ABSTRACT
This is crime fiction. It is not based on any true crime or character. Detective Marie Claire is an imaginary character, who lived in the Kew Gardens and her friend, Sherriff Jamie Jenkins helped her in solving difficult cases. However, she got a bizarre case, a young woman named Mrs. Caren Javier disappeared suddenly from her house, leaving a note to her husband. She wrote that she wanted to meet her estranged father. On the same day, she received a wooden dollhouse on her doorstep, vaguely resembling the Minnesota House, where her parents were killed twenty years ago by an axeman. The presenter claimed himself as her biological father. Who is he? The axeman or her father? Where did she disappear? Her husband requested Miss Claire to solve the mystery. But, if Marie had to solve it, she also had to unearth the old mystery of Caren's parents and the identity of her biological father.
Prologue
"May I speak to Miss Caren Javier?" An unknown male voice asked on the phone. Caren replied, "Yes, please," she was unaware of the man calling her at midnight.
“Happy birthday, Caren,” He wished her.
Confused Caren replied politely, “Sorry, it must be a wrong number, today is not my birthday. My birthday is in August, not in October.”
She did not bother to hear the man’s reply and disconnected the line. James rolling over on his bed asked in a drowsy voice, “Who the hell is it?”
“An unknown number, dear,” Caren relaxed on the pillow, spreading the blanket on her legs, “Wishing me happy birthday. It’s a wrong number, but the man sounded so confident…”
"He was shouting many things when you disconnected. I heard a little bit, he was shouting, reminding that today is your birthday.” James replied.
“Must be a drunkard,” Caren snapped and tried to sleep, but could not. She felt that the man could call her up again, but nothing happened. Finally, she fell asleep. However, Caren could not sleep peacefully, she was having a nightmarish vision of her disturbing childhood.
“Caren, Caren…” someone was calling her from distance. Suddenly, she felt someone was jerking her, shaking her shoulder. She opened her eyes and found James was leaning over her anxiously, “Are you Ok? Honey?” James brought his face closer to her mouth.
“What’s wrong with me, dear?” Caren discovered herself full of sweats and tears, she was weeping in dreams.
“You were moaning, sobbing. I think you have a nightmare,” James replied.
“I always have a nightmare, especially whenever I think about my childhood. You’re aware of my bad luck.” Caren sighed.
She was afraid of bad days. Most of her life was spent in the dark.
Dr. James Javier knew his wife's past. An eighteen years old High School graduate, working in a school as a part-time math teacher came to the chamber of Dr. James Javier for counseling. She had a difficult childhood. Caren lost her parents in early childhood and their death was not natural. An unknown killer stabbed them with a sharp ax, leaving the young Caren alone in the lonely house with dead parents. Mr. and Mrs. Turner adopted her later. They were kind-hearted foster parents but unaware of her past. She started living in New Jersey, but her biological parents lived in Minnesota. On her eighteenth name days, she learned that Mr. and Mrs. Turner were her foster parents.
Caren had left her foster home ages ago. However, some memories of the past still haunted her. Psychologist Dr. Javier helped her out of those dark days. She overcame depression and days of substance abuse. Now Caren had a peaceful married life, which was not older than one and a half years.
James did not say anything, only kissed on her forehead lightly. “What about a morning walk, honey?” He checked the time in his phone, 4.30 am.
"Sure, why not?" Caren replied. She knew, that she could not sleep anymore. She sat upright on the bed. ‘Morning’s fresh air may lift my mood.’ She thought.
Caren quickly changed her clothes. Fresh air and golden sunlight of the late autumn enhanced her mood. Days were getting shorter. Very soon long nights and severe winter would start. Trees were shedding dry leaves as they were shedding their sorrowful past before the next spring.
A good long walk and a mug of steaming hot coffee in a roadside café lifted Caren’s mood. However, something bizarre was waiting for her in the house. As she stepped on to the wooden platform of her cottage, she found a wooden dollhouse at her doorstep.
“What a nice art, isn’t it, Caren?” James Javier appreciated the handcraft. The wooden miniature house resembling a medieval witch’s castle indicated the expertise of the craftsman.
“I think, it is a perfect Halloween gift,” He picked up the castle and found a small card attached to it. “A gift to Caren Frasier, from her estranged father Edwin Frasier, on her twenty-fifth name days."
He looked at Caren curiously. His wife was looking pale, she murmured, “It’s not my birthday. My parents are long dead. A psychopath killed them on the day before Halloween." Caren repeated the words she learned from her foster parents' ages ago. “I don’t know their names.”
James Javier looked at the miniature house thoughtfully. It had a sinister look, a grey house with the miniature equipment of witchcraft and wizardry. There were small dolls resembling a modern couple and a little girl,
Impressum
Verlag: BookRix GmbH & Co. KG
Texte: MALA MUKHERJEE
Tag der Veröffentlichung: 18.01.2020
ISBN: 978-3-7487-2656-2
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Widmung:
This book is dedicated to the Almighty.