Bumpy Roads - A Mary O'Reilly Paranormal Mystery (Book 11) (The Mary O'Reilly Paranormal Mystery Series)

Bumpy Roads

Hurrying
to the old bridge that crossed Yellow Creek, Courtney stepped to the side as a
car came up behind her.
 
The bridge was
only wide enough for one car and even foot traffic had to climb up on the
narrow ledge for safety.
 
The car slowed
and the driver’s side window rolled down.
 
A familiar face greeted Courtney.

“Hey,
Courtney, how about a ride?” he asked.

She
shook her head. “No, thanks, I’m good,” she said. “It’s only a few more
blocks.”

The
driver looked up to the sky.
 
“You won’t
make it before the storm hits,” he argued. “Come on, I’ll feel guilty all night
if I leave you here.”

She
smiled. “Okay, if you put it that way,” she agreed, jogging over to the
passenger side of the car and letting herself in.

The
door lock clicked as she buckled her seatbelt and she looked up in surprise.
“It does that automatically,” the driver said with an apologetic shrug.

Courtney
scooted against the door and grasped the handle. “You know, I think I’ll just
walk anyway,” she said, pulling against the handle.

But
the door didn’t open.
 
She tried it
again, but it was still locked tight.

“Child
locks,” the driver
said,
a smile on his face. “You
can’t get out until I let you out.”

She
pressed the window button, but it also stayed in place. “Listen, I don’t want
to be in this car,” she said firmly. “Now please let me out or I’m going to
scream.”

He
chuckled softly, leaned forward and placed his hand against her cheek, rubbing
it intimately. “If you scream, no one will hear you,” he said, as he slipped
his hand down to her neck. “But you can do it if you like.
 
I always love to hear a girl’s scream.”

#
 
#
 
# #

For ten years, young girls have been disappearing from the
streets of Freeport and the surrounding towns.
 

Can Mary solve the mystery before Clarissa is the next
victim?

Bumpy
Roads

A MARY O’REILLY PARANORMAL MYSTERY

by

Terri
Reid

“If
you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I
never have to live without you.”

 
“If ever there is tomorrow when we're not
together... there is something you must always remember. You are braver than
you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most
important thing is, even if we're apart... I'll always be with you.”
  “How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard.”
  “I think we dream so we don’t have to be apart for so long. If we’re in
each other’s dreams, we can be together all the time.”
  
-
The
Adventures of Christopher Robin
, A.A. Milne

We
all grieve when we lose someone we love, but often it is hard for children who
have not only lost their loved one, but also their security.
 
Grief and depression often go hand in hand in
children.
 
If you love a child who has
lost someone, please be sure to help them through their journey of grief.
 
Allow them to express their feelings and help
them to feel safe.

BUMPY
ROADS –
A MARY O’REILLY PARANORMAL MYSTERY

by
Terri Reid

Copyright
© 2013 by Terri Reid

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under
copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored
in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by
any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise)
without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above
publisher of this book.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places,
brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination
or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark
owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been
used without permission. The publication/ use of these trademarks is not
authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

This
ebook
is licensed for your
personal enjoyment only. This
ebook
may not be resold
or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with
another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it
with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not
purchased for your use only, then you should purchase your own copy. Thank you
for respecting the author's work.

The author would like to thank all
those who have contributed to the creation of this book: Richard Reid, Sarah
Reid, Richard Onines, Virginia Onines, Elise Brubaker and
Cyndy
Ranzau
.

And especially to the wonderful
readers who walk with me through Mary and Bradley’s adventures and encourage me
along the way. Thank you all!

(Eight years ago)

The air was heavy with humidity and dark storm clouds were
moving east toward Freeport. Softball practice had run late and four teenage
girls, all best friends, stood next to the bleachers picking up their gear and
chatting about the upcoming prom. Courtney Rasmussen lifted her long brown hair
up, so the wind could reach the back of her neck. “I sure hope the storm cools
things down,” she said.

Beth Anne Lloyd whose short curls blew around her face,
laughed. “It will probably just get more humid,” she said, rolling her eyes.
“You’ve got to love spring in Illinois.”

Courtney stuffed her windbreaker into her backpack before
slinging it over her shoulder. “Well, I’m okay with spring because that means
summer isn’t too far away.
 
Hey, I’m going
shopping on Saturday for my prom dress,” she said. “So, if anyone wants to come
along, we’ve got room in the van.”

Ellie Martinson grinned. “Sure, I’ll go,” she said. “And
I’ll see if my mom will let me bring her credit card.”

She wagged her eyebrows. “Things could get very
interesting,” she said.

The others laughed and, by some unspoken agreement, all
started to walk toward the parking lot. “Hey, Courtney,” Beth Anne asked, as
she stopped by her car. “Do you want a ride home?
 
It looks like the storm could start any
minute.”

Courtney shook her head. “No, that’s okay,” she said. “I’m
just on the other side of the park.
 
I’ll
make it home before the rain.”

