Lies and Snow-Clad Graves

By Tyffani Clark Kemp

The bodies lost could not be found...
Kandace Callahan disappeared three years ago. Assuming her to be dead, her family buried an empty casket and moved on, but they didn’t give up finding out what had happened to her.
Beneath the lies and snow-clad graves...
On the outside, Kay Oliver is the perfect wife. She wears a gentle smile and never argues. She and her husband Steven are town heroes.
On the inside, Kay is angry and bitter and she doesn’t know why. That is, until an out-of-towner comes in and shows her the truth. She’s the product of an experiment gone wrong and he’s a private detective sent by her family to find her.
Cries the truth of what happened...
When Steven finds out that she knows the truth, he begins a plot to erase her memory and replace it with one that will suit him better. But with so many unknown variables, he can’t be aware of what will happen if he trusts the wrong person.
...at Harrow Haves.
The truth begins a frantic race to stay alive. Will she make it back to her family? Or will they want the woman she has become?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tyffani Clark Kemp
• Release date: Feb 16, 2016
• ISBN: 9781311629272

Tyffani Clark Kemp

Tyffani Clark Kemp might be the quietest person in the room, but that just means she’s probably the biggest freak too. She is a multi-genre author with a gift for the written word and a desire to help all Indies reach their full potential. In 2012, she and her best friend Kimberly Fudge started SideStreet Cookie Publishing for authors who want to remain independent, but don’t have the time or the knowledge to do it all themselves. From the age of eleven she dedicated her life to writing and making sure she was good at her craft. Now, she passes that knowledge on to others. Her friends would describe her as determined and giving. She may be quite, but she always has a story to tell.

Book preview

PROLOGUE

The key to any good secret identity was to make it as real as possible. That was what he’d always heard. Scribbling on a well-inked piece of paper he wrote, Three brothers, parents deceased, age 27.

He stared at the woman in the hospital bed, red hair splayed across the white pillow. Dark roots showed through where she hadn’t dyed her hair in over a year. The sleeping woman never moved, but when she woke up – and she would wake up soon – she was going to need to know who she was. There was still something missing.

Married, he wrote next. Beside that he jotted a note for himself. "Buy rings." To make it realistic he probably needed to buy a couple of other jewelry pieces as well.

He watched her steady breathing. The machines no longer breathed for her, nor did he have to use the recordings to remind her body to do its normal functions. At first he thought she’d never get better, but he hadn’t been able to let her go. Even if all he did was care for her until she died he would have been happy with that, but recent tests had begun to show renewed brain activity and response to outside stimuli proving that he’d made the right decision after all. A fresh start with the woman he’d always dreamed would be his wife was all they needed. He would make sure they had the perfect life together.

CHAPTER ONE

Kay hated grocery days, but she endured them just like she endured most things; with a pleasant smile and the swipe of her credit card. With one large bag on her hip and the other cradled in her arm, she toted them from the car to the front door. Getting it unlocked and open with her arms full was a trick she’d mastered quite a while ago. They’d lived in this god-forsaken town for a year and a half. Before that…

Kay frowned. Before that, Steven said they’d lived in the South. There had been an accident, a fire he told her, but she had no memories of that time. She wasn’t entirely sure why a fire would make her lose her memory, but the fact that she had none was proof enough.

Kay set the groceries on the narrow kitchen counter and started putting things away. She didn’t like their house. The outside was ugly and the floor plan was impractical, but she didn’t say anything. She never said anything; almost as if she was predisposed to be unhappy with her life until she died, but she could never show it. The smile on her face made people believe she was happy, even her husband. But her supposed happiness seemed to make him happy and there were times when she thought she truly might be.

Kay shrieked when loud banging came from the front screen door and her heart leapt into her throat. She knew it was probably Alice, her neighbor across the street, but that didn’t make her any less jumpy. Alice had probably been watching and waiting for Kay to come home. It was futile to hope that if she ignored her she’d go away.

Kay! Alice’s semi-irritating voice called. Mrs. Oliver! She sang it like that might make it less abrasive.

Kay sighed and dropped the bag of sugar onto the counter to get the door. Alice stood on her stoop looking as ravishing as this small port town would allow. Her short dark hair just barely brushed her cheeks and her brilliant blue eyes shone with a look that Kay had come to recognize as frightening.

Alice, Kay said with her usual smile. Good afternoon.

