The Murder in Skoghall (Illustrated) (The Skoghall Mystery Series Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

financial cushion. And now, confronted by the reality of her situation, she had to maintain a naive and optimistic outlook about writing and publishing a book that would sell enough to support her and a growing dog.
    Shakti ran into the room full speed, ears flapping, and didn’t stop until she crashed into Jess’s legs. “What’s that about?” Jess set the trembling puppy on her lap. “Hey now. It’s all right, Bear.” She kissed Shakti’s head and smoothed her fur over her shoulders. Shakti stopped shaking and lifted her chin to lick Jess. “Thank you. Mama needs a kiss.” She looked into the hallway, then mentally walked through the house—doors were locked, windows were closed. She hadn’t heard anything strange. Shakti probably tripped over her own shadow. Jess let Shakti curl up on her lap and opened her mail. “Dear Chandra,” she typed.
    While Jess tapped away, detailing her life so far, Shakti snored, occasionally whimpering and paddling her little feet. At about fifteen pounds, Jess’s legs ached under Shakti’s weight by the time she finished the email. She put her hand on her mouse and just as she was about to click send, her screen went black.
    “What the hell?” She pushed her mouse around. Nothing. She pushed the power button on her computer. Still nothing. The limits of Jess’s technical expertise had been reached. She closed her computer to see if it would reset itself and looked out the window. The treetops surrounding her property were dense with spring’s canopy. Stands of birch, striking an elegant contrast with their white and black bark, stood interposed with the dark trunks of maple, ash, and oak. Among the ground cover was a plentitude of green berries, unfurling fiddleheads, and sun-hungry new leaves. The color at the edge of the forest quickly vanished in dense shadows and recessed pathways long fallen into disuse, except by the critters native to the woods. It seemed to Jess that the woods were encroaching on her yard, willfully closing in on her. 
    She shook her head and shifted her attention to the smokehouse beyond the sugar maple. The high sun practically bleached the brick-face, the only shadow a black swath under the conical roof’s overhang. Jess shivered, though she wasn’t cold. She set the groggy puppy down and watched as Shakti stretched herself into the down dog yoga pose with her forearms on the floor and her butt up in the air. She yawned and lowered her rump, content to continue her nap. Jess stepped over her and stretched herself, reaching for the ceiling as she walked to the front door. Shakti roused herself to follow.
    The screen door slapped shut before Shakti made it outside and she barked, a throaty woof. “You do have a bark!” Jess exclaimed. She was starting to wonder if Shakti would ever find her voice, if maybe barking was learned from other dogs. Jess opened the door, beaming as though her baby had just said mama. They walked out into the yard, and Jess wandered over to the smokehouse. The wood-slat door had an old, rusted latch and ring for use with a padlock. She scratched at the rust with a fingernail, then pulled the door open.
    The inside was streaked black with smoke residue. Jess had never been inside, opting only to peer briefly through the door when her realtor gave her the tour of the property. She stepped over the doorsill, which was a good six inches above the ground. Unbeknownst to her, the floor of the smokehouse was dug down another six inches into the earth. As Jess’s front foot plummeted, her back foot tripped over the brick sill and she landed on her knees and palms inside the smokehouse. She gasped in pain as her right knee struck something sharp. Jess rolled back to sit on the dirt floor, gripping her knee and rocking as she cursed through gritted teeth. Shakti yipped and Jess looked back to see her standing, front paws up on the bricks, her ears held out, those fuzzy caterpillar eyebrows raised in concern. “I’m all