Haven of Death

By Karlee Wiseman

A beautiful Victorian home sits on the top of a hill on Grand Haven, but its beauty is deceiving. There is something dark and sinister about this house that the outside world cannot see. The women who live there have mysteriously disappeared. What horrendous fate have they met and is there anyone who can stop Dana or Olivia from meeting the same fate? Are the handsome men in their lives as amazing as they seem or are they cold blooded killers? The twists and turns of this dark tale will keep you riveted and captivated through to the very end.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Mar 13, 2015
• ISBN: 9781475976823

Karlee Wiseman

Karlee Wiseman is a forty nine year old woman who lives in Elkhart, Indiana. She has three biological and two adopted children. Karlee worked with people with disabilities for eleven years and is living her life long dream of being an author.

Book preview

PROLOGUE

K elly Wright dozed on her sofa in front of a warm, crackling fire in her fireplace. As she woke on and off, she sipped a glass of wine and thought about how lucky she was to find this wonderful house. In the three months that she had lived there, she had fallen in love with all of its grand features. It was so amazing that such a cozy room existed in such a huge house.

She wondered why one glass of wine would relax her so much and make her so sleepy. Her arms and legs felt extremely heavy. Attempting to lift her head, she realized no matter how hard she tried, it was as if a brick was tied to the back of it. She drifted off one final time oblivious to the cameras that were secretly spying on her.

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He sat in the tunnels inside of the walls examining the images on his monitors, waiting patiently for the sedatives he had slipped into her bottle of wine to take effect. The excitement was building within him each time she closed her eyes. Just as he felt he could contain himself no more, her eyes closed and did not flutter back open.

He slipped his hands around her petite throat. As he felt her soft, smooth skin beneath his fingers, he relished the fact that no other man will ever touch this skin again. As he began to squeeze the life from her beautiful body, he bent forward and whispered to her, Wake up my lovely. This will only be good if I can watch the life drain from your eyes.

Terror struck her as she opened her mouth and tried to scream, but no sound would come. No one would hear her even if she could. In her mind she was screaming, Wait! It’s you! Why are you doing this?

Excitement welled up inside of him. He wondered if this is what it would have felt like to make love to her. Then he could not imagine any thing better than this as he choked the last bit of life from her enormous, horror-filled eyes.

CHAPTER ONE

G reg and Olivia Mason were dressing for their first anniversary celebration. Greg had bought Olivia a beautiful white dress and a pearl necklace to wear for the evening. While she looked in the mirror at her reflection, he walked into the room. She could not help but smile because he was the most handsome man she had ever seen. He went to her and took the pearls from her hand and put them around her neck. In a sweet and gentle voice he said, Let me do this for you. As she lifted her hair for him, he softly kissed her neck. Just the touch of his lips on her skin sent tingles through her whole body.

Putting his arms around the front of her, feeling the silky fabric of her dress, he slid his hands down her thighs. She gently touched his hands to stop him, as she softly whispered, Not now, my love. We have reservations. We can pick this back up when we get home.

She turned to face him and smiled as he tenderly caressed her face. He quietly said, You are still the most beautiful woman I have ever laid my eyes on. I love you more than life itself. If we had nothing else, you would be all I’d need.

Just as he leaned in to kiss her his cell phone rang. She teasingly said, Ah! Saved by the bell!

Pulling the phone from his inside jacket pocket, he checked the caller I.D. Baby, it’s Eric. I’m going to take this, okay?

She laughed. "Sure. I knew I’d be sharing our Anniversary with your best friend. After all, he is the second most important person in your life."

Hello, Mr. Kulp, he said in a joking manner. How are you this wonderful evening?

Eric replied, I’m well. How does Olivia like your plans for the big evening?

She says I’m the most romantic man in the world and I tend to agree, he replied jokingly.

Eric chuckled, Well, tell that gorgeous woman of yours that I said Happy Anniversary. You can tell me all about it tomorrow before the meeting, but do me a favor and spare me the gory details.

Okay. Talk to you tomorrow at the office.

CHAPTER TWO

S hawn Eversol looked up at the grand house while he waited to show it to Dana Dougherty. He admired its striking Victorian architecture, the huge pillars, and the magnificent landscaping. It’s a shame that every house I show isn’t as easy to sell as this one will be, he thought.

Dana pulled up in her red convertible. As she extended her long sun-tanned legs to step out, a gentle breeze blew through her silky, auburn hair. Her tall, thin, but voluptuous frame seemed to glide gracefully from the vehicle.

