The Woman in the Woods (Dean Steele Mystery Thriller Book 1) by A.J. Rivers

Author:A.J. Rivers [Rivers, A.J.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Dean Steele FBI Mystery Thriller
Publisher: A.J. Rivers
Published: 2022-09-16T16:00:00+00:00

I push the door all the way open to make sure nothing and no one could be behind it. Bracing myself for whatever might be inside, I take a cautious first step over the threshold and into the main open space of the building.

It’s quiet inside. There’s a soft whirring of a fan that’s keeping the air inside from being completely still and stifling, but there’s no air conditioning. I hit the light switch beside the door and two bulbs hanging a few feet apart from each other illuminate the interior of the cabin. It’s certainly rustic, but not bare. The open space is arranged with a table under a window and two rocking chairs in front of a fireplace that takes up one corner at the front.

Toward the back is a very small refrigerator, another table, and a sink. A door on the far back wall must lead to a bedroom. It takes a few seconds, but I start to notice little indications that I’ve been here before. Familiarity still hasn’t sunk in yet. I don’t remember standing here or why I chose this place, but there are a few belongings scattered around that are definitely mine. I notice my favorite water thermos by the sink. My running shoes are by the door. The table by the window has an assortment of snacks clustered together with several cans of soda sitting beside it.

That means I was concentrating on something here. I’ll take coffee when it’s offered to me and first thing in the morning, but my preferred vice is definitely soda. The combination of the carbonation bubbles and the caffeine seems to clear my mind and keep it focused. At least, that’s the justification I give for knocking back cases at a speed I’m not proud to admit.

It stands out to me that the food and soda cans are on that table rather than the one in the kitchen. That’s a specific choice, something I did on purpose. It would make more sense for the food to be on the kitchen table rather than in the living area. I go to the refrigerator and check inside. It’s empty and there’s a little laminated paper notecard sitting on the shelf inside warning the temporary resident of the cabin not to stuff the miniature appliance with too much, not to leave it open, and to report any issues directly to the emergency line.

I’m sure there’s a silly joke in there about thinking you still have leftovers and ending up being wrong as constituting a refrigerator emergency, but my mind goes straight to appliance leaking, sparking the electrical outlet, and the cabin going up in flames becoming the veritable epicenter of a wildfire that would take out a large portion of this area of the state.

Dire potential for disastrous blazes all for the sake of better camp food aside, the notecard in the refrigerator tells me I haven’t used it. Which means I haven’t done any prepping of food on the table,

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