Murder in the Deep Woods: An Amateur Sleuth Mystery Read online

  Murder in

  THE DEEP WOODS

  An amateur sleuth Mystery

  A.I. Thompson

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and organizations are the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, live or dead, businesses, events, locales, or organizations is entirely coincidental.

  Text copyright © 2021 by Ocean Light Publishing

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, copied, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without direct written permission from the author or the publisher. The only exception is for brief quotations used in reviews or promotions.

  Contents

  Prologue

  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

  Prologue

  Dear Diary,

  Ben asked to see me, which I find strange because he doesn't need to ask to see me. I think he has a surprise. He's always filled with surprises. That must be why he's been acting strange lately.

  The guys have decided to use this summer break to go on a trip, but I am not going. I'm not sure if I want to spend two weeks deep in the woods of Oregon, where are mosquitoes and... actually, the mosquitoes are enough to keep me away. Madelyn isn't happy that I am not going, and she doesn't fail to remind me every day. She hasn't cooked breakfast for me for days, just to punish me.

  Anyways, I have to decide on something nice to wear. The last time Ben and I went out, he had taken me somewhere fancy, but I wasn't dressed for that.

  Later, I don't want to keep Ben waiting.

  "You and Ben have another date?" Madelyn laid on my bed, her body in a star shape. She was my best friend and a fellow student here at Stanford. "Once more, my best friend abandons me for her boyfriend. The painful life a single woman like me has to go through."

  "Don't be silly," I said, laughing. "I've been with you all day, and besides, I haven't seen Ben for days..." I turned to look at myself in the mirror. "He's been acting a bit strange lately."

  "What do you mean?" She asked.

  I shrugged. "I don't know," I said, letting my hair down as I reached out for a comb. I kept my hair down because Ben loved running his hands through it. He said I should flaunt it around rather than leaving it in a tight bun. "I'll ask him about it today." I turned to look back at Madelyn. She was sitting up now.

  "You said he texted, right?" She asked. "After two days, all he could send was a text?"

  I nodded. "I brought it up, but he said he was with friends, and he couldn’t hear me over the noise...Why do you ask?"

  She shrugged. "Never mind. I must be reading too much into it. But after two days, the least he could do was come over, not send you a simple text."

  I was worried now. "You think he was lying?"

  "I know he was lying," she said. "But, don't worry about it. I mean, it's Ben we're talking about. The guy is crazy about you." It seemed she was going to say something, but she fell back on my bed.

  Usually, Ben and I planned our date a few days beforehand, but this one had come on short notice. I looked down at my new dress. It was a gown I bought the last time Madelyn and I went shopping. It was blood red and stopped just above my knees. "Is the dress revealing too much?" I asked her.

  "Are you kidding? Dressed in that, you're going to kill Ben before his time." She giggled. I rolled my eyes and grabbed my jacket. "Come on, don't wear the jacket," she whined.

  "It's cold out there."

  "Good luck. Also, get me a big bucket of fried chicken on your way back. When I'm back from the cinema with the guys, I can have that for dinner."

  I frowned. "I thought you were on a diet?"

  "Not anymore. It's just a little weight. It can't kill me."

  "That's what I told you. I can't see the weight you said you added. You're skinny to me."

  "Wear your glasses, Amelia." She said and turned to face the wall.

  I chuckled. Just then, my phone beeped, signaling a text came in. Ben was waiting downstairs. "I have to go."

  "Ok, have fun."

  The moment I saw Ben, I regretted wearing the gown. Ben was dressed casually. I, on the other hand... Luckily my jacket helped. He laid a chaste kiss on my lips. "How have you been?"

  I ignored his question. "I should be asking you that," I said while getting into the car. "I haven’t seen you for days." I waited for him to get in the car before I continued. "Are you ok?"

  He smiled at me. "You look beautiful."

  I felt my cheeks warming up at the compliment. "Thank you. Is something bothering you?"

  He shook his head. "Nothing. I just...I just want to talk." I was worried now because his palms were shaking.

  I bit my lips nervously. "Talk?"

  "Yeah."

  ***

  Thirty minutes later, I was back on my bed. Madelyn had gone to the cinema with Heather and Josh. I reached out for my diary.

  Dear Diary,

  Ben and I broke up.

  Chapter 1

  I hadn’t believed in the whole 'happily ever after.' That's probably because I didn’t see a completely happy couple. When Ben came into my life, I had held a tinge of hope in my heart. He wasn't perfect, and neither was our relationship. But we were happy—at least I was, till he decided to end our nine-month relationship. The question of where things had gone wrong started to rise. Why don't couples realize when their relationship takes the wrong road, so they can reverse course before falling off a cliff? I blamed myself for not seeing things clearer and letting my guard down.

  "You should come with us," Madelyn said to me one day. "You can't keep moping around forever. It's been two weeks already." She stood before my bed, staring down at me. She had her hands on her waist, a pity look on her face.

  "No. I'll stay here," I told her, burrowing deeper into my pillows. "And I don't care about Ben anymore," I added, which was a lie. "I've moved on." I dragged my pillows closer to my chest.

