Trapped (A Jenny Watkins Mystery Book 5) Read online

  Trapped

  Book 5 of the Jenny Watkins Mystery Series

  Driven

  Betrayed

  Shattered

  Exposed

  Copyright 2014

  Dedication

  Once again I have a million people to thank for this book. My family—Scott Durfee, Hannah Durfee, Seneca Durfee, Evan Fish and Julia Fish—all come to mind, first and foremost. Their love and support make these books possible; I couldn’t do it without them. (My eleven-year-old, Julia, was even my cover photographer this time…thanks, Jubes!)

  Of course, I would have absolutely nothing without my parents. Mom and Dad, I thank you for everything you have done for me over the years. I love you both VERY MUCH.

  My proofreaders are also my heroes: Bill Demarest is my fact checker…nothing gets by him. Danielle Bon Tempo is my primary editor; I thought I was good at grammar until I got a sheet from her with several pages of necessary edits. My ego has officially been deflated.

  My “target audience” proofreaders are also my lifesavers: Sam Travers, Stacy Vicks, Sue Durfee, Felicia Underwood and Jenny Groom—thank you so much for your honest input. You are my last barrier between pride and humiliation. I trust you will tell me, “Don’t do it,” if it shouldn’t be done.

  My friends and family, who are too numerous to name (and I am too old to try…I’ll inevitably forget someone and then feel like a jerk,) have also been my inspiration. There are little bits of past conversations in these books, and I am sure you can recognize some of them. You know who you are.

  Lastly, if you are reading this, I thank YOU. I cannot tell you how grateful I am for your support. Truly. I’m still amazed by the outpouring I have received.

  And Cathi…tell Ron I kept up my end of the bargain. He’s got to read this one.

  Chapter 1

  Jenny looked at the ring being offered to her, unsure of what to say. She knew the answer was supposed to be an emphatic yes, but she hadn’t been expecting this proposal, and she’d never given any consideration to the question ahead of time. While she loved Zack, they were still very new, and she wasn’t sure of their potential for longevity. This was much too big of an undertaking to jump into blindly.

  As a result, “Oh my God,” was all she said.

  Zack smiled optimistically. “So what do you say?”

  His hopeful face broke her heart. “Um…I don’t know what to say,” she replied, knowing that her response was not going to be yes.

  “Listen,” Zack said, softening his tone. “You don’t have to answer right away. I know this is a big decision I’m springing on you, but I just want you to know where I’m coming from. I am committed to you and to this baby one-hundred percent.”

  A sincere and loving smile graced Jenny’s lips. “Thank you, Zack. I really do appreciate that.”

  “And I know you said you only wanted to have legitimate children, so I wanted to make that happen for you.”

  Jenny laughed, in part because she’d never dreamed in a million years that would ever be an issue for her. “Thank you for that, too.”

  Zack continued to kneel on one knee, making Jenny nervous. “Here,” she said, patting the couch. “Why don’t you come up here so we can talk about this.” He obliged, and Jenny continued. “I hope you’re not offended when I say that I’m going to take you up on your offer to think about this for a while. I’m not saying no…I just don’t feel quite ready to say yes yet, either.”

  “I get that,” Zack replied, looking at her with a genuineness that warmed Jenny’s heart. “But the ring is still here if you decide you want it later.”

  Glancing down at the modest solitaire ring in the box, she noted, “It’s beautiful, by the way.”

  “I know it’s not much,” he said, “but I also know you’re not flashy.”

  “No, it’s perfect. Truly.” Jenny once again smiled compassionately at Zack. “But let me tell you what my concern is, just so you know. I do love you; that’s not the issue. My fear is that we’re still in the throes of the whole new-love thing. Everything seems perfect now, but if my relationship with Greg is any indication, that feeling definitely wears off.”

