Storm on Wildflower Island

  Storm on Wildflower Island

  Wildflower Mystery Series Book 3

  Michelle Files

  Edited by

  Cecily Brookes

  Published by BookLovers.pub

  Contents

  Introduction

  Dedication

  Novels

  Copyright

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  A Note

  Thorns Preview

  INTRODUCTION

  For several years, the Jamisons spent their lives building the All American Family. One son, one daughter. It was the perfect life for them.

  Needing a bit of a break from the daily drudgeries, Steve takes his wife, Claire, on a romantic weekend getaway up the coast on Wildflower Island. When they are hit with the storm of the century, their lives are torn inside out. Returning home...all is not how they left it.

  As they try to unravel the mysteries left behind by the storm, they have to learn to live with their new reality.

  With an unknown stalker watching their every move and the horror of someone very close to them being brutally murdered, Steve and Claire try to get help.

  The police think they're crazy. The island residents think they're dangerous. Their family is torn on the issue. Could they all be right? Who is stalking their family? Will a shocking discovery be the key to finally unraveling the mysteries of the storm and getting back their old lives?

  An unforgettable, gripping plot that will have you turning pages late into the night.

  Dedication

  This novel is dedicated to my children, Cecily and Tyler, who have grown up to be adults that I can be proud of. My life wouldn’t be complete without you.

  Novels by Michelle Files:

  TYLER SERIES:

  Girl Lost - Book 1

  A Reckless Life - Book 2

  WILDFLOWER MYSTERY SERIES:

  Secrets of Wildflower Island - Book 1

  Desperation on Wildflower Island - Book 2

  Storm on Wildflower Island - Book 3

  Thorns on Wildflower Island - Book 4

  For information on any of Michelle’s books:

  www.MichelleFiles.com

  Copyright ©️ 2018 by Michelle Files

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form, without prior written permission of the author.

  Published in the United States by BookLovers.pub.

  Edited by Cecily Brookes and BookLovers.pub.

  This is a work of fiction. Any similarities to actual people, places or events is purely coincidental.

  1st Edition 2018

  Chapter 1

  “Oh, hey sweetheart. How are you doing?” The look on Cecily’s face as she spoke to her friend, Jeanette, said it all. It was a sad, pathetic sort of look. The kind of look one gives to a friend that just lost everything.

  Jeanette’s daughter, Isabella, had a lot of emotional problems. She seemed normal at first, then things changed. Drastically changed. When it was discovered that Isabella, at only ten years old, was killing residents of Wildflower Island, Jeanette was devastated. Of course she was. Then the unthinkable happened. Isabella’s biological father, in a heroic effort to save someone that Isabella was threatening, plummeted off a cliff one evening, and took Jeanette’s beautiful daughter with him.

  Despite the terrible crimes Isabella had committed, Jeanette was so wracked with grief over the loss of her daughter, that she barely got out of bed for weeks. Once she decided to venture out into the world, she made her way to the Wildflower Inn to see her friend, Cecily. Though as soon as she saw the look on Cecily’s face, Jeanette immediately regretted her attempt at human contact and wished she hadn’t left the safety and solitude of her home. For a brief moment, she contemplated turning and running for the exit, but she told herself that if she didn’t do it right then, she might never leave her home again. Taking a deep breath, she looked into the sad face of her friend.

  “I’m doing the best I can, you know?” Jeanette replied.

  “Yeah, I know,” Cecily told her. “Can I get you a drink?” she asked as Jeanette sat down on an empty barstool.

  “Sure. Just a diet cola please.”

  “Coming right up.”

  Cecily poured the cola and leaned across the bar to talk to her friend. She looked around before whispering. “It’s really good to see you out. Wanna go get some dinner later?”

  “Um no,” Jeanette replied, taking a long drag on her straw. The refreshing cola felt nice and cool going down. “I just came by to tell you something. Jacob and I are moving off the island.”

  Cecily stood up abruptly, eyes wide. “What? Why?”

  “You know why.” Jeanette looked down into her glass. The shame she felt was written all over her face.

  “Oh honey, you know no one blames you for the things Isabella did.” Cecily tried to put on her most sympathetic face as she brushed her long, brown hair back from her face.

  “Of course they do. She’s my daughter. How could they not blame me? Besides, I can’t go anywhere on this island without people staring.”

  Cecily looked up and around the dimly lit bar room of the Wildflower Inn, where she had tended bar for several years and knew most of the patrons. Quite a few eyeballs were focused on the two women.

  “Oh, I see what you mean,” Cecily told her. “Look, don’t worry about those jerks. They have sad, pathetic lives, and apparently nothing better to do than focus on you and your problems.”