  She sighed, taking a seat on my bed. "Please come with us, Amelia. It’s summertime. I'll feel awful if we're out there having fun and you're here all by yourself." When I remained silent, she continued. "This trip will help take your mind off Ben," she added, brushing her fingers softly through my hair.

  Madelyn was right. I needed to get my mind away from Ben, and I didn't want her to worry about me when she's supposed to be relaxing and having fun. So, I gave a bright smile. "You're right. I do need this vacation."

  "Exactly, I'll call Josh and Heather and let them know you are coming!" Madelyn jumped up from my bed. I nodded and went back to my journal. Josh and Heather were both from my hometown. We had attended the same high school. Back then, though Josh and I were close, Heather and I hardly spoke. She was on the cheerleading team and was always with her team. It was here in Stanford when I ran into her that we got to talking.

  Dear Diary,

  I wrote slowly.

  It's been two weeks since the breakup. Today, I finally gave in to go on the trip with the guys.

  Although I told Madelyn that I had moved on, that was a big lie. I still have feeling
s for Ben. Nine months isn't nine days or weeks. It's almost a year. I can’t just forget about him like he is an ant on the sidewalk. I need time to heal, and I need a good distraction. That's what this trip has to offer.

  When I closed my journal that day, it hit me. Maybe Ben and I never turned to a wrong road. Maybe we had been on the wrong road right from the start.

  ***

  "Did you hear?" Josh said, brushing back his auburn hair from his face. We had all gone out for lunch to talk about our coming trip. Now that I had decided to go, I started to look forward to it. We were going to staying at a cabin owned by Josh's family somewhere deep in the woods of Oregon.

  "What?" Madelyn asked, looking at him. "Did someone die?" She raised her coffee to take a sip. Madelyn and Josh were the cat and rat of our group, and you could always trust them to start their silly bants.

  He raised an eyebrow. "Why are your thoughts always revolving around the dark side?" With her sometimes sassy character, Madelyn had a baby-like face. She had her red hair packed behind today. She rolled her eyes and shrugged.

  I laughed. "Don't mind her, Josh. What’s up?"

  "They finally found the—"

  "Look, Heather has arrived." I pointed out as Heather strolled into the restaurant, her curls bouncing with each step she took, a bright smile on her face. Heather was a ray of sunshine, always brightening up the room with her presence.

  "Hey guys, so I've got news," she said the moment she took her seat. She was breathing heavily like she had been running. Before we could ask any question, she continued, "Uh...about the trip, is it okay if—" She choked, hitting her chest.

  "Heather," Josh said, offering her water while I patted her back. "Try to relax before you speak."

  "Yeah," she rubbed her throat, blinking away the tears that had gathered at her eyes. "Imagine if I died, what would be on my tombstone? Died from her own spittle," She said the last part in a dramatic tone. "Anyways, I was going to say—"

  "You aren’t canceling on us, right?" Josh was quick to ask. "You can't, not now."

  "What? No. It's nothing like that," she said. "But a few of my friends would like to join us. I want to ask if you guys are OK with it," she said with a nervous grin, her eyes moving from me to Josh, then Madelyn.

  I frowned. I had thought the trip was just going to be the four of us. I looked at Madelyn and Josh, but they already had big smiles on their face. I wasn't surprised that Josh was going to agree. He loved making new friends, just like Heather, but Madelyn surprised me.

  Josh sighed. "Oh, good. I thought you were bailing on us. We just got Amelia to come on board," He told her, glancing at me. "We don't need someone backing out."

  "These friends you talk about, do we know them?" I asked.

  "No." She said, shaking her head. "I don't think so. They are two couples, by the way."

  "Two couples?" I looked at the others. "That's four people. Is the cabin big enough?"

  Heather gave a nervous laugh. "Is it too much? They heard about the trip and asked to join. I couldn't refuse, but I said I would ask you guys first." Heather had a problem refusing people.

  "It's fine," Josh said with a shrug. "The more, the merrier. Who wouldn't love to make new friends?" Madelyn nodded in agreement.

  "Amelia, are you cool with this?" Heather asked, seeming to notice I didn't look so happy about the idea.

  I smiled at her. "Yeah, it will be fun. The more, the merrier," I said, stealing Josh's line.

  Chapter 2

  "So, I guess you're not pregnant then?"

  I laughed. "No, Grandma, I'm not pregnant." I had gone to visit my parents, also to inform Grandma about the trip. "You should check the friends you hang out with. It seems they do nothing but spread rumors about Alex and me."

  "Yeah," my brother said.

  Grandma laughed. "Please, those fowls aren't my friends. The only reason I hang out at the club is that chef Martin cooks for them, and his food is just heaven on Earth. You guys remember Angie?" She asked.

  "The one that got that breast enlargement stuff?" Alex asked.

  "No," she shook her head. "That's Bridget. Angie is the one that was caught sleeping with her husband's driver, and might I add, that's her third husband, another divorce in the bag."

  "Amelia!" My mum shouted my name from the kitchen. "Come help me set the table. Lunch is ready."