  “I’ve got to admit,” Zack said, “I’ve never been in a relationship long enough to reach that point.” He let out a goofy chuckle. “My relationships were never more than a couple of months long, and I was always perfectly happy when the girls ended it.”

  Jenny winced. Zack had spent a lifetime struggling in the dating world, and now the answer to his first marriage proposal was a whopping I don’t know. It seemed the poor guy couldn’t catch a break, and she hated the fact that she was contributing to his misfortune.

  Jenny released an exhale, and with it a good deal of tension left her shoulders. She looked at the man she truly did love and admitted, “My dating life hadn’t been all that spectacular before I met Greg, either; that relationship is really my only basis of comparison. But, believe it or not, I was once enamored with him. I thought he was perfect in every way.” She bit her lip as she stifled a giggle. “And as you know, by the end of the marriage I could see nothing but flaws when I looked at him, and now the man makes me want to vomit.”

  “But Greg is an asshole.”

  “I know that,” Jenny said, feeling somewhat validated, “and that’s my point. In the beginning I was so in love with him that I didn’t see him for what he really was…and that scares me. I don’t think I’m doing the same thing with you, but I need to be sure.” She quieted her voice. “I just want to take a little time to think about it, that’s all.”

  “Any idea how long?”

  Jenny used a casual tone when she replied, “I don’t know. A couple of years, maybe?”

  “A couple of years?”

  With a laugh and a pat on his leg she added, “Kidding.”

  “Good Lord, I hope so.”

  The smile left Jenny’s face. “Honestly, I don’t think I can give you a time frame, unfortunately. But I hope you realize it isn’t just me I’m worried about. I don’t want you to propose to me too soon, only to find out after it’s too late that I annoy the shit out of you.”

  “I don’t think that will ever happen.”

  “Remember…right now you’re looking at me through rose-colored glasses, my friend.”

  “Yeah, but don’t forget,” Zack began, “we were just friends first. I don’t just love you; I like you, and I don’t think that’s going away any time soon.”

  “It may not,” Jenny said, sincerely hoping it never did. “It may be that I’m just being over-cautious.” She took his hand and stroked it with her thumb. “But if I answer you right now, I’ll be answering with my heart. I want to think about this with my brain for a while and make sure we’re making the decision that’s best for both of us.”

  “All three of us,” Zack corrected.

  Jenny smiled. “Yes. All three of us…you, me and our beautiful daughter.”

  Jenny’s phone rang, and the caller surprised her. “Officer Fazzino,” she said when she answered. “How are you?”

  “I’m doing great, Jenny, how are you?”

  “Can’t complain.” She pinned the phone between her ear and her shoulder as she continued to empty the dishwasher. “To what do I owe the honor?”

  “Well, something interesting has come up. It’s a long string of events, kind of like that whole seven-degrees-of-separation-to-Kevin-Bacon thing.”

  Jenny found herself giggling.

  The officer continued, “A friend of mine had a cousin come up from Virginia. The cousin caught wind of the fact that a psychic had been used to solve a few murders around here and noted that a friend of hers owns
a bed-and-breakfast in Virginia that is presumably haunted. The cousin wanted your contact information, but I didn’t want to give out your phone number without your permission. Instead I got the phone number of the woman who owns the bed-and-breakfast, and I’ve been asked to pass that information along to you. She’s hoping you can go down there and figure out what’s happening in that house.”

  Making a face, Jenny said, “A haunting? I’ve never really done a haunting before.”

  “Is it something you think you can do?” Officer Fazzino asked.

  “I have no idea,” she confessed as she put away a stack of plates. “I guess I could give it a whirl, but I make no guarantees.”

  “Well, a whirl is the best they can ask for, now isn’t it?” Officer Fazzino gave Jenny the phone number of the woman in Virginia, and Jenny concluded the phone conversation with a promise to give the woman a call.

  She contemplated the phone number on the scrap of paper in her hand before dialing, unsure what to make of “a haunting.” In the past she’d been the only one who could receive contact from the spirits; what would she encounter if this spirit’s presence was known to everyone? Would she be completely overwhelmed? Or would she be given no more insight than anyone else?

