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    The Scent of Amber & Vanilla
    The Scent of Amber & Vanilla
    The Scent of Amber & Vanilla
    Ebook28 pages20 minutes

    The Scent of Amber & Vanilla

    By Dayle A. Dermatis

    ()

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    About this ebook

    Melody wakes to the scent of amber and vanilla—the cloying scent her ex-lover wore.

     

    The ex-lover who escaped the psychiatric hospital…and kidnapped Melody's daughter.

     

    Called "a nail-biter" by Publisher's Weekly, "The Scent of Amber and Vanilla" received an honorable mention in The Year's Best Crime & Mystery 2016. It first appeared in Fiction River: Pulse Pounders, 2015.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSoul's Road Press
    Release dateAug 26, 2016
    ISBN9781536507973
    The Scent of Amber & Vanilla
    Author

    Dayle A. Dermatis

    Dayle A. Dermatis is the author or coauthor of many novels (including snarky urban fantasies Ghosted and the forthcoming Shaded and Spectered) and more than a hundred short stories in multiple genres, appearing in such venues as Fiction River, Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, and DAW Books.Called the mastermind behind the Uncollected Anthology project, she also guest edits anthologies for Fiction River, and her own short fiction has been lauded in many year's best anthologies in erotica, mystery, and horror.She lives in a book- and cat-filled historic English-style cottage in the wild greenscapes of the Pacific Northwest. In her spare time she follows Styx around the country and travels the world, which inspires her writing.To find out where she’s wandered off to (and to get free fiction!), check out DayleDermatis.com and sign up for her newsletter or support her on Patreon.* * *I value honest feedback, and would love to hear your opinion in a review, if you’re so inclined, on your favorite book retailer’s site.* * *For more information:www.dayledermatis.com

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      Book preview

      The Scent of Amber & Vanilla - Dayle A. Dermatis

      THE SCENT OF AMBER & VANILLA

      a thriller short story

      Melody wakes to the scent of amber and vanilla—the cloying scent her ex-lover wore.

      The ex-lover who escaped the psychiatric hospital…and kidnapped Melody’s daughter.

      Called a nail-biter by Publisher’s Weekly, The Scent of Amber and Vanilla received an honorable mention in The Year’s Best Crime & Mystery 2016. It first appeared in Pulse Pounders (Fiction River).

      AMBER AND VANILLA still haunted my dreams.

      Amber and vanilla were the combined scents Chrissy always wore—still wore, no doubt, if they allow perfume in the psych ward. At first I thought they were sweet, just as I thought she was sweet, all blond and curvy and femme.

      Sweet smells can’t mask the underlying rot forever, though.

      Now, sometimes I thought I smelled those cloying scents in the house, and my heart would race, and if my toddler daughter was home I’d run to her room to make sure she was safe.

      I still woke up in a panic now, ripping the sleep mask from my face because for once I’d had a few free hours to myself, lay down and, to my surprise, actually napped. I didn’t sleep well anymore, thanks to Chrissy.

      The afternoon summer sun slanted through the blinds, striping the faded crazy quilt on the double bed and the wall opposite the window, where I’d hung one of my pieces of art. A photograph of Taylor, my daughter, when she was a baby, collaged with pictures of my parents and siblings as babies.

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