Scents and Shadows: Book Two in McNamara Series

SCENTS 

AND

SHADOWS

ROXANA NASTASE

SCARLET LEAF

TORONTO, CANADA

© 2017 by ROXANA NASTASE

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publishers, with the exception of a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review to be printed in a newspaper, magazine or journal.

All characters in this book are fictive, and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

Scarlet Leaf Publishing House has allowed this work to remain exactly as the author intended.

This book does not portray the Scottish Criminal Police.

PUBLISHED BY SCARLET LEAF

Toronto, Canada

To Jennifer Evans – the best friend one could wish for

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PROLOGUE - MAUDE IS IN FOR A HARSH SURPRISE

CHAPTER 1 - MCNAMARA DECIDES TO TAKE ACTION

CHAPTER 2 – EXPECTATIONS AND ASSUMPTIONS

CHAPTER 3 – AN INTERESTING  BEGINNING FOR AN EVENING

CHAPTER 4 – THE MISSING BODY

CHAPTER 5 – A CHAT WITH MAUDE

CHAPTER 6 – THE BODY ISN’T MISSING ANYMORE

CHAPTER 7 – BEWILDERMENT OVER A MERE RELATIONSHIP

CHAPTER 8 - MEETING THE GOSSIP OF THE NEIGHBOURHOOD

CHAPTER 9 – LIZ TAYLOR MYSTERY ELUCIDATED

CHAPTER 10 - IDENTITY AND SURVEILLANCE TAPES

CHAPTER 11 – A SEARCH WITH SHOCKING SURPRISES

CHAPTER 12 – A BREATH OF FRESH AIR

CHAPTER 13 – MORE LIGHT SHADED ON THE VICTIM

CHAPTER 14 – BATTERIES MISSING IN A HEARING AID

CHAPTER 15 – A NEW CRIME  SHADOWS THE NEIGHBOURHOOD

CHAPTER 16 – ANOTHER TYPE OF BATTLE

CHAPTER 17 – A MEETING WITH SURPRISES

CHAPTER 18 – APPEARANCES MISLEAD

EPILOGUE

EXCERPT FROM THE NOVEL AN IMMIGRANT

AUTHOR’S BIOGRAPHY

BOOKS BY ROXANA NASTASE

PROLOGUE - MAUDE IS IN FOR A HARSH SURPRISE

THE LITTLE BEAGLE GROWLED and pulled on the leash, making old Maude jump ahead and almost fall on her face. The abrupt move came as a surprise to Maude.

Going out with Missy meant she would just drone along, wrapped up in her thoughts. The sedate stroll helped Maude order her ideas, make plans, or think of something she had read or seen on TV.

Her old beagle had never reacted so unpredictably before or, at least, never during the last six years. She was never excited, even when she was around playful or hostile dogs.

In the morning, they would saunter leisurely along the shore, and at night, they would take the trail near the ravine close to their house. Their strolls always followed the same pattern. Missy would trot a little ahead, neither too fast nor too slow, and Maude would stroll along at a comfortable pace. Maude had gotten somewhat brittle along those last years, and she didn’t have the strength to wrestle with a dog, even though her beagle was not a giant hound.

Maude had been pleased to see that her dog quieted down once she had reached a certain age. The woman had her doubts in the beginning and feared that she wouldn’t be able to control her once her age and arthritis advanced.

Missy, calm down, girl, Maude commanded with all the authority she could muster after her fright.

Those days, the old woman couldn’t rely on her knees anymore. The woman had practically seen herself thrown to the ground for a moment, and that scared her. She didn’t know if she would have been able to stand up again.

The woman tried to yank the leash so that Missy understood to go back to the peaceful pace they both enjoyed. It was just wishful thinking, though. Missy had sniffed a strong scent, and her primal instincts overcame all her training. That instinct urged the old dog forward now. It made her forget the aches and stiffness the unforgivable time had brought.

Maude’s commands fell on deaf ears. The scent trail was compelling, and the hunting dog, lurking inside Missy, had woken up. The dog had already reached a particular zone, and a new spring appeared in her walk.

The beagle growled fiercely again, and the sound was frightening. A shiver of fear crept down Maude’s back. The ferocious sound that came from her sweet, well-behaved dog made the hair on her neck stand, and hairy spider legs dragged along her spine.

Maude glanced around with apprehension, and her fingers shook on the leash when her eyes swept over the vast wooded area on her right.

The midnight glow drowned the trees in an unreal light. Maude had been walking her dog in that wooden area for years and knew it as well as the back of her hand. Yet, that night, it was as if she had noticed its menacing midnight appearance for the first time.

Missy broke into a run, which didn’t sit well with Maude. Her arthritis had restricted her movements for some time now, and there were days when she couldn’t do more than drag her feet. That was one of those days. Maude cursed the beagle under her breath.

The old woman began shouting and demanded the dog to stop, but with no effect. The dog seemed very intent on getting to a specific destination.