  With a strength-gathering breath she dialed the number. The woman on the other end sounded pleasant. “Heritage Inn.”

  “Hi, my name is Jenny Watkins, and I was given this number by Officer Danny Fazzino in Ivory Heights, Connecticut. I was told to call about a haunting that’s been going on?” Jenny phrased that more like a question than a statement.

  “Yes, Miss Watkins, I’m so glad you called,” the woman replied enthusiastically. “I’m Jessica Thompson; I own the inn. I have to tell you, there have been some strange occurrences around this place. For years I haven’t known where to turn. It wasn’t until my friend told me about your ability that I realized I could potentially get some answers.”

  “When you say ‘strange occurrences,’ what exactly do you mean?”

  “Slamming doors and unexplained wind gusts…inside the house,” Jessica replied. “I’ve always told the guests that it’s just because our ventilation system needs to be fixed, but I’ve had multiple people come out to look at it, and they all say nothing is wrong with it.” She paused and her voice became noticeably shakier as she added, “There’s got to be some other explanation for what’s happening.”

  “Okay, well, I can try to see what’s going on, but I have to warn you this isn’t usually how things go for me. In the past I’ve just been minding my business and the spirits contact me; I’ve never really gone out in search of a spirit before.”

  “I’m willing to try it, even if it doesn’t work. I honestly don’t know what else to do. This whole concept is so foreign to me.”

  “Believe me, I understand that. I’m relatively new to this whole thing myself,” Jenny replied kindly. “So when would you like me to come?”

  “As soon as possible, actually. I’ve got some vacancies for the next few days; you’re more than welcome to stay here free of charge, and of course I’ll pay you for your trouble.”

  “I’m not worried about that,” Jenny replied. “Let me just talk to my business partner and see if he’s available for a road trip. Then I’ll let you know when we’ll be coming.”

  “Oh, I didn’t realize you had a partner. Will you be needing two rooms?”

  “No,” Jenny said sheepishly, “we’re a couple.”

  “That works out better, actually,” Jessica replied. “I’d hate to have you by yourself if you encountered anything frightening.”

  “So where exactly is this place?” Zack asked as Jenny backed the car out of the driveway.

  “It’s in the southern part of Virginia, close to the North Carolina border. It seems like it’s in the middle of nowhere—I can’t imagine that many people would want to stay out there, to tell you the truth.”

  “Well,” Zack said as he typed the address into his GPS, “sometimes the purpose of going to a bed-and-breakfast is to be out in the middle of nowhere.”

  “I guess you’re right.”

  After a moment, Zack said, “It looks like the total travel time is about eight hours. Are you sure you wouldn’t rather just fly?”

  “A flight would probably take just as long,” Jenny surmised. “We live an hour from the airport, I doubt there’d be any direct flights, and the inn is well over an hour from Richmond airport. I’d rather just drive; then we have the freedom of having our own car.”

  Zack glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. “You do realize you have enough money to charter a flight, right? And rent a car?”

  Feeling a bit embarrassed, Jenny noted, “Yes, I do have that much money…but I won’t have it very long if I keep spending it on things like private planes. Besides,” she added with a smile, “I thought you liked road trips.”

  “I do. I also like the idea of having your car so we can high-tail it out of there when the doors start slamming for no good reason.”

  “You can high-tail it out of there,” Jenny replied. “I’m going to stick around and try to figure out what the spirit wants.”

  “How do you know it wants something?”

  “Don’t they always?”

  Zack thought about that for a minute. “Touche,” he eventually said. “But I have to admit if I see anything…ghost-like…I’m going to be totally creeped out.”

  Jenny’s tone was playfully argumentative. “You have always said you’re jealous of my abilities to communicate with the dead, and now here you have the chance to see an anomaly for yourself—and you say it’s going to creep you out?”

