pleasant, unthreatened smile onto my face. Keeping my ears tuned to their conversation, I forced myself to look away from the phone, staring at the fire, my toes, the couch. With its worn leather, sagging middle, and stains like Rorschach inkblots, that couch had seen some wear, probably even the kind of mileage that Ryan and Desirae had once put on it. Pushing aside images of intertwined limbs and locked lips, I glanced over at Ryan. A mistake. Meeting my gaze, he told Desirae, “Hey, there’s someone you should meet,” and, ignoring my furious silent protests, he turned the phone to face me. “This is Garnet McGee, my girlfriend. Garnet, this is Desirae.” Desirae’s blond hair was barely restrained in a messy bun, her eyes were bright, cornflower blue, and her friendly smile was as sweet as