Still Waters

Still Waters A Jenna Rayne Mystery By C.N. Hill This book is a work of fiction. The names, character, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale, or organizations is entirely coincidental. Copyright © 2023 by Colleen Baxter ISBN: Cover Design: Dar Albert, Wicked Smart Designs Edited by Luna Imprints Author Solutions Proofreader: Julie Martin All rights are reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. First publication 2023 Bad Kitty Publications https://cnhillmystery.com Also by C.N. Hill: The River House End of the Road Dedicated to Heidi Shelley for all her encouragement! Table of Contents Prologue Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen Chapter Eighteen Chapter Nineteen Chapter Twenty Chapter Twenty-One Chapter Twenty-Two Chapter Twenty-Three Chapter Twenty-Four Chapter Twenty-Five Chapter Twenty-Six Chapter Twenty-Seven Chapter Twenty-Eight Prologue October 30, 2020, Drayer’s Bay, Georgia Deep silence settled over the little house surrounded by woods. Only the lonely call of an owl broke the blanket of quiet over the land. Into the night came the faint sound of an engine which caused the owl to go silent. Lights bounced through the trees, breaking the stillness. Allison McTierney threw back her covers and jumped out of bed. Grumbling to herself, she pulled on her overalls and shoved her feet into her Crocs. She rushed from the house, grabbing her 12-gauge shotgun from its place over the door. Moonlight straggled through the clouds as she made her way along the back fence. The engine sounds grew in pitch, and she picked up speed. “Damn trespassers!” she muttered. Lights pinned her with their intensity, and she paused as the car braked to a halt. One of the doors opened and she caught sight of a baseball bat emerging from the car. A muffled scream followed, and she took a step backward. Fumbling, she tried to bring the gun up to point but her arthritic hands betrayed her, and it fell to the muddy ground. Panicked, she turned and ran. Animals scattered before her, crashing in the undergrowth between the trees. She came out into a narrow clearing nearly filled with a still pond. The clouds reflected back with moonlight from above. They rippled when a frog ducked below the surface in response to Allison’s arrival. She paused, looking around. Blood pounded in her ears, and she strained to hear over it. A chuckwill called from deeper in the woods and she frowned. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. She made to turn and go back along the fence line. From the darkness something struck her in the back, and she fell forward, sprawling over the ground as more blows rained down on her. The second struck her senseless. The third struck her dead. Eyes watched from the shadows of the trees while the body of Allison McTierney landed with a splash in the pond, causing the clouds and moonlight to waver in the night. Heavy footsteps retreated and the waters went still, reflecting a clear full moon on their surface once more. Chapter One October 31, 2020, Quarryman, Dowde County, Georgia Jenna peered out the upstairs window. A small pond of familiar faces was there in the form of guests sitting in the white chairs that dotted the large lawn. The roof of the porch hid the stage where she would meet Rob, but she knew that a bower of flowers hung over the space at the top of the porch steps where they would say their vows. Music echoed over the grounds and her heart hammered in double time to the rhythm. She turned from the window and picked up her bouquet of blue Delphiniums and Owens Roses before slipping on her shoes. Then, she took a deep breath and headed down the stairs when the music changed over to the bridal march. The French doors to the porch were thrown wide open. She came around the corner from the stairs and saw Rob and Sandra standing there, waiting. She paused for only a moment before continuing. Everyone’s eyes were on her as she walked to the edge of the porch and joined Rob there under the bower. His eyes glittered and he breathed deeply while looking at her. She could only smile back, half afraid she would start to cry and mess up her makeup. Sandra began the service, but Jenna’s mind swirled about, settling on nothing except that she was marrying Rob. Sandra spoke, her own voice responded, but the words floated through her mind and did not stay. Rob lifted her hand and struggled to fit her ring on. She grinned crookedly and finished it herself. Then, she slipped his ring on—it finally slid past his knuckle. “I now pronounce you man and wife,” Sandra said. Rob bent to take her lips with his own. The lawn erupted in cheers as they turned to face their family and friends as husband and wife. The late afternoon waned into twilight and the lights strung over the garden came on, giving the atmosphere an ethereal air. Music continued and couples danced all along the wraparound porch. People disappeared inside to grab food from the kitchen table, where a buffet was set up. Helen made sure to bring Jenna a plate, saying, “Every bride forgets to eat on her wedding day.” Jenna sat down, grateful for the food, and proceeded to eat in between congratulations from friends who passed by. Across the lawn, Dave was in deep discussion with Jenna’s new cousin-in-law, who was pregnant with her second child. Dave pulled out a pendulum to dangle over her protruding belly and