  “Well, it’s cool when you do it,” he reasoned. “Me? Not so much.”

  Jenny laughed and shook her head. “That’s the same kind of reasoning my second graders used to use.”

  “Well, it’s totally valid.”

  She smiled as she drove down the road. She and Greg never used to have this kind of playful interaction; she wasn’t imagining that. While she knew this relationship with Zack could never be perfect—no relationship was—at least it had the potential to keep her entertained.

  Perhaps it could stand the test of time. A nervous energy tingled within her.

  “Wow, this place really is in the middle of nowhere,” Zack said. “I feel like we’ve been on this road forever.”

  The road they’d traveled since exiting the highway had wound through stretches of farmland and vast expanses of forested area. After forty-five minutes on that same road, the GPS finally directed the couple to turn right down a narrow side street. The Heritage Inn appeared very quickly on their left.

  The building itself was magnificent, poised at the end of a long driveway and up a slight hill. A two-story, columned front porch extended the entire length of the house, giving the inn the distinct air of southern hospitality. The lawn was beautifully manicured with a small fountain situated between the house and the road.

  “Damn,” Zack said as they pulled in the driveway. “This place is nice.”

  “I guess now we know how this middle-of-nowhere inn stays in business.”

  As Jenny got out of the car, she felt a nervous energy building inside her, although she wasn’t sure if those were her own nerves or if she was picking up on somebody else’s emotions. Sometimes it was difficult for her to tell.

  Looking up at the beautiful house, she couldn’t help but wonder what history it held within its walls—and who felt so strongly about their unfinished business that they lingered inside.

  The couple walked through the front door and approached an elegant mahogany desk that sat off to the right. The woman working behind it appeared to be in her early fifties with short, gray hair and glasses dangling from a chain around her neck. She regarded the couple with a friendly smile. “Hi,” she said sweetly. “Welcome to the Heritage Inn. Do you have a reservation?”

  “Kind of,” Jenny began. “I’m Jenny Watkins, and this is my partner, Zack.”


  The woman stood up and clasped her hands together. “Oh, thank you so much for coming. I’m Jessica; we spoke on the phone.”

  Jenny extended her hand. “Pleased to meet you. It certainly is a beautiful place you have; I can see why people are willing to make the drive to stay here.”

  “It is quite a hike,” Jessica replied, “but this house is steeped in history. A lot of people come out for that; others come to enjoy the peace and quiet.” She leaned forward and gave Jenny a smile. “We’ve even been known to host a few weddings.”

  Zack and Jenny exchanged a knowing glance.

  “Well,” Jessica continued, stepping out from around the desk, “before we do anything else, let me show you to your room so you can get situated. Then, when you’re ready, we can get down to business.”

  Jenny looked around as Jessica led the way. Two grandiose stairways curved on opposite sides of the main room, meeting in the middle on the second floor. The steps were blanketed in red carpet, adding to the elegance. Jessica led the couple up the closer set of stairs, directing them to the right once they reached the top. At the end of the hall she opened a door, exposing a room that was exquisitely decorated in period pieces.

  “Wow,” Jenny noted. “This looks amazing.”

  “Well, we tried to make it look as much like it would have looked when the house was built in the 1830s…but with all of the modern amenities, of course.”

  As Zack put the suitcase down, Jenny ran her hand along the quilt that adorned the bed; it appeared to be hand-stitched. The bed rails and the dressers had the sturdy look of wood, and the smooth new floors probably resembled the original flooring, only better. A fireplace graced the far wall, although Jenny concluded it was gas based on the switch positioned next to it. She wondered if a real fireplace had been there a century and a half ago.

  Jessica opened another door. “And this is your bathroom. Every room has a private bath.”

  “That must have been a bear to accomplish,” Zack noted, his former life as a home-builder shining through. “The original house had only one bathroom, and it was outside.”