A ring which disappeared after a senseless murder fifty years ago holds all the hopes and prayers of Taylor Harrison’s family.
The contractor, Brent, hired to do the job surprises Taylor on her first morning at the estate. She thinks he’s cute, but her career is the most important thing in life next to her grandmother. When the walls start coming down for the remodel, Taylor searches for the ring until...READ ENTIRE REVIEW HERE
Excerpt
Copyright 2013 © Mary L. Ball
An unexpected sound woke Elizabeth. The faint click-clatter traveled up the steps toward the bedroom, where she cuddled beside her husband. Straining her senses, she tried to figure out what caused the noise. Elizabeth was about to close her eyes again when a second commotion jerked them open. As she turned over on her back, she remembered the yellow-striped tabby downstairs. Tiger had grown full of fun in the last few months, always finding something to frolic with or climb on.
When another fleeting rattle reached her ears, Elizabeth thought of the plastic cup she had drunk water from hours before, left out on the counter. The seven-month-old kitten was playfully batting the cup around. Letting out a sigh, she tossed back the covers, knowing if she didn’t quiet the little fellow, she wouldn’t get any sleep tonight.
Paul Harrison woke as she yawned and stretched. Reaching out, he took hold of her hand. “Stay put. I’ll go downstairs and check on things. Baby animals can be ornery. I’ll lock Tiger in the pantry.”
He gave her a quick kiss, rolled sideways, and threw his legs over the bed as he sat. Slipping his feet into house slippers, he seemed to fight exhaustion with an arm stretch and walked toward the hallway. Another bang and clatter rent the air. Paul trotted into the dark passage.
Elizabeth adjusted her pillow and propped in a sitting position against the headboard. She reached over and pushed the switch to the lamp on the wooden side table. Their wedding photo alighted. Smiling to herself, she ran her hand across the quilt on her bed, admiring the blue and red ring pattern. Red was her favorite color, Paul’s blue. Paul’s younger sister Kay had spent months sewing the coverlet as a gift. The teenager had put in a lot hard work to make it perfect.
Smoothing down the bed linen, Elizabeth smiled at her wedding band and the heirloom ring she wore on her right hand. The sapphire shined a deep, dark blue and sparkled, despite the intense color. The gem seemed to emanate a bright glow from within.
She moved her hand closer and dim light captured the pigment in the crystal. The stone twinkled like a hundred miniature stars. Elizabeth sighed, soaking in the beauty of the jewelry as she removed it from her finger.
What a happy life she’d married into.
Rubbing the smooth surface of the stone, she recalled her wedding day as well as the day she first met her husband.
Paul was so handsome…he’d been walking past her sister’s street at the very same time she happened to be checking the mail. He tipped his hat toward her in greeting, and she nodded a hello.
They later laughed about the incident when Paul told her the only reason he’d been strolling through the neighborhood was because his car ran out of gas, leaving him stranded to find the nearest station.
On summer vacation, Elizabeth was planning to return home—two states away. Then Paul asked her to come to the church bazaar. Without hesitating, she delayed her trip to accompany him.
God truly works in mysterious ways.
Leaning against the headboard, Elizabeth once more eyed the ring her mother-in-law had given her. The two of them spent the afternoon shopping together while she listened to anecdotes of unique guidance. Elizabeth clutched the gold hoop, studying the stone. My mother-in-law had visions that led her to find Paul when he was a little boy and lost in a hidden cave. She was wearing this ring. Never before had she experienced any premonitions. Elizabeth continued to speculate about the women in past generations who had worn the charm. So many wonderful stories of prayers answered…
With her hand scrunched tight against her chest, she spent the next few seconds thanking the Lord for her blessings and her husband.
She had to be the luckiest woman alive.
Elizabeth’s mind raced ahead as she envisioned the household she hoped to have one day. Love and happiness flowed from her heart and bubbled up like water boiling on a stove.
She meditated on God’s words about faith. To her way of thinking, a lot of the good things that happened in life were because she believed in the Lord’s promises. As she closed her eyes in prayer, adoration and gratitude seeped from a hopeful bride’s heart. Saying “Amen,” she then recited her favorite Bible verse in First Corinthians, which speaks of love, being patient and kind.
A thunderous crash boomed through her prayers. A shot rang out in the air.
A gun shot! She grabbed her throat as her eyes flashed open. Before she could dart from under the quilt, unsure where to flee, she heard the scuffle of footsteps outside the bedroom door. Elizabeth shrieked in horror as a man flung open the door and lunged toward the bed. A black mask covered his face and stone-cold eyes gleamed with hatred through the peepholes of the head covering.
Her body quaked with fear. The grip she had on the ring fell away, and the band slipped out of her hand, falling on the floor as Elizabeth screamed in terror.
A blast sounded. Blackness closed in around her, leaving only the stilled silence of death.
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