The Mill River Recluse Read Online Free PDF

Social Services. Allison had been an absolute natural in her job. Her kind, easygoing nature put almost anyone at ease and made her a favorite when children were involved. When Kyle and his partner at the time had arrested a husband and wife in South Boston on child abuse charges, Allison was called in to interview the two little boys. It was a tragic case, like many others in which Kyle had been involved in his years on the force. But unlike the others, something good had come out of that one--a relationship with Allison that eventually led to their marriage.
    After Allison died, Kyle found himself a single father with a seven-year-old and a job that regularly required forays into the most dangerous parts of Boston. The excitement of being a big-city detective disappeared. He couldn’t bear the thought of something happening to him and Rowen losing both her parents. He began looking for a job in a safe place, preferably a small town where people felt no need to lock their doors at night. When a buddy told him that he’d heard there was an opening for a police officer in a small town in Vermont, Kyle applied immediately.
    Mill River was nothing like Boston. A fender-bender or an occasional act of vandalism made for an exciting day in the small town. Pulling someone over for a traffic violation was a major incident. In Boston, people scurried; in Mill River, they strolled. For Kyle, the move was well worth a steep pay cut. The chances of his being injured or killed on the job were extremely low. Even with the rare emergencies that required his help when he was off-duty, life was now leisurely and refreshing. Of course, there was Leroy, too, but Kyle considered that to be a minor nuisance.
    Kyle and Rowen lived in a small apartment in a building owned by Joe Fitzgerald, the police chief, and his wife, Ruth. There were two units on the second floor of the building, and the Fitzgeralds lived in the other apartment. Ruth ran a bakery out of the first floor. Fitz, as everyone in Mill River called him, offered the apartment to Kyle when he accepted the position with the town’s police department. It was clean and cozy, and the rent was cheap. Plus, there were other advantages.
    Kyle’s schedule often required him to work irregular hours, and Ruth, a grandmotherly type whose own grandchildren lived several states away, insisted on looking after Rowen when Kyle wasn’t home. When Kyle was on duty after Rowen went to sleep, a baby monitor in her room (or, as Rowen referred to it, a “daughter monitor”) allowed Ruth to keep tabs on her from the apartment across the hall.
    Then, there were the smells.
    Fresh bread. Cakes. Chocolate chip cookies. And pies, especially the pies. Pecan, Boston cream, strawberry-rhubarb, pumpkin, coconut-custard, apple. By the time Rowen left for school each morning, Ruth had the ovens downstairs full of the day’s baking. The fabulous aromas rose through the floorboards of their apartment and made getting up on chilly Vermont mornings almost pleasant.
    Kyle was surprised and relieved at how well Rowen had adjusted to their new life. She loved her school and her new teacher. He worried about Rowen being lonely, but since they lived in town, she could go play with other children who lived only a few blocks away. She had recently been asking for a pet. Kyle figured that a dog or cat would also be good company for her, and he’d eventually give in to her request.
    Kyle finished rinsing and stepped out of the shower. After he dried himself, he tied the towel around his waist and wiped his hand in a circle on the steamy mirror. His reflection stared back at him through the round porthole. He had baggy eyes and a few days’ worth of stubble. On a whim, he struck his best bodybuilder’s pose. With the veil of steam coating the rest of the mirror, his biceps didn’t look too bad. Satisfied, he left the bathroom seeking boxer shorts and bed.
    ~~~
    Jean Wykowski managed to fall asleep beside her snoring