Shawn watched as she approached him. His admiration switched from the house to her. Wow! he thought. What a stunning beauty. Man, the perks that come with this business. It will be a pleasure selling this mansion to someone as lovely as she is.

He put on his realtor charm with a smile as she approached him. She returned his smile and extended her hand to him. He took it with a gentle shake.

You must be Dana.

Yes. Hello, she answered with a sparkle in her big green eyes.

Shawn Eversol. It’s a pleasure to meet you, he said still grasping her hand.

She withdrew her hand from his and looked over the enormous house and its meticulously groomed property. What a splendid house, she stated, completely in awe. The possibility of this house being owned by her, a twenty-seven year old, single woman, almost took her breath away.

If you like it from out here, wait until you see the inside. Shall we? he suggested as he motioned her forward.

He led her to an elegant wooden door with a stained glass window. The window was masterfully crafted with great detail. Its image was oddly beautiful. It depicted a magnificent angel with a clipped wing, falling from the heavens. Its colors were soft pastels with each change in color outlined in gold. The window’s beauty made her feel safe, yet strange at the same time.

As she went through the door, she entered a large foyer with a marble floor. The walls looked like a tapestry of crimson, hunter green, and gold. An enormous chandelier hung from an extremely high vaulted ceiling.

As she studied every thing she had seen of the inside thus far, she thought, whoever designed this house had a remarkable eye for beauty. She repressed her excitement as she wondered how this house could be on the market for such a low price. How much more lucky could she get? First, getting a great promotion on her job, transferring her to this lovely little town and then finding this home that would be so perfect for her. Then it suddenly hit her, was it too perfect? Could there be something wrong with this house? She pushed the thought out of her mind as she continued her tour though the rest of the rooms.

Each room only became more amazingly exquisite. She knew she had to buy the house, even more so as she entered the cozy room with a marble fireplace. She was surprised to see flames dancing on the logs since Shawn had mentioned the previous owner had left abruptly.

Dana found her curiosity piqued by this mysterious man who would take time to light a fire in the fireplace to make the room feel more like home to her. She stopped momentarily to examine his tall, muscular frame. He was very handsome. He appeared to be about six feet, two inches tall. His hair was jet black, the darkest black that she had ever seen. She thought it was so attractive, it was actually beautiful. His eyes were hazel with tiny flecks of gold dispersed throughout them. Looking into his eyes made the room feel even hotter than the fireplace did. It made her feel nervous to respond this way to a man she just met, so she had to divert her eyes from him. She focused her attention back to the house.

As her eyes wandered across the room, she admired its furnishings. They were simple, yet elegant. Many items looked as if they could be antiques, except for the over-stuffed sofa which she imagined herself relaxing on in front of the fire.

Shawn noticed the special attention she had paid to the sofa. He quickly enticed her by saying, Can you believe the owner just left all of the furniture in this room and it’s included in the price?

Trying not to show her enthusiasm, she responded, That’s wonderful. I do like this room and its furnishings. Especially the sofa.

She found this strange since the rest of the rooms were empty. Then she pushed this thought from her mind as well, as she imagined her own furnishings and exactly how they would look as she went through each room. Everything she had would match perfectly, but wouldn’t be enough to fill each one. She would have to choose the rooms that she could furnish and take care of the other ones later. Even the thought of shopping for and decorating the empty rooms appealed to her.

CHAPTER THREE

G reg grabbed Olivia’s shawl from the coat rack beside the front door. He lovingly wrapped it around her delicate shoulders. Though the days are still warm, the nights can be very chilly and I have to take good care of my baby.

He took her hand as they walked to their silver SUV. She responded with a warm smile. His heart melted as he saw the moonlight sparkle in her big blue eyes.

Greg kept her hand in his as they stepped to her side of the vehicle. He reached over and opened the door for her. Once again she smiled, but this time in appreciation because she knew there was never such a gentleman as he.

He saw once more that sparkle in her eyes that reflected his entire life. It completely took his breath away. He knew that she truly was his destiny.

Olivia’s eyes followed him as he went to his side of the vehicle. It almost scared her as she thought about how much she loved and needed him. It was as if her whole life depended on his mere existence. Never had she loved so deeply or felt so loved in her entire life.

Greg looked at her as he opened his door. He slid into the seat next to his beautiful wife. As he adjusted his seat and mirror, he caught a glimpse of the back seat. For a split second he saw a beautiful blonde-haired, blue-eyed baby girl who looked just like her mommy in the built-in car-seat. This was the night he would tell her he was ready to have a child with her.

As they drove to the restaurant, they slowed to look at the grand Victorian house that they longed to buy someday. They noticed that once again it had been up for sale, but had a sold sign already. They both hoped it would be available someday when they were ready to buy a larger home.

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At the restaurant, the valet parked their SUV. Greg slipped the maître d’ a fifty dollar bill to seat them next to the fireplace. Greg pulled Olivia’s seat out for her and pushed it back in after she sat down.

Between the wine and the warmth of the fire, the atmosphere made Olivia feel giddy. The candlelight cast a soft, romantic glow around them. The sweet music made her feel as if they were the only couple in the restaurant.

The waiter approached their table, How are the two of you this fine evening?

Olivia replied, We are wonderful. It’s our first anniversary.

Fabulous! Pierre`, bring this lovely couple a bottle of our finest, on the house! It is their first anniversary!

Thank you, Greg and Olivia chimed in unison.

It is our pleasure. What else can we get for you to make this evening more perfect?

We will start off with the Escargot En Brochette, thank you, Greg answered.

Very well. We will have that momentarily while you decide on your main course.

They exchanged smiles and chuckled at the waiter’s enthusiasm as he walked away. Olivia was glad that Greg had chosen this restaurant. She couldn’t imagine being any happier than she was at this moment.

Olivia reached across the table and ran her fingers through Greg’s chestnut brown hair. She looked into his chocolate brown eyes and said, I love you.

I love you too, my darling, he said, as he leaned in to kiss her moist, warm lips.

As their lips touched, Olivia felt as if a jolt of electricity shot through her whole body. Thoughts of what they would do when they got back home flooded both of their minds. Olivia slipped her foot from her shoe and teased him with her toes on his thigh.

Just then the waiter brought another bottle of wine and the Escargot. Olivia blushed, wondering if he had seen her. He gave her a knowing grin. This made her feel flushed. Or was it the wine?

As they ate their appetizer, Greg watched Olivia put the fork to her to beautiful plump lips. You even look gorgeous eating snail. Which brings me to something I’ve been thinking about maybe even the most important decision of our lives.

Wow! That sounds serious. You have piqued my curiosity, she said.

I am serious. I want to have a baby with you. I want a beautiful little girl who looks just like you.

She took his hand in hers and gave him a warm smile. I love you so much. I don’t think I’ve ever loved you more than I do right now. I’ll agree to the little girl if we can have a little boy who looks like you.

Well, I guess that will be when we will need that huge house then, won’t it?

She smiled and squeezed his hand, I guess so.

As they finished the rest of their meal, they laughed and joked. They teased each other more. The sexual tension built between them until they finally had to leave for home.

They had the valet bring them their vehicle. Greg had special ordered their SUV with one bench seat in the front so that Olivia could sit close to him. Olivia snuggled even closer to him on the way back home, than she had on the way there. Greg slid his arm around her and pulled her as close as she could get without being on top of him. Although, if she’d had her way, she would have been.

She laid her head on his shoulder and nibbled his earlobe. Placing her hand on his thigh, she slowly inched her way up. His body’s response told her that he liked what she was doing. As she continued, the SUV swerved slightly to the left. Olivia giggled softly and said, Whoops. Sorry, but just continued what she was doing.

Her hand went further up his thigh, making him moan with ecstasy. His moans only made her want to go farther. She loved that she could make him feel like this. The heat of the moment and the effect of the wine made her completely forget that he was driving.

As she slid her hand over the outside of his pants and up to the button, he thought about all of the things that he could not wait to do to her. His mind whirled with excitement. His moans came even more frequently. His heart was beating so fast he could feel every artery in his body pulsate. His nerve endings were on fire. He burned with his desire for her.

Her hand reached his zipper. He felt like he would cry out to her, but he held his emotion in. He thought to himself, I have to keep my mind on the road.

As Olivia’s hand slipped inside of his pants, she felt the vehicle suddenly jerk. Quickly looking up, she saw what seemed to be a semi-truck coming at them, but it was the other way around. Their vehicle was entering the oncoming traffic.

Greg grabbed the steering-wheel even harder, trying to return to the proper lane. He overcorrected the wheel and slammed the vehicle into an enormous tree on their side of the road. Everything went black.

CHAPTER FOUR

B rad Byrum and Scott Woods received the call to the scene of the accident just before the victims were taken away. They arrived as they saw the ambulance pull off. Both men were astounded that they heard the sound of the siren because that meant for now there was at least one survivor of this crash.

Police officers and detectives were inspecting the scene with a fine tooth comb. Their job was to make sure there was no foul play involved. All evidence must be considered no matter how miniscule it might seem.

As Woods and Byrum stepped from their tow truck, Woods commented, Wow. Look at this mess. They must have had to use the jaws to get someone out of that mangled heap."

As they approached the wreckage, they saw the evidence that the jaws of life had been used. The vehicle had hit the tree so hard that the doors were smashed shut. They could see where the doors had been cut and pried open.

It will be a miracle if whoever survived this accident continues to live, Byrum remarked.

Officer Tom Jordan met them with a warning, Hold up a minute guys. You boys responded almost too promptly. We aren’t done processing this scene yet. We don’t really suspect foul play at this point, but it was obvious that alcohol played a major factor in this accident.

Oh, wow, Woods responded. That is too bad. How many vics?

Two. A husband and wife. They are very young according to their driver’s licenses. Husband is twenty nine and the wife’s only twenty six. So sad. People just don’t get it. Drinking and driving are an extremely lethal combination. Some people simply don’t realize when they’ve had too much. There were a few other contributing factors too, but we think it was mostly the alcohol, replied Officer Jordan.

Yeah. Too bad, Byrum acknowledged. Anyone survive?

Just barely, Officer Jordan said, as he walked back to the wreckage.

Scott Woods and Brad Byrum watched as the officers finished their work. The more that they saw of the twisted mass of vehicle, the more amazed they were that there were survivors. Woods even said a little prayer to himself for their survival.

When the officers were gone, they pulled their tow truck up to the vehicle. They lowered the cables and hooked them under the bumper. As Woods walked around to the driver’s side, he was shocked to hear his partner mumble to himself, That’s what you get for drinking and driving. Byrum did not see the look of disbelief on Woods’s face as they pulled off.

CHAPTER FIVE

I t was a glorious, sunny day, unusual for the weather this time of year. The sun highlighted the various, stunning colors of the fall leaves. Dana had thought that this house couldn’t be any more alluring, but she was wrong. The fall leaves drew her in even more.

As she happily unloaded boxes from the rental truck, she carried them inside. She put the boxes in the rooms where each should go. Unpacking the boxes didn’t even feel like a chore to her because she was so happy to make this house her home.

As the moving crew moved the furniture into the house, she went into her new kitchen to make herself a cup of tea. She sat down at the breakfast bar and slowly sipped her warm brew. The steam from her chamomile tea rose up in her face creating little beads of moisture on her nose, causing a small giggle to escape from her throat.

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He sat behind the walls, studying his monitors, watching every move she made. He thought, this one is an exotic beauty. She is exquisite. I wish I could lick the moisture from her nose. I can’t wait to touch her. I could not have hand picked a more perfect specimen myself.

He watched as Dana finished her tea. She rose and placed the cup in the dishwasher and went back to her unpacking. Cameras caught her image from every angle, sending her straight to his eyes.

Leaning back in his chair with his eyes glued to the screens, he spent the rest of the day just watching her. He watched as she finished unpacking. He watched as she sipped wine and relaxed on the overstuffed sofa. He watched as she undressed for bed, thinking, this will be the best part of everyday. Then as he watched her slip under her covers, into her bed, he whispered, Yes, my Lovely. Sleep. I will see you in your dreams.

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That night, she dreamt a tall dark figure entered her room. He bent down and brushed his cheek against hers. Soon you will be mine, he whispered.

She felt his breath on her neck and it seemed so real that she tried to pull herself from her dream. Darkness swirled around her. When she finally woke, she sat up with a start. The moon cast a dim light across the room. She strained to see, but saw nothing there. Still, she had the strange feeling that she was not alone. When she finally fell back to sleep, it was deep and dreamless.

Dana woke the next morning remembering the dream she had the night before. It made her have a sick sensation in the pit of her stomach. She just had the strangest feeling that it had been real.

She went about her day putting the final touches on each room. The eerie memory of her dream stayed with her. She just couldn’t shake the feeling that she was not alone and someone was watching her.

CHAPTER SIX

D ana brought groceries in from the local supermarket to stock her new refrigerator. As she bent down to put the fresