MURDER MOST EASTERN (EBOOK)

“Turn around when possible,” the robotic voice interrupted, slicing through the damp air as thunder rumbled overhead. My windshield wipers skittered frantically across the glass, struggling to keep up with the downpour.

I slowed down on the narrow, two-lane road, squinting past the rain drops in search of a place to turn around.

My first day in Maine wasn't going as planned. I’d already been unsure about accepting this unexpected inheritance, and the storm only made me feel more uneasy. My struggle to navigate the DownEast region wasn't helping either.

With a shake of my head, I cursed my sister, Rebecca’s untimely death that prompted the bequeathing of her old house, with all its secrets.

I’d never been to visit her since she bought the two-story Victorian.  

With a grumble, I continued along the road, fighting the rain as the robotic voice continued to badger me.  

“This is why I chose to live in a city, Becky,” I mumbled as I continued down the bumpy road with no turn-around in sight.  What was I thinking, moving out here?

But I’d left my Bostonian life behind, trading my one-room apartment that was way overpriced for having roaches and rats to move into the wilds of Maine.  I needed a change and more money than my artwork provided.

Guilt had eaten away at me, too, when I’d heard of my sister’s untimely death.  I thought we’d have plenty of time, yet here I was at thirty-four alone in the world.  My sister hadn’t even made it to her forties.  

Tears burned my eyes again as I veered to the side of the road, and eased my car to a stop.  

As I sniffled for the dozenth time since I’d heard about Becky’s death, a car buzzed past me, leaving a wide berth and offering a wave as they passed my beat-up clunker.  

With a creased forehead, I automatically raised a hand back, wondering why they had waved and not flipped a crass gesture like I would have gotten in the city.  

A shaky sigh slipped from my lips as I wiped the tears from my cheeks and turned to check the road behind me. Empty, unsurprisingly. In this area, it was a wonder I had seen even one car. Since I hadn’t passed another vehicle the entire time I’d been traveling, I could probably turn around right here in the middle of the road, without risking my life or getting yelled at. I lifted my foot off the break and whipped my car around, turning back in the correct direction to satisfy the demands of my my GPS.  

“Your destination is ahead on the left,” she said after being appeased.  

I huffed with a roll of my eyes.  “No kidding.  But where?”

“You will arrive at your destination in four hundred and fifty feet.”

I wrinkled my nose at the screen.  “That means nothing to me.”

Why GPS’s insisted on giving you distances that seemed meaningless was beyond me.  I had no idea how to gauge this.  Before I could think more about this flaw in the system, the voice was yapping at me that I’d arrived at my destination.  

I slammed on my brakes, bracing myself against the steering wheel as I searched for the driveway.  

After squinting, I spotted the tip of the house hidden behind the hill and the gravel driveway.  

I swung my car into the driveway, the tires crunching over the stones.  Just clipping the grass on the side, I bounced toward the house, praying my shocks would hold up.  

The pristine white Victorian stood out against the gray skies and the lush green grass, the scent of fresh rain mingling with the salty sea air.  I ducked to take in the large windows, some featuring charming window boxes.  A spacious porch wrapped around the side of the house toward the back which faced the sea.  A short path led to the pebble-covered shore of Jasper Beach.  

I climbed from my car, pulling my hood tighter around me. The characteristic sound of the waves provided a soothing backdrop to the otherwise quiet surroundings.  

A shiver shook me as I raised my eyes to my new home.  With a hard swallow, I circled around back and opened my trunk, tugging out my meager belongings and the single bag of groceries I’d purchased on my way.  

I slammed the trunk closed, my eyes rising up to take in the house again as a bolt of lightning streaked through the sky and thunder boomed overhead.

I raced to the porch, climbing the three steps to the wooden floorboards and shifted the worn Welcome mat.  

A single silver key stared back at me just as the note from the attorney had said.  

I snatched it from the gray board, slid the mat back, and shoved the key into the lock.  The door creaked open on its hinges, and a shuddering breath shook me.  

I was about to walk into the place where my sister had taken her last breath. Though her death was ruled accidental, I couldn’t shake the eerie feeling that her spirit still lingered inside.