Escape to Ruby Valley

Hi, today I thought I would share with you the beginning of a book that I am writing called Escape to Ruby Valley. My last novel that I wrote, Second Chances is at the publishers now and will be available real soon through Megellan Books. I'll let you know details later. I'm really excited about that! So, here is the beginning of my Mystery.

ESCAPE TO RUBY VALLEY

CHAPTER 1

Andrea Jackson slowed her Mazda to fifteen miles an hour. The hairpin curves and fallen rocks made relaxation impossible. She grasped the steering wheel with white knuckles. She could feel the tension in her arms and neck. Her foot felt like it was locked in one position. She loved the mountains but she didn’t like driving through them. Ruby Valley, fifteen miles, she read. Thank goodness, that sounded like as good a place as any to stop.
Everything was so quiet. So wonderfully quiet. Unlike Chicago with its ells and horns honking and the voices of a thousand people mingled together, Ruby Valley, Colorado was peaceful. It wasn’t a small town, it had lots of possibilities, but to Andrea it felt just right.
Her cell phone rang as she turned into the Econo Lodge parking lot. The caller ID told her it was David. Andrea didn’t want to talk to him but she thought she might as well say goodbye.
“Hello.”
“Andrea, where are you?”
“What do you care?” Andrea stepped from her car to stretch her legs.
“I tried calling the apartment and they said the phone was disconnected. I tried at your work and they said you had quit. What’s going on?”
Andrea took a deep breath of the mountain air before answering. “The Oasis, I was there on Monday. I saw your car. I saw you, and Felecia. Your embrace was enough.”
There was silence on the other end of the line. He couldn’t even say he was sorry. To think she almost married him. “I’ll send your ring back. Have a good life.” She flipped the cell phone shut. Tears stung her eyes and she squeezed them shut, blocking out the pain.
After checking into the motel Andrea took her camera and went for a walk. She wanted to capture the very essence of the mountains. Now that she didn’t need to watch the road she could appreciate the beauty around her and snap all the pictures she wanted. Tomorrow would be soon enough to look for a job.
The Ruby Valley Park was beautiful. The pond with its fountain, the gazebo, and the fall colors grazing the hills were a welcome sight. Andrea wanted to get all three elements in one picture. She kept backing up to get more of it in the view finder. One more step and it would be just perfect.
A horn blew and Andrea dropped her camera.
“You have a death wish? Watch where you’re going.”
Andrea looked down at her camera or the pieces of it anyway. “Did you have to blow your horn? Look what you did to my camera.” The man was standing with the door open, one arm on top of the door. She noted he was well dressed and not bad looking.
“A camera can be replaced, your life can’t. I’d suggest you get your priorities straight.” With that he climbed back in the car and drove away.
“Men,” Andrea said. She ruefully picked up her broken camera, wondering if she could some how save the pictures. She decided to worry about that in the morning.
After a leisurely dip in the pool Andrea felt a whole lot better. She wrote in her journal about her travels, the peaceful town of Ruby Valley, and the park at the foot of the mountains. The incident with her smashed camera was brushed over briefly, but she did note that the man was good looking. She had to give him that much.
A trip through the yellow pages revealed that there was a newspaper office in town. Ruby Valley Reporter, she’d have to apply there first thing. With her credentials she was pretty confident about getting a job, if there was an opening.
The trick would be finding a place to live. Andrea had enough for her security deposit and first months rent, but she’d almost need a job first to prove to them she wasn’t a risk. She’d have to check on craigslist.org to see what was available. That would have to wait until morning.
A good night’s sleep, a dip in the pool, ad a cool shower was all Andrea needed to equip her for the day. She reserved her room for the rest of the week and asked directions to the Ruby Valley Reporter. It was only a short distance away, she could walk.
There was security tape around a small café called Ruby Red’s Café. Andrea’s reporter background kicked in and she wondered what had happened.
“Down right shame,” an old lady said, shaking her head. “Who would have wanted Ruby dead? She never did anything but good.”
“What happened,” Andrea asked.
“They found her with a butcher knife in her chest. You know, the funny thing was, nothing was taken except for the clock on the wall.”
The old lady looked over at Andrea. “Oh, you’re new around here. Forgive me, I’m Bessie Sue.” Andrea shook her hand and introduced herself. “Sure is a shame,” Bessie said again.
Andrea walked the last two blocks to the newspaper office. She entered the front door and took a deep breath. She loved the smell of the ink, and the sound of the rollers as the printing press spewed out its pages. She felt right at home. Fifteen years as a reporter and she still relished the smell of newsprint.
“You have any job openings for a reporter?” Andrea asked at the front desk.