Oh, don’t be so formal! Alice pulled the screen door open and let herself inside. I saw you get home and wanted to see if you would go over wedding stuff with me. My mother is just being difficult and I can’t decide on a color for the bridesmaids!

We decided on a color a month ago and the dresses have already been ordered, Kay said in exasperation. This was the fourth time Alice had decided to change the color. Kay had never known there were so many shades of teal to choose from. Alice gave her a long-suffering look and she caved. Fine. Show me which colors you’re looking at.

For the next hour, Kay flipped through swatches of all the same shades of teal they’d looked through before.

When will Steven be home? Alice asked suddenly. I need to ask him something about the wedding.

Kay bit the inside of her cheek. When she and Steven had moved into town they’d been something like celebrities. He was the talk of the women with his chiseled features and his city-boy persona. Not long after they moved in, the previous doctor disappeared. Steven took over the small clinic and added on to it to give the tiny town its first hospital.

There were small things that Kay admired about her husband – he was smart and gentle with his patients, and he seemed to really care for her. And there were times, like now, that she wished he were less attractive.

He should be home soon. Speaking of, I need to get dinner started.

Right. Alice smiled. Are you coming to book club tonight? We can finish looking at these then.

Kay nodded. I’ll be there.

‘Book club’ was an excuse for the women of Harrow Haves between the ages of twenty-one and thirty-four to get together, drink wine, and talk about smut. It was actually pretty fun. There were only eight of them, but lately ‘book club’ had become synonymous with Bridesmaids Meetings of Epic Proportions, and that wasn’t quite as much fun. Though, once everyone was drunk, Kay tended to enjoy it.

When Alice and her two hundred and fifty shades of teal were finally gone, Kay pulled out half a pound of ground beef she’d had thawing and let it start cooking while she finished putting away the groceries.

Hello, Miss Jessica. Steven smiled at the blushing ten-year-old. Jessica turned her head away to look at her mom. Everyone thought it was cute how the young girl had a crush on him, but her constant need that hurt herself to see him was getting dangerous. This time it was a broken arm. Last month she’d poured hot water on herself from the stove where her mother was making spaghetti. How are you today? Is your cast itching?

Jessica nodded. Yes, Doctor Oliver. Am I going to get it off today?

Probably not. How did you dissuade a ten-year-old from having a crush on you when you were almost thirty years her senior? Let’s have a look, shall we?

Jessica offered her casted arm, her little lip poking out in a sad pout.

You’ll need to leave it on at least three more weeks. I want that bone to heal properly. You need to be very careful not to re-break it, okay? I don’t like seeing you get hurt. He poked his lip out and put a pout on his face.

Jessica nodded. I’ll be careful, Doctor Oliver. She gave him a charming smile. Are you and Mrs. Oliver coming to the pageant at school this weekend?

We sure are. I heard you get to be a tree! Steven grinned.

I’m the only tree!

Well, congratulations. He smiled at her mother. If you’ll see the receptionist she can get you the bill.

Jessica’s mother thanked him and she and the little girl left as he got a notification on his phone. It was from Kay. :Dinner’s just about ready. Will you be home soon?:

Steven smiled. :Leaving right now.:

Finding her a job had been the hardest thing about moving out here. At first he’d thought about letting her run the front desk, but eventually decided that might not be a good idea. He didn’t want her around the trauma that came with hospitals. When he found her the job at the sporting goods shop at the docks he knew it was the perfect place for her. It got her out of the house and kept her busy when he wasn’t around.

After making sure there weren’t any emergencies to vet, Steven said good night to his receptionist and drove home to meet his wife for dinner.

Kay was sitting at the dining room table with a glass of wine in hand when he walked in the house.

Hello, sweetheart, he said. He placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head. How was your day?

Fine, she answered with her usual smile. It didn’t light up any rooms or cause men to swoon, but at least she was smiling. Alice came over wanting to change the color of the bridesmaids dresses again. She smirked.

Oh? Steven shucked his jacket and sat at the table across from her. What color of teal was it this time?

All of them.

He chuckled. Sounds about right. Does she not remember that the wedding is in two weeks?

Oh, she knows. She smiled again. This time, it was a little brighter, but then it faded. Where are the pictures from our wedding? she asked. I was looking for some the other day. Alice said she wanted to see what my dress looked like, but I couldn’t remember and I couldn’t find any pictures.