Then, the old woman realised that Missy had hurried toward her favourite hydrant, which confused her. Missy had to know she would get to that hydrant sooner or later, as it was one of the main attraction spots of their walks, after all.

Easy, girl, easy, Maude tried to soothe the dog and make her walk slower, but to no avail. Missy continued her forced race, and in the process, she dragged a cursing and aching Maude in tow.

The woman had great respect for exercising. Her doctor had advised her repeatedly that she needed to keep moving, or her joints would grow more painful and stiff. She had heeded his advice. However, her exercising was limited to fairly-paced strolls, not sprints. Maude hadn’t been too fond of sprinting even in her youth, and she had never understood the logic of jogging with no destination in mind. Now, her knees were not accustomed to taking such abuse and began to protest loudly to the effort.

Again, the old woman cursed the little dog and what might have turned her obedient companion into a beast. Maude had a hard time keeping up with the now running dog. She couldn’t ignore either the gruelling rhythm or her tortured knees, and she wasn’t even aware that tears were running down her face, let alone wipe them off. Yet, the thought of letting the leash go never crossed her mind.

Maude felt deep gratitude when Missy finally stopped in front of the blasted hydrant and closed her eyes in relief. The woman breathed deeply for a minute or two, taking her time to rest her mistreated knees, unaware of anything else.

Now, the dog started howling and snarling. To be truthful, Maude had never heard anything like that from her dog before, and her heart pumped faster.

Yet, the old woman needed to catch her breath, so she still took her time. No other sound reached her ears. Maude didn’t believe that they were in any danger, and at that moment, she didn’t even care if they were. Other things were taking precedence in her mind, like the stabbing pain in her joints and laboured breath.

Only when the piercing pain in her knees subsided and became more bearable, Maude decided to see why her lovely pet had turned into a primal being. The howling was gone, but the dog’s snarl had turned deep and vicious now, and the old woman couldn’t ignore the real world anymore.

When she finally opened her eyes, Maude froze, unable to do anything else but stare, riveted in place. Her gnarled fingers turned into stone on the leash.

Maude opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out, her shouts remaining trapped at the back of her throat, even though she could still hear them reverberate inside her head.

The woman’s eyes had widened with shock, and the skin on her face tightened over her bones as the blood receded. The spiders crawling on her back earlier multiplied, and their hairy legs left traces of fright in their wake. Her legs began to shake, and the old woman wondered if she would still be able to stand for a split second.

The moon had just come out of the clouds, and Maude had a clear view of the hydrant. There, a severed human head basked in the moonlight. 

Maude’s terrified eyes stared at the slashed skin that once might have covered a pretty graceful neck. Traces of blood smeared what was left of the once-long neck.

Blood was still dripping, and Maude’s shocked gaze followed the downward direction of the blood drops with morbid fascination. The droplets fell in the dark, nearly coagulated pool, which covered the now sticky grass at the foot of the hydrant.

The woman shifted her gaze back to the head. Open and lifeless eyes stared back at her, and Maude noticed their unusual violet colour, which gradually faded right there in front of her eyes. Still, the immobile gaze mesmerised her.

The old woman made a considerable effort, but she could finally shift her eyes off those cold, hypnotic pupils. She moved her sight above the head, and only then, she noticed the knot of hair fastened to the hydrant.

A fog bubble had enveloped her mind, and Maude shook her head to clear it, knowing that she had to do something or call someone because she couldn’t just leave that head alone there. The woman couldn’t just avert her eyes and be on her merry way. Her generation had been brought up with a sense of justice and responsibility.

She remembered the cell phone her niece had made her carry with her everywhere. She took it out of her pocket with a shaking hand and started dialling 999.

The old woman had become aware that she was alone with her beagle near the ravine. The closest building was quite a distance away, maybe even more than five hundred yards.

If anything happened, Maude didn’t believe that Missy would be able to protect her. The dog had already used all her energy running to catch the scent she was hunting and growling ferociously. Now, the dog merely panted, and apparently, had lost interest in the severed head, which did seem curious.

Waiting for the call to go through, Maude’s eyes swept the surrounding area with dread. The tree shadows, the woman had loved so much before, suddenly seemed to hide dangers that Maude had never imagined before. The thought that someone was lurking and stalking her from afar crept into her mind, and her lips quivered.

The voice of the 999-operator startled Maude, and she almost dropped the phone. The woman recovered fast, though, and related what laid before her eyes with a hesitant voice. Fear that the operator wouldn’t believe her seized her throat, even though Maude couldn’t have condemned the agent. The scene did echo a horror film.

Knowing when to express her gratitude, Maude said a silent prayer. The woman was thankful that Halloween wouldn’t be there for a few more weeks. Otherwise, the emergency operator would have advised her to have a nice cup of hot milk, go to bed, and stop looking at the neighbours’ decorations.

CHAPTER 1 - MCNAMARA DECIDES TO TAKE ACTION