Tucan River - Book 1 of the Rosella Crimm Mysteries

Prologue

"It's not as bad as it sounds, Ella. I promise." My mother's reassuring tone was the least bit believable, but I smiled in response, knowing she was trying her best.

"I know. I'm sure it'll be better." A simple statement. One we both knew was a lie, but the minute it slipped off my tongue, I saw something sparkle in her eyes. It warmed my heart. Seeing my mother even remotely happy lately, had made me feel like a kid on Christmas.

After my father disappeared, she let depression take control. My mother went from the strongest person you'll ever meet, to a ticking time bomb. It was sad to see, but if I were to be completely honest with her about my feelings, we'd both be a blubbering mess.

And, losing my father took its toll on everything. We'd lost our house, our friends, our reputation, our hearts. After the foreclosure, my mother did the only thing she could do. She called my grandmother.

Now, don't get me wrong, grandma is a sweet, caring woman. She sends cards, presents, and love every holiday. But, she was also fifty-seven, a widow, and lived in a town with the smallest population in the face of the earth. Seriously, I looked it up. BridgeGate, Arizona. Population: 2500

It's funny how losing someone can screw with your brain. I can't remember what I ate for lunch yesterday, but I can pinpoint every single thing my father did the day he disappeared. And, when you see things no one can explain every, single day, and you can still find time to remember an entire day that happened almost three years ago, you tend to feel pretty good about yourself.

So, you're probably asking yourself, "what does she mean by 'things no one can explain'?" Well, take the girl sitting in the parking lot of the gas station mom and I are stopped at. She was beautiful. Or, at least she used to be. If it weren't for the gaping hole on the side of her head, and the rotting flesh on her arm so subtle, that if you weren't looking for it, you'd miss it. Of course, there is no one to miss it, but me.

Yes, yes, that's right. As Cole Sear would say, "I see dead people."

And dead people can see me. As long as I let them, of course...
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Cover done by stella_sparksfly.