Steven plastered a smile on his face. We lost most of our pictures in the fire, he reminded her, but I will see if I can find some for you tomorrow.

Kay nodded. Alright. How do you like the meatloaf?

Actually, Steven hated meatloaf, but he wouldn’t tell her that. He put a big bite in his mouth and smiled while he chewed.

It’s delicious.

Steven stopped her a few hours later with a sweet smile before she left the house and Kay knew what he wanted.

You didn’t take your pills after dinner.

Kay nodded when what she really wanted to do was gag and force the pills down his throat.

What’s that look for? he asked. His smile slipped just enough to look worried.

I… I’m sorry. She shook her head, unsure of why she was having such violent thoughts lately. Every time he reminded her to take her pills she wanted to vomit acid into his eyes. It had been like this for the last month or so, and he was starting to pick up on her mood swings, which, in turn made him more adamant that she take the pills.

Kay took the pills from him and popped them into her mouth. With the offered glass of room temperature water, she swallowed them quickly and made a show of moving her tongue side to side so he could see she wasn’t hiding them.

You don’t have to do that every time, Steven said. He looked distressed.

I know. Kay smiled, trying to reassure him. I wasn’t trying to make you feel bad. I’ll be back in a little while. With the way Alice was acting today, though, you may have to rescue me from all of the last minute changes.

Steven smiled and kissed the top of her head and she forced herself not to pull away. Just text and I’ll be there.

Kay hurried down the steps and across the street. Steven meant his kisses to be reassuring and comforting, but they weren’t. She tried to remind herself that she was supposed to love him and that he was just looking out for her, but there were times that being near him made her skin crawl.

The other ladies were already through a bottle and a half of wine when Kay got to Alice’s mother’s house. There were no books in sight. That was a bad sign.

Kay’s here! Alice cried as Kay walked into the living room. We can get started. I’m thinking about changing the color of the bridesmaids dresses.

A chorus of angry voices filled the room until one rose above them all.

There is no way I’m ordering a new dress, paying to have it rushed by next weekend, and paying again to get it fitted. No. It’s too late. You’re going to have to be happy with the dresses we have.

This was Willa. She was the youngest of them, having just turned twenty-one three months ago, and the strongest willed. At least she had the guts to speak up when no one else did.

I have to agree with Willa, Kay said.

Everyone turned to look at her. It was no secret that Kay and Willa didn’t see eye to eye. They always seemed to be on opposite ends of the spectrum, no matter what it was.

Willa nodded smugly. See? That’s how you know it’s a bad idea. The housewife is against it.

Kay bit the inside of her cheek and smiled, though it wasn’t quite polite. Willa found Kay’s domestic lifestyle to be repulsive. In turn, Kay found Willa’s promiscuity just as disgusting. There wasn’t a man in town under the age of forty that she hadn’t slept with, save Steven. Even so, Kay knew that Willa had come on to him more than once. She also knew that Willa hadn’t gotten what she wanted, but hadn’t entirely lost interest.

No one said anything to the two of them, but the subject moved on to Alice being offended.

Kay, I thought after the conversation we had this afternoon that you would be more understanding and be on my side. As my maid of honor-

It’s my job to let you know when you’re doing something stupid. Exactly. Kay winked at Willa. The fact is, it’s too late to order new dresses, and if you’ll recall, I told you as much every time you mentioned new dresses this afternoon.

Alice harrumphed and crossed her arms over her chest. I’m the bride, she argued.

You’re right. Kay sighed and looked around the room. She was going to have to settle this matter before it got out of hand. Ladies, Alice wants new dresses, so we’ll order new dresses. She turned and winked at Willa again so only the younger girl would see. Willa nodded, and Kay wondered how they could agree and understand each other on this and not anything else. Alice, why don’t you find another bottle of wine? I think Mrs. Kensington across the street said something about offering us one.

Alice stood with a grin and trotted out of the house.

What the hell! a small, round woman named Daneal asked. She had three small children of her own and book club was the only time she had to herself.

Calm down, Kay said. We’re not going to order new dresses. When the day of the wedding gets here, she will be far too pre-occupied to be focused on what subtle shade of teal we’re wearing. So we go with it, placate her as best we can, and wear the dresses we have. No big deal.

That calmed everyone down. Alice returned a moment later with another bottle of wine. Kay popped the cork and let it breathe while she poured herself a hefty glass from the bottle that was already open. She wasn’t technically supposed to drink with the pills she had to take, but it hadn’t caused any problems in the last year and a half. She’d be fine for one more night.