“Well, there may be. That would be up to our new editor.”
“Could I speak with him?”
“Let me see if he will see you now.” The receptionist picked up the phone and punched in a number. Andrea walked over to look at some recent issues of the Ruby Valley Reporter. The heading for one was Ruby Red Stabbed to Death.
“Mr. Nelson will see you now. Take the elevator to the second floor. His office is the last door on the left.”
Andrea straightened her hair as she rode the elevator. Her compact assured her that she looked her best. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Relax, he’s just a man,” she told herself.
Kurt Nelson, Editor the sign read. Andrea raised her fist to knock and the door opened. Her fist stopped inches from his face. Oh no, Andrea thought. Standing in front of her was the man for the park.
His eyebrows went up and he extended his hand. “This is a surprise, Miss …”
“Andrea Jackson.” She liked his firm hand shake. Some were like floppy fish, cold and damp. But his was firm and sure.
“Sue says you were looking for a job as a reporter, Miss Jackson. Do you have any experience?”
Her chin came up. I worked as a reporter for the Chicago Sun Times for the past 15 years.”
“Commendable. Do you have a portfolio?” Andrea handed him her credentials and he looked them over carefully. “I don’t suppose you have any pictures to show me.”
The blood rushed to her face and she had to bite he tongue so she wouldn’t spit out an answer. The man irritated her. “I’m sure I’ll have some for you tomorrow,” she said shortly. She would have loved to wipe that smirk off his face.
His face became serious. “We have some new developments we are working on right now. I’m not sure if I’d have time to show you the ropes.”
“Are you talking about what happened to Ruby?”
Kurt looked surprised. “Yes, you know about that?”
“I’m a reporter,” she said with a smile. “Isn’t it odd that the only thing missing from the café was the clock on the wall?”
He studied her with new interest. “All right, you bring in some pictures for me tomorrow and anything else you can dig up about Ruby Red and you got yourself a job.” The phone rang and he motioned for her to leave. After acknowledging the caller he put his hand over the mouth piece and said, “Don’t step out in front of any cars.”
Andrea gently closed the door behind her. What a cocky jerk. It should be interesting working for him. Men, they thought they were better than everyone else. Well, she didn’t need them. She knew how to do her job just as good as any man. She’d show him what she was made of.
As she walked past the Ruby Red Café, Andrea spotted footprints under the front window. It was funny she hadn’t spotted them earlier. Should she cross the line and check them out? Andrea jumped as a hand rested on her shoulder.
“Thinking about disregarding sheriff’s orders?” Andrea looked up into the eyes of the sheriff of Ruby Valley. Tim Kincaid, his badge said. She liked him immediately.
“I was just noticing those footprints. They weren’t there this morning.”
“You must be the new reporter. Kurt told me to keep an eye on you.” He gripped her hand firmly in his. “Where are you from?”
“Chicago.”
“What brings you to a small town in Colorado?”
“I just needed to get away from all the noise and commotion.”
Tim sighed. “Everything grows, even Ruby Valley. And as it does, so does the violence. Used to be we didn’t need to even lock our doors.”
“Did you check out those footprints?”
“Yup, you’ll find they match my boots perfectly.” He laughed at her expression. “Would you like a look at the crime scene?”
Andrea gladly accepted his offer and followed him into the restaurant. Blood still stained the floor where the outline of Ruby’s body was drawn. She noticed the white spot on the wall where the clock had hung.
“Nothing was missing but that clock as far as we can tell,” Tim said. “They didn’t even take anything from the till.”
The kitchen was undisturbed. Everything was nice and neat. Ruby must have finished cleaning up before her attacker entered. “Was there finger prints on the knife handle or the door?”
“Nope, whoever did this must have worn gloves.”
Andrea walked around the restaurant, studying it from all angles. She looked toward the chalked outline again. An object was reflecting the light. It was lying against the cooler door.
“Tim, look at that.” She pointed to the object. Tim bent down and carefully picked it up with a cloth. He studied it closely.
“It looks to me like a stone from a man’s ring. Black Onyx it looks like.” He slipped it into a plastic bag and put it in his pocket. “Good eye, Andrea. Good eye.”
“Thanks, Tim.”
Everything else seemed in place and of no value to the investigation. Whoever did this must have been known by Ruby and trusted by her. There was no sign of forced entry, no sign of struggle, just one thrust of a butcher knife to the chest. Andrea figured the best place to start was by talking to all the regulars that came to the restaurant. Bessie Sue was a good one to start with.
Tim let her out and locked the door behind them. He had things to do and said he would catch up to her later. Andrea walked back to her car and headed for Radio shack to see if they could save anything from her camera. They assured her they would try and sold her a new one in the process.