Read Twisted Endings 2: 5 Acts of Vengeance Online
Authors: Timothy D. McLendon
Twisted Endings 2: 5 Acts of Vengeance (7 page)
The doctor falls to the floor, convulsing.
“You should get out of here,” Joe says.
I know he’s talking to me. “What about you?”
He shakes his head. “I’m gonna call the police and let them know the truth about Dr. Crazy.”
“Your family.”
“I can’t hide behind them anymore.” He nods at me. “I’ve got this. If you have any family, you should be with them. Don’t mess things up.”
He seems to have some demons he needs to slay. Something in his past to make up for. I nod back at him and leave the room. There is family I should see.
I’M DRIVING down a dirt road, on my way to visit Samantha for the first time since the funeral. I have to thank her for what she’s help me become.
There’s a store on the left hand side of the road that I’ve never noticed. The sign out front says it’s going out of business and everything is 50% off. There are flowers in the front display window. Samantha loved flowers like that. Carnations.
I pull into the empty parking lot. The faded sign on the door says ‘Soap Suds.’
A bell chimes overhead when I open the door. I can smell jasmine and cinnamon.
“Come in, come in,” says an old man behind the counter. “It’s hot out there today. Can I get you something to drink?”
I jump when the door slams shut behind me.
“No thank you. I just wanted to pick up some flowers.”
“Flowers?” the old man says. He stares at me. “This is a soap shop, sir.”
I point to the flowers in the window. “Oh, I just thought...” I stop myself. I look around and see shelves full of soap bars. Nothing else. Just soap.
“I see. Well, I suppose you can have them. They’ll be dead by tomorrow.”
They look healthy to me. “Thank you. I’d like the vase, too.” I reach for my wallet. “Will $200 be enough?”
He steps out from behind the counter. “What are they for?”
“For my wife’s grave.”
He walks to the front window and grabs the flowers. Now he’s heading back behind the counter again. He punches some numbers into the cash register.
“That comes to a total of…” He smirks. “There’s no charge. God bless your wife.”
I don’t know what to say. But I can tell by the look in his eyes that he won’t accept ‘no’ as an answer. “Thank you, Mr. …”
“Johnson. Just call me Johnson.”
“Thank you, Johnson.” I smile, grab the flowers, and head for the door. It’s getting dark and I have to see Samantha.
But I stop.
“You know,” I said, turning around, “my wife loved places like this. How much would it cost to buy it?”
Johnson laughed. “I’ve been running this store since 1968. Things we’re different back then. If someone wanted soap, this is where they came. But now you can get soap from a grocery store. Even a gas station.”
I nodded. There had to be changes. “Samantha loved soap. And shampoo. And perfume. And candles.” I looked at the flowers in my hands. “And these.”
“I never liked change,” Johnson said. “And look where it got me.” He took a deep breath. “It’s too late now.”
“No it’s not.” I set the flowers on the counter. “With your help and experience, I can rebuild this store into what it once was. We can expand the product line. How much?”
He shakes his head. “Between the lease and supplies, I owe about $250,000.”
“I’ll give you $500,000.”
Johnson looks like he stopped breathing.
“But only if you agree to stay. No one knows this business better than you.”
“I accept your offer. But I can’t stay. I’m too old and I’ve seen too much.” He stomps on the floor and shouts, “David!”
I jump.
“Didn’t mean to scare you,” he says. “David’s my assistant. He makes all the soap in-house.”
“Yes, Sir?” a young man says when he enters from a back room. He’s probably 19 or 20 years old.
“I told you about calling me that name. Listen, this here is Mr. uh…”
“Jake,” I say. “Jake Mason.” I reach a hand out to David.
He puts his hands up and steps back. He motions to the mess on his smock. The soap chemicals look like a mixture of blood and mucus. “Sorry. It’s been a busy day.”
“No problem. That doesn’t bother me.” I had seen much worse when Samantha died.
“Johnson,” David says, “would you like me to make a special order for Mr. Mason?”
“No, that’s not necessary,” Johnson says. “Mr. Mason may be the new owner of this store. There’s going to be some changes around here. I’ve taught you everything I know. He’s going to need your help.”
David stares at me the same way Johnson had earlier. “Do you have any kids, Mr. Mason?”
Samantha had been infertile “No. I’m not lucky enough.”
“Did you see on the news about the child molester who disappeared a few days ago?”
Johnson shrugs when I look at him, like he has no idea why David would ask that.
“I heard about it on the radio. He needs to stay missing.” I shake my head. “We don’t need trash like that.”
David breaks his stare and smiles. “Let me show you around the store, Mr. Mason.”
Johnson nods his approval. “I’ve got a feeling this is the start of something much bigger.”
OTHER BOOKS BY
TIMOTHY D. MCLENDON
TWISTED ENDINGS is a mind-blowing collection of mystery and suspense stories with unexpected endings. One man’s patience will be tested at an amusement park. One man will be the judge of life and death. One group will determine the best way to fight crime. One boy will decide how to beat the school bullies. One woman will find a way to deal with the desecration of her body.
Your use of the story telling device and the way it becomes resolved at the end is a tour-de-force. -
David B
This is the first story I have read that I literally could not stop reading. -
Trevor W
Your story hooked me quickly and kept me guessing. -
Igal L
...an excellent pace which does not let up. -
Julio P
My jaw dropped to the floor. Holy Sh*t! -
Leroy
TWISTED ENDINGS 3 is a collection of four mystery and suspense stories with unexpected endings. This collection picks up where TWISTED ENDINGS left off. A father fights to save his daughter. An aunt fights to save her niece. A crook fights to save a hostage family. And Jake returns to run the soap store, and fight for the lives of the innocent.
From start to finish we are unsure, unsettled, struggling to think ahead to a satisfying ending where those we care about get out alive. Lots of fast-paced action, girls in jeopardy, and even a child in trouble and danger. There is jeopardy everywhere, in every word, action, and possibility. I was on the edge of my seat! -
Sabra S.
So many twists and turns, I can't stop reading. -
Otis B.
Excitement and a lot of action. -
James K.
Intense! I loved it. --
Quoc D.
You know how to keep a narrative jumpin'. -
Thomas K
.
A dramatic and event filled end. --
Gale B.
Ending, hah! It is orgasmic! --
S. Sanjani
Danny Neumann knew he was just an ordinary guy. No girlfriend, very few friends, and no real hope for a relationship with the girl he truly loved, but all of that is about to change for him.
On Danny's sixteenth birthday, a strange man appears and his words leave Danny reeling for answers and desperate to rescue his parents before it's too late. The only problem is, he isn't sure what or who to believe. Trusting people won't come easily for him, but doubting himself will prove to be even more detrimental.
What once was normal will be completely flipped upside down and will pit Danny up against his former best friend, Kevin, and forces no one could have seen coming.
Does Danny have what it takes to defeat his new found enemies and unearth the truth about his ancestry or will he lose everything, including his life, if he tries to outrun the legion of enemies out to destroy him?
One Last Thing…
When you turn the page, Kindle may give you the opportunity to rate the book and share your thoughts through an automatic feed to your Facebook and Twitter accounts. If you believe your family and/or friends would enjoy this book, I’d be honored if you’d post your thoughts.
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Visit my official author page for updates on upcoming releases:
www.tdmclendon.com
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All the best,
Timothy
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