CHAPTER TWO

Steven sat on the sofa with Kay’s head in his lap. The sun had set an hour ago, and the only light came from the TV. He stroked her soft hair while they watched the evening news. It was part of their nightly ritual, spending time with each other.

Is it time to dye your hair again? he asked.

Is it? Kay asked. Her hand went to her hair.

Yes. Your roots are starting to show.

Kay stilled in his lap. Steven stopped stroking. Kay’s breathing slowed for the space of a few heartbeats, almost like it did when she was asleep. She turned over and smiled up at him with eyes a little glassy, reflecting the light from the TV.

I’ll go see Cheryl on my lunch break tomorrow.

Steven kissed her forehead. She kept her hair short, just barely touching her shoulders, and dyed midnight black. Actually, he thought the color they used was Galactic Black Prism or something ridiculous like that.

Would you come to bed with me? Steven asked.

Kay smiled at him and shook her head. No. She pushed herself up to her knees and straddled his hips. Right here is just fine.

Her lips on his were soft and warm and tasted of sweet wine. All Steven wanted to do was keep her in his arms forever. He wanted to be the man who gave up everything for the woman he loved, and in a way he’d done that very thing.

What are you thinking about? Kay asked. Her lips turned up in an amused smirk.

Steven shook his head. Nothing. I’m here with you.

Kay pressed her lips to his again, igniting a fire inside him while her fingers unfastened his belt and shimmied his trousers down his hips to set his throbbing erection free. Bracing her hands on the coffee table, Kay leaned back so he could help her off with her jeans and panties.

Kay took him in her hand and placed him at her opening. She slid down on him slowly with a soft moan of pleasure. Unable to keep still with her heat wrapped so tightly around him, his hips bucked, and he bit back the moan that teetered dangerously on his lips.

He always asked for permission before they had sex. When they were both undone was when she seemed to be her happiest. It was when she was the most herself than she’d ever been with him. He never took from her, but always let her give herself to him. Kay moaned in his ear and Steven bit his lip. She was always his undoing.

Take me, she begged.

Steven needed no other urging. He laid her back on the sofa and positioned himself above her. With one powerful thrust he slid deep inside. Kay cried out, her hands clawing at the sofa. Steven bit into the flesh of her shoulder, struggling to ground himself until he knew she’d been satisfied. He refused to ever leave her unfulfilled. Her body tensed and her voice rose in pitch until her moans were mewlings of pleasure. Steven drove himself harder, wanting to feel her contentment before he let himself find release. Over the years, he’d become quite good at control, but it was always a little bit harder with Kay.

Finally, Kay’s body shuddered with her climax. Steven grinned to himself and let his own pleasure wash over them both. If this was the only time she could be herself then he would give her everything he could.

He lay next to her later, their bodies pressed to each other on the sofa. They were both still mostly clothed, but it didn’t matter. Steven had never felt so close to anyone in his life than he did when he was with Kay like this; both stripped down to their most bare and vulnerable places.

I’m going to get a shower, Kay said softly. I think I had a little too much wine tonight.

I heard that you put out a pretty big fire with the whole dress situation.

Kay sighed. What did you hear?

I heard from Willa’s father that you told Alice the girls would wear whatever dress she wanted them to wear.

Kay chuckled. What else was I supposed to say? If the girls keep talking, they’re going to give away the secret. I kicked her out of the house and told them we would just wear the dresses we have. It solved the problem on both ends.

You’re a natural born leader, Kay, Steven said feeling somewhat nostalgic. Be careful.

Why?

You’re a strong, beautiful woman. Just don’t get yourself into trouble, okay?

Kay pushed herself up and looked at him. I don’t know what you’re talking about, she frowned, but I’m always careful. I don’t know how to be anything but careful. A twinge of bitterness echoed in her words.

Steven kissed her tense lips until they relaxed and kissed him back. Go shower. I’ll come to bed soon.

Kay climbed over him and disappeared into their bedroom. He tucked his hands behind his head and closed his eyes, trying to shut out all of the negative thoughts and feelings swirling around in his head.

CHAPTER THREE

Kay folded a couple of shirts that customers had tossed haphazardly back on the pile of clothes, her ever-present smile plastered on her tired face. The front door opened and let in a blast of air.