Kingdom by the Sea (Romantic Suspense) Read Online Free

confused.  She saw no one
on or around the property.  The street was quiet.  Only as she turned to go
back inside did Nicole notice the potted plant sitting on the right side of the
porch.  The pot held three white flowers in bloom and had a bow around its
base.  Almost tentatively, she approached it. 
    There
didn’t appear to be a card attached to it.  Nicole had to assume it was a
“welcome to the neighborhood” gift.  Or perhaps it was part of a regular
delivery service that Nina had participated in prior to her death.  That would
be likelier, considering how much Nina loved flowers.  Besides, weren't
“welcome” gifts usually an excuse to meet someone more than anything else?  It
wouldn’t make sense to ring the bell and then leave. 
    As
she brought the flowers inside, Nicole checked underneath the pot.  No note
there either.  The only tidbit at all was the plastic tag sticking out of the
dirt that identified the plant: Hydrangea arborescens .
    As
she pushed the front door closed, she had to struggle against the force of the
wind, suddenly ferocious, pushing back on her, almost as if it were determined
to get inside.  
    ***
    Several
hours later, after the sun had set and the moon had risen, after the rolling
files had been abandoned for the day, after she had called both her mother and
her father, she poured herself a glass of wine.  She’d found a bottle of Merlot
standing unopened in the mostly bereft walk-in pantry.  Possibly it had been a
gift, because as Nicole recalled, Aunt Nina drank only white. 
    Next
she dialed her sister, Linda, but got no answer.  She was hoping to talk to her
and smooth over whatever weirdness had apparently emerged after the reading of
the will.  She could understand if her older sister felt slighted since Nicole
had inherited so much more than anyone else in the family.  But there was more
going on, she was sure of that.  And Nicole wanted to find out what;
unfortunately, Alyssa, who was usually a charming buttinski, was clueless on
this one.  
    Obviously
it would have to wait.  She set her phone down on the counter and went to deactivate
the security alarm.  Nicole was developing a nightly routine of a short walk
down by the water.  Now, as she stepped onto the back porch, she savored all
the perfect elements of October—the crisp air, the sound of rustling leaves,
the faint spicy aroma of wood burning. 
    Once
the grass sloped into soft sand, she slipped off her shoes and continued to the
shoreline.  Even though the sand was cool, it caressed the bottom of her feet
like a fleece blanket. 
    Just
then, a square of light appeared in front of her.  Nicole looked up and turned
around.  The top floor window of the house next door was illuminated.  The
curtain in the window shifted and Nicole could vaguely make out a silhouette
behind it.  It appeared to be a woman wringing her hands and pushing them into
her hair.  She seemed to be pacing, but then the light snapped off.  Since she
hadn’t met her neighbors yet, she didn’t give the scene much thought.
    Once
near the water's edge, Nicole sipped her wine and looked out at the row of
docked boats in the distance.  Suddenly a hand clapped around her neck and
yanked her backward. 
    Her
heart lurched into her throat as blackness swam before her eyes.  The wine
dropped, bled on the sand.  She struggled to breathe, to scream, but she
couldn't—it was the grip of a man, strong, ruthless, clutching her neck and
then strangling her stomach with his other arm.
    She
reached up, clamping her fingers around his forearm, and pulled.  It was thick
and bulky; it seemed immovable.  His hot breath puffed rancidly on her temple. 
His body seemed enormous.
    With
a sudden jerk, he released her neck and she choked out a cough—right before his
hand covered her mouth, and he began dragging her backward at her waist. 
    Violently
she struggled, her pant legs dragging, her heels digging in, spitting up