  “What are you all staring at!” Cecily yelled around the room, to no one in particular, a bit louder than she intended. Every set of eyes dropped down to the food and drinks on the table in front of them. No one dared confront her back.

  “Bunch of cowards,” Cecily told Jeanette, much quieter that time, but still loud enough for many of them to hear, as she continued glaring around the room.

  Jeanette smiled at the brazenness of her friend. She wished she had more of that in herself.

  “Wow, Cecily. You aren’t going to make any friends that way,” Hope chimed in as she walked into the bar, smiling.

  “I don’t really care. Bunch of jerks anyway,” Cecily replied back, jokingly. She looked around the bar, and with only her eyes she dared anyone to respond to her outburst. No one did.

  Hope had only recently started working at the Wildflower Inn, in the kitchen. She was a great cook and she and Cecily had hit it off splendidly and immediately. Hope often brought Cecily free goodies from the kitchen, making her a favorite co-worker of the bartender.

  “Here, try this,” Hope told the two women as she handed each of them a stuffed mushroom.

  “Oh my god, that’s wonderful,” Jeanette responded, with her mouth full. She temporarily forgot her own troubles as she focused on the tasty tr
eats.

  Hope couldn’t help but smile as she handed Jeanette a napkin. It made her happy to delight people with her cooking skills. Her love of cooking was something she had learned from her favorite aunt. “I’m glad you like ‘em. They are something I’ve been wanting to try. Well, gotta get back in the kitchen.”

  “Hey,” Cecily said to Hope. “You and I need to talk later about all the rumors I’ve been hearing.”

  Cecily didn’t need to explain. Hope knew exactly what she meant. “We will. Later, I promise.” Hope disappeared quickly, her long blonde hair flitting behind her.

  “Thanks for the mushrooms. They were heavenly,” Jeanette directed at Hope, but she was already out of sight of the two women. “I really should go.” Jeanette paid for her drink and stood up to leave.

  “Okay, if you must. But please don’t be a stranger. Come back tomorrow and hang out a while, okay?” Cecily really wanted to help get her friend back out into the world of the living.

  “We are already packed and are leaving tomorrow. We’re going to stay with Jacob’s sister in Texas until we get settled. I just found this out, but Catherine, Isabella’s bio mom, had a talk with the sheriff and told him that she allowed us to adopt Isabella. Thank god she did that. So now, the district attorney has decided not to press charges against us for kidnapping, and we can go. I guess he felt sorry for us now that Isabella is gone, and said we had been punished enough. Throwing us in jail is not going to change anything or help anyone.”

  “Well, I can understand that. You didn’t hurt anyone. Isabella was disturbed, that’s not your fault.” Cecily lowered her eyes in shame. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound so crass. You know what I mean, right?”

  “Yes, it’s okay. I know what you mean. Isabella clearly had some problems. I don’t know how we missed them. I do feel some guilt though,” Jeanette admitted. “We were her parents after all. How could we not see any of it?” Jeanette looked to her friend for answers.

  “Hang on just a minute. Okay? I need to make sure I keep my job around here,” Cecily told her. She smiled at her friend as she walked out from behind the bar and made a lap around the barroom asking each person if they wanted a refill, or if they would like to order some food.

  Through her conversations with Jeanette and Hope, Cecily never noticed the stranger sitting alone in her bar. He was at a table in the far corner, just watching them. He had arrived before Cecily’s shift started, and then she got busy and didn’t realize he was there. He sat there watching her for more than an hour, nursing the cola he had ordered from one of the waitresses when he first showed up.

  When Cecily arrived at the stranger’s table, he just shook his head at her, and she moved on. It was a bar after all, and they tended to attract some odd characters, so she thought nothing of it. Once she made her lap around the room, and put in the orders, she went back behind the bar to make drinks and finish her conversation with Jeanette.

  “None of us saw Isabella’s problems.” Cecily was replying to Jeanette’s question from a few minutes prior. “She was always the perfect little angel whenever she was around me. I think she was very good at hiding whatever turmoil was going on inside of her. Sweetheart, don’t blame yourself. I don’t think this was your fault in any way whatsoever.” Cecily did her best to comfort Jeanette.

  “Thank you for that. But we just need a fresh start. Even Sawyer. Being our son has made this tough on him too. We need to go somewhere that people don’t know anything about us. We want to do our best to put this behind us, the best way we can, anyhow. You understand, don’t you?”

  Cecily nodded. “Of course I understand. I’ll just miss you terribly. But, I do get it. I would probably do the same, if I were you.”

  Cecily walked around the end of the bar as she was speaking, and walked over to Jeanette to give her a long, tight, hug. She never wanted to let her friend go. Jeanette had been the nicest person she had ever met and it would be tough going on without her.

  Just as Cecily was releasing her grip on Jeanette, a man and woman walked through the bar toward the cafe. Cecily only glanced at them, as her attention was still on her friend. Then realization dawned on her and she openly stared at them.

  “Is that who I think it is?” she asked.

  Jeanette turned to look at the couple. “I don’t know who that is. I’ve never seen them before. Someone you know?”

  “Well, not really. But, that’s a whole different story. I’ll fill you in later.”

  As the two women parted, Cecily fought back the tears that threatened to expose her cool demeanor. She wanted their last time together to be a nice one, with good memories, not a bunch of blubbering.

  Cecily didn’t notice the stranger get up and follow the man and woman walking through the bar.

  Chapter 2

  Twenty Years Ago

  “Come on, we’re running late! Hope, Dustin, let’s go!” Claire yelled from the open front door. Those kids could be so frustrating. It’s a good thing they are adorable, she thought.

  Claire looked outside once again. “The bus just pulled up!” she yelled for the third time that morning, while stuffing their lunches into each of their backpacks. Hope had a pink backpack with sparkles on it, and Dustin’s was green, with some sort of monster on it. There was definitely no confusing the two. She carefully zipped them back up and held them out in front of her for each child to grab on the way out the door.

  “I’m coming Mom,” Hope said calmly, as she strolled past Claire, grabbed her lunch, and headed toward the waiting bus outside.

  “Dustin, come on!” Claire yelled, once again. No response.

  “Dustin!”

  The bus honked. The bus driver, Chuck, always gave one warning honk, then waited about a minute and drove off. That was about all the patience he had for any of the kids. Being a school bus driver was probably not the best of career choices for him.

  It happened a few times a year that Claire or Steve had to drive the kids to school when they missed the bus. Hope was just in kindergarten, so Dustin had always been the one they had to wait on, and the one they had to drive to school in the past. Hope was pretty casual about being ready on time, but somehow always managed to make it just after the warning honk. Dustin was not always so predictable and it really irked Claire to go through the same routine every single morning.

  Luckily, they both made it onto the bus that morning, without a moment to spare. Claire followed them outside and stood on the front lawn, in her lavender nightgown and robe, her bare feet cool on the damp grass, and watched the bus pull away. It always comforted her to watch it drive away with her children on it, as if somehow the bus wouldn’t make it to school unless she was watching.

  Barbara, the nice, older lady across the street waved at Claire, as she turned to go back into the house. Claire pulled her robe tighter around her and waved back. That morning it was a bit chilly out and the thin robe was not much comfort. Though they had all been living on the same street for years, Claire didn’t know Barbara, or her husband, George, very well. They just waved when they saw each other occasionally. Weird that people just didn’t take the time to get to know their neighbors anymore, she thought. She made a mental note to actually go over and talk to the woman sometime in the near future.

  Now that Hope had started school, it seemed like the family didn’t really spend a lot of time together. Steve had his full-time job, Claire stayed home, and the kids were in school all day. It made for lonely week days. Doing the laundry and cleaning up toys only took up so much time. However, Claire really loved their evenings. The family would all hang out and cook dinner together, which they did almost every night, no matter what. After dinner, they would do homework, play games, just have a really great time together. It was Claire’s favorite time of the day. She felt that it was important to have this family time. She knew that all too soon they would be teenagers, then adults, and she would rarely see them. She cherished the time she had while they were young and tried to
never take it for granted.

  “Those kids are driving me nuts,” Claire proclaimed to her husband when she walked into the kitchen, letting her robe fall back open.

  Claire was a very pretty woman. Some would even say beautiful. She was a natural blonde, with piercing blue eyes, and a slim figure. She never had any trouble gaining male attention, which she didn’t want. She was happily married and that was enough for her.

  “What smells so heavenly?” she asked, sniffing the air and already forgetting the morning kid hassle that she just went through.

  “I know. They can be exasperating,” Steve calmly said, while sliding the omelet he had made onto her plate and placing it on the kitchen bar in front of her.

  She loved his ham and cheese omelets and he knew it. She didn’t get them very often though. He always made them for her when he wanted to butter her up for something. And she knew it.

  “What do you want?” she asked him suspiciously, while eyeing the delicious smelling omelet. She sat down on a barstool to eat.

  “What do you mean? Can’t I just make you breakfast because I love you?” Steve asked innocently as he walked back over to the stove. He could feel her eyes boring a hole into the back of his head and he smiled to himself.