  Soon, we were sitting in the dining room eating food that...could have been better. I didn't voice this though, nobody dared. My dad always did the cooking in the house because before he married my mum, she didn't even know how to boil an egg. She started visiting the kitchen after she took early retirement from the bank. Although she had improved her cooking significantly, there was always room for improvement.

  "How's the chicken?" Mum asked. "I used the spice you suggested, Marie," she said to my grandma. "Thanks for the tips, by the way."

  "You're welcome," grandma told her with a smile. She was my mother's number one hype woman. "And yes, it did bring taste to the chicken this time." Grandma was right. It did bring taste, a little too much, though.

  "So Amelia," Dad said. "How are things going with that boyfriend of yours, Ben. I haven't seen him for a while now. Is he still preparing for exams?"

  My parents didn't know Ben and I had broken up. I looked to Alex, who was looking back at me. Alex was the first person I told that night. I didn't want to call Madelyn since she was at the cinema, and my brother had called me by mistake. "Uh...No, he's done with his exams. He's been pretty busy. That's why." I told them, hoping they would move on to another topic.

  "Maybe when you're back from the trip, you bring him over," my mum said. "I would love for him to try out my cooking." She gave a cheeky smile.

  I decided to come out. "Mum, Ben and I broke up two weeks ago." I dropped my head.

  "What?" Her spoon dropped to the table. "Are you serious?"

  "Yeah." I shrugged. "It's nothing. Let's just drop the topic and talk about your chicken, which I must add, is really, really good. Great job, mum."

  "Darling," My dad said, his voice soft. Now, they were going to start pitying me. "It's been two weeks? Why didn't you tell us?"

  I didn't know what to say. I just wanted the spotlight away from me. "I told Alex." I found myself saying. He shot me a look, but I ignored him, bringing the chicken up to my lips but not taking a bite.

  "And you didn't tell me." Grandma turned to Alex, a betrayed look on her face. Good, the attention was away from me.

  "But Amelia didn't want me to," he said. "I couldn't go against her wish, especially not over something like that."

  "He is telling the truth," I admitted. "I wanted to tell you myself. It's one of the reasons I came over. I didn't want to tell you over the phone."

  "Well, honey, how are you feeling?" My mother asked.

  "Great." I put up my brightest smile. I sighed, looking down at my food. "I am fine, really. I mean, it's been two weeks. By the time I'm back from the trip, I would have had so much fun, and I wouldn't even remember his name."

  "A fowl, that's who he is," Grandma said. "A stupid fowl for letting you go. Someday, he's going to realize his mistake and come to you on his knees, begging for mercy."

  Great advice, Grandma.

  "Yeah," Alex nodded his head. "And besides, you guys shouldn't make it look like the end of the world," He said. "Amelia is young. There are other guys out there. Better and richer, and they probably know cute girls that Amelia could set me on a date with." I rolled my eyes.

  "Yeah, but Ben was Amelia's first boyfriend," Mum said. "Surely—" she stopped. "You know what, Amelia doesn't want us to dwell much on this subject, so we'll pass it."

  "Thank you," I muttered, dropping the chicken I had been holding in my hands. I reached for a tissue to clean the sauce that had stuck to my skin.

  ***

  "How is everybody back home?" Madelyn asked when I entered the room. She was watching some cartoon, dressed in an oversized sweater and long stockings.


  "Good," I replied.

  She turned to face me. Her hand, which was full of popcorn, froze in the air just before her mouth. "What's wrong? You're not smiling." She dropped the popcorn back on the bowl that sat on her lap.

  "Nothing. I just told my parents about the break-up." I collapsed on the chair, resting back. "My grandma called Ben a fowl."

  She laughed. "Of course, I love your grandma."

  "Yeah," I muttered. "Now that I've told them, that's one load off my head."

  She nodded, watching me. "How are you feeling?"

  I was going to tell her I was fine, but my body didn't agree with me. "My head hurts, my feet are in pain, and my stomach is begging for mercy."

  "Your stomach? Are you on your period?" I shook my head. "What did you eat?" She asked.

  "My mum cooked lunch." I pouted.

  "I see. Oh, Heather asks that we meet her at the cafe tomorrow." Madelyn said.

  "To hang out?" I was planning to have a long relationship with my bed tomorrow.

  Madelyn shrugged. "I don't know. If you're hungry, I prepared dinner." She turned back to watch her cartoon.

  I could feel my tummy give a little jump at her words. "Awww, so you're back to cooking for me." I hugged, rubbing my head on her shoulders.

  "Don't feel special." She pushed me away.

  Chapter 3

  The days went by slowly. I found myself hiding in shadows with each day that passed. I felt that everyone was looking at me whenever I walked outside. It didn't help that Ben was around the campus. I always went out with a hoodie and dark shades to the disappointment of Madelyn, just to avoid being seen.

  "You look ridiculous," she said as we entered the café. "There is no chance that you'll see Ben here. No one is looking at you—but your appearance is sure to attract attention." It was one of those situations where you would think everyone was looking at you and judging, but in reality, people were so busy you were not even the last thing on their mind. I knew that, but still.