Glancing up to the sky, she realized that she had better
hurry or she would be caught in the early spring downpour. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow,”
she called, jogging backward across the parking lot toward the path that led to
the back of the park. “Don’t get wet.”

She turned and started to run toward the back entrance of
the park. A cold wind blew, scattering the leaves that lay in the gutters
alongside the path.
 
Yellow Creek
bordered this side of the park, separating it from the wooded residential area
tucked into an exclusive area of Freeport.
 
The wide pathways merged into streets bordered by large lawns with small
thickets of trees.
  
Most of the homes
were pushed back, far away from the road, with large front yards.

Hurrying to the old bridge that crossed Yellow Creek,
Courtney stepped to the side as a car came up behind her.
 
The bridge was only wide enough for one car
and even foot traffic had to climb up on the narrow ledge for safety.
 
The car slowed and the driver’s side window
rolled down.
 
A familiar face greeted
Courtney.

“Hey, Courtney, how about a ride?” he asked.

She shook her head. “No, thanks, I’m good,” she said. “It’s
only a few more blocks.”

The driver looked up to the sky.
 
“You won’t make it before the storm hits,” he
argued. “Come on, I’ll feel guilty all night if I leave you here.”

She smiled. “Okay, if you put it that way,” she agreed,
jogging over to the passenger side of the car and letting herself in.

The door lock clicked as she buckled her seatbelt and she
looked up in surprise. “It does that automatically,” the driver said with an
apologetic shrug.

He shifted the car, but inside of moving smoothly forward,
it sputtered and died. Looking over to his passenger, he grinned. “How
embarrassing,” he said. “Just give me a minute.”

He pulled the key out of the ignition and put it on the
dashboard. “It just has to cool down,” he said. “Then I can start it again.”

Outside, the sky darkened and the beat of fat drops of rain
echoed against the roof of the car. The air inside the car seemed stuffy and
hot. “I’m so glad you decided to come with me, Courtney,” the driver said. “I
would have hated for you to be caught in this deluge.”

He reached over and ran his hand up her arm. “You would have
been soaked to the skin,” he whispered softly, his eyes slowly glancing over
her body. “Your clothes would have been like a second skin.”

Courtney scooted against the door and grasped the handle.
“You know, I think I’ll just walk anyway,” she said, pulling against the
handle.

But the door didn’t open.
 
She tried it again, but it was still locked tight.

“Child locks,” the driver
said,
a
smile on his face. “You can’t get out until I let you out.”

She pressed the window button, but it also stayed in place.
“Listen, I don’t want to be in this car,” she said firmly. “Now please let me
out or I’m going to scream.”

He chuckled softly, leaned forward and placed his hand
against her cheek, rubbing it intimately. “If you scream, no one will hear
you,” he said, as he slipped his hand down to her neck. “But you can do it if
you like.
 
I always love to hear a girl’s
scream.”

Bradley pulled the car up into Mary’s driveway and shifted
into park.
 
He turned and looked at Mary,
his new wife, sitting next to him and smiled. “You know, once I turn the car
off and we step outside, the honeymoon is over,” he said.

She shook her head and smiled up at him, her love shining
through her eyes. “Bradley, our honeymoon is never going to end.”

 
He leaned forward and
threaded his fingers through her hair, cradling her head. “How did I ever get
so lucky?” he murmured, as he bent down for a gentle kiss

She wrapped her arms around his neck and grinned. “You keep
this up and you’re really going to get lucky,” she teased.

Breaking off the kiss, he quickly unhooked his seatbelt, got
out of the car and opened her door. “Come on,” he said, extending his hand toward
her.

“Where?”

“Into the house,” he replied, bending over and pressing a
quick kiss on her lips. “So you can show me how lucky a guy can get.”

“But the luggage,” she said.

He reached over and unbuckled her seat belt. “Yeah, it can
wait,” he said, taking her hand and helping her out of the car.

She smiled up at him. “How long until Clarissa gets home?”
she asked, slipping out of the car and walking toward the house. “I’m still on
Scotland time.”

Glancing at his watch, he answered, “We have three hours, plenty
of time.”

Sending him a saucy look over her shoulder, she paused for a
moment in the front yard. “Maybe, if we hurry.”

The surprised look in his face changed instantly to one of
delight as he quickly locked the car doors and hurried after her. With a happy
squeal, she ran across the lawn and up the porch stairs.
 
She was nearly to the door, when he caught
her, spun her around and kissed her.

“
Mmmm
,” she purred. “Welcome
home.”

He bent down and scooped her into his arms.

“I can walk,” she reminded him.

He kissed her again. “Yes, but I have to carry you over the
threshold, it’s my husbandly duty,” he said, punching in the security code and
unlocking the door.

Mary winked at him and unbuttoned the top button of his
shirt. “Well hurry and open the door, so you can put me down and concentrate on
more interesting husbandly duties.”

 
“I’m not putting you
down…,” he exclaimed with a smoldering look, as he pushed the door open, “until
I drop you on the mattress.”

“SURPRISE!!!!”

Bradley and Mary looked up to find their home filled with
their friends.

“Oh, my,” Mary said, biting her lower lip in embarrassment.

“Hey, don’t worry,” Mike said, appearing next to them. “We
didn’t hear Bradley say anything about a mattress.”

She buried her head in his shoulder and felt the rise and
fall of Bradley’s chest as he began to laugh. He bent down and nuzzled her ear.
“Welcome home, darling.”

She looked up at him, saw the tender humor in his eyes and
laughed too. “Yes, welcome home.”

An hour later, as they sat together around the kitchen
table, Ian tapped his spoon on the side of his teacup to quiet the group.

“What? Do you want us to kiss?” Bradley asked, winking at
Mary and sighing. “If I must…”

“I
dinna
think you need any of my
encouragement in that manner,” Ian said. “Aye, according to the staff in
Scotland,
they nary saw hide nor
hair of you for the
entire week.”

“Ian,” Gillian reprimanded, a twinkle in her eye, “that
wasn’t very nice.”

“I thought the sign of a good staff was discretion,” Bradley
teased.

“Well, they know who’s paying their salaries, now don’t
they?” Ian replied with a smile. “But, I understand I’m in debt to you.”

“Whatever for?”
Mary asked.

“Well, I understand that Headless Hannah is no longer
walking the halls of the manor house,” he replied.

“And that’s a wonderful thing,” Gillian added.

“Oh, Hannah,” Mary said. “She was delightful. And she had
such a great sense of humor.”

Bradley shrugged. “I don’t know about that,” he said. “She
kept winking at me. And let me tell you, it’s disconcerting as hell having a
head on a platter winking at you.”

“It’s just that she caught you in…” she paused and sent an
apologetic glance to Bradley.

Bradley groaned softly.

“In his what?”
Stanley asked.

“Nothing,” Bradley said.
“Never mind.”

“In his pajamas?”
Rosie asked.
“In his bed?
 
In his chair?”

“I think you had just better tell them,” Mary said
apologetically.

Sighing, Bradley leaned back in his chair. “In my
altogether,” he replied.

“
Your
altogether what?” Rosie
asked.

“He was naked,” Stanley said. “He was trotting around Ian’s
castle naked.”

“He wasn’t trotting around naked,” Mary protested. “He was
just dancing naked in our room.”

Ian grinned. “Dancing naked?” he snorted. “Why Bradley,
there’s more of you than meets the eye.”

“Obviously not Mary’s eye,” Mike quipped.

“Anyway,” Mary interrupted. “If not for your excellent research,
we wouldn’t have been able to discern the cause of her death. So, you don’t owe
us anything.”

“How did she die?” Rosie asked.

“Part of the south wall of the estate collapsed in the early
1400s,” Mary said.

“Aye, I remember the excavation we did on the grounds,” Ian
said. “We found a treasure trove of artifacts.”

“Did you find a lot of old weapons?” Bradley asked.

“As a matter of fact, we did,” Ian said.

“Poor Hannah happened to be standing near a display of
treasured armaments when the wall came down,” Mary explained. “Her decapitation
was just an accident. No one murdered her. But because her death was so sudden,
she had become stuck here on earth.”

Rosie rubbed her neck. “That sounds awful,” she said.

“Didn’t look very pleasant either,” Bradley added, reaching
over and taking Mary’s hand. “But it was nice to watch her find the light and
move on.”

Mary turned to him and nodded. “It was, wasn’t it?”

They stared into each other’s eyes for several moments until
Ian finally cleared his throat and stood up. “Why, now, look at the time,” he
said loudly. “Stanley, Rosie, weren’t you going to show Gillian and
meself
that thing down at your store?”

Rosie stood up and grinned at Ian. “Oh, thank you for
reminding me,” she said. “Of course, we were.”

“What thing?” Stanley asked. “What are you talking about?”

Rosie grabbed Stanley’s shoulder and pulled him out of his
chair. “I’ll remind you on the way over to the store,” she said pointedly.
“While Bradley and Mary have a little time to get settled.”

“Settled,” Stanley argued. “Mary’s lived here for more than
two years. What the hell does she need time to get settled
fer
?”

“She wasn’t a newlywed,” Rosie said slowly.

Eyes slowly widening, Stanley blushed. “Oh, well, then, why
didn’t you say so?” he said. “
Iffen
these two want to
make hay while the sun shines they should of scooted us out of this house a
long time ago.”

“Stanley, scoot,” Bradley laughed, while Mary hid her face
against his shoulder. “And don’t let the door hit you on your way out.”

When the door finally closed, Mike turned to the newlyweds
and smiled. “Remember, this is Tuesday, so you’ve got about an hour before
Clarissa gets home,” he said. “I’ll see what I can do to delay the bus a
little.”

Once he faded out in front of them, Bradley turned to Mary. “Hopefully
that’s the last of our surprises for the day,” he said with a sigh.

Mary stood up and walked toward the staircase.
 
Halfway there, she turned and smiled at him
over her shoulder. “Oh, I don’t know,” she said with a seductive tone. “There
might be another one or two waiting for you upstairs.”