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    The Bird in the Window
    The Bird in the Window
    The Bird in the Window
    Ebook77 pages1 hour

    The Bird in the Window

    By Wendy Dalrymple

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    About this ebook

    In a sleepy suburb of Sarasota, Florida, all the residents on Ridge Road seem to have something to hide. Meet a nosy nurse named Ashley, a bored stay-at-home mom named Patience, and an eccentric art teacher named Sally as they each play a role in uncovering a decades-old neighborhood mystery. A colorful macaw, a suspicious retired police officer, and a missing mother and daughter become the obsession of Ashley Jones… but someone doesn’t like her snooping around. Follow Ashley and her neighbors and friends as they piece together clues, and spark a few romances, in the name of truth and justice. Sometimes danger — and love — can bloom right in your own front yard.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBryant Street Shorts
    Release dateApr 16, 2020
    ISBN9781094408002
    Author

    Wendy Dalrymple

    Wendy Dalrymple crafts highly consumable, short and sweet romances inspired by everyday people. When she’s not writing happily-ever-afters, you can find her camping with her family, painting (bad) wall art, and trying to grow as many pineapples as possible. Keep up with Wendy at www.wendydalrymple.com!

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      Book preview

      The Bird in the Window - Wendy Dalrymple

      Part 1: Mystery on Ridge Road

      What began as a passing curiosity for Ashley Jones smoldered in her mind like the embers of a campfire. Slow and steady, one single thought burned inside her brain until it became an all-consuming obsession.

      It was just like any other day when the colorful macaw first caught her attention. A gray January haze had fallen over her usually sunny Sarasota, Florida, neighborhood, and the bright blue and yellow bird shone through like a beacon in the overcast morning. The bird was perched in the second-story window of an unassuming suburban home on the corner of Delta Way and Ridge Road – a residence that Ashley would soon discover harbored more secrets than anyone could have guessed.

      I just wanna set that goddam bird free, Ashley mused aloud, taking a deep, post-jog hit from her vape pen. Doesn’t seem right to keep something so wild and beautiful confined to a room all day.

      That place is really weird, her neighbor and new best friend, Patience replied, taking a drag from her own e-cig. You heard about what happened there in ‘84, right?

      No, Ashley said, checking the time on her phone. Spill it.

      Grandma Sally who lives across the street told me all about it. She’s crazy, but she’s lived in this neighborhood longer than anyone, Patience began, pointing to the pink and white bungalow across the street. Sally says Deputy DeLacroix killed his wife and daughter in that house and got away with it.

      What? Ashley sputtered, choking on the menthol-flavored vapors. How?!

      Well, he was never charged, Patience said, picking her nails. "His brother was the sheriff at the time, so it all got covered up, nice and neat. Mrs. DeLacroix and their three-year-old daughter, Melissa, went missing, and apparently, there was barely even an investigation. The police declared that she ran off and then – wham! They closed the books on the whole thing."

      But wait, didn’t any of the wife’s family come looking for her? Ashley asked, now fully invested.

      Patience shrugged. I guess they didn’t know she was missing for a long time. Mrs. DeLacroix was from some place in South America, and she didn’t have any family in the U.S. I dunno, maybe she realized what an ass her husband was and decided to high-tail it back home.

      Hmmm, Ashley mused, the cogs in her brain turning. Well, I need to go shower and get ready for work. It’s another twelve-hour shift. Pray for me.

      Prayers going up, Patience said with a wave and a smirk.

      Section Break

      All that night during her shift at the hospital, Ashley kept herself busy as usual with her rounds, but she stumbled a time or two as her mind wandered to the mystery house with the exotic bird. In another life – a few years prior to her divorce – Ashley would dive into true crime stories as a means of gaining perspective. Somehow, she would convince herself that her dying marriage wasn’t so bad in comparison to the gruesome tales she saw on TV.

      Murder cover-up, huh? Nathan, her friend and fellow nurse, quipped over a shared Publix sub. Is this like the time when you thought your neighbors were running a drug cartel out of their garage?

      No, Ashley said, chunking a piece of tomato at him. "First of all, they were selling drugs. Maybe they weren’t quite a cartel, but the paper said it was the largest bust they’d made in the county that year."

      Fine, Nathan said, rolling his eyes. But I think you should be careful sticking your nose in other people’s business.

      I’m not sticking my nose anywhere, Ashley said defensively, no longer hungry for her turkey and swiss. It’s not like I’m going to go knocking on the guy’s door and demand answers.

      Got any plans for this weekend? Nathan asked, changing the subject. Besides neighborhood watch, that is.

      It’s my weekend to have Christian and Madison, Ashley said, lighting up. I’ll just see what they want to do. I’m off until Tuesday.

      I’m off until Monday, Nathan said, giving Ashley a look that she knew all too well. We could… pick back up where we started? He raised his eyebrows suggestively.

      Ashley grew silent. Nathan was fun, but spending time with him outside of work left a bad taste in her mouth. Her marriage was already dead when she and Nathan had one hot and heavy fling. And after that, there was no going back. Somehow, the excitement she had felt being with him before was replaced with something dark and icky – something that felt and tasted like regret.

      We’ll see, Ashley said, not completely willing to give up the possibility of easy company. I still have a lot of unpacking to do around the house.

      Well, if you change your mind… Nathan trailed off, his white shoe caressing her ankle under the cafeteria table.

      Ashley quickly stood from the table, grabbing her half-eaten sub and stashing it in her bag. Maybe! Gotta get back. See you on the floor.

      Ashley left Nathan to the rest of his sub. Her thoughts jockeyed between time with her kids, all things she needed to do around the house, and the yearning a no-strings-attached roll in the sack.

      But first, maybe a little chat with Grandma Sally was in order.

      Section Break

      Ashley rose early Saturday morning to go for her usual jog, followed by her regular hair appointment. Later, with her asymmetrical bob refreshed, she had a few hours to kill until Carlos would be dropping off the kids, so she decided on a neighborly visit. She stopped by the donut shop on the way home from the hairdresser, picking up two coffees and a box of crullers, hoping that Grandma Sally would be in the mood for company.

      The white and pink bungalow was fairly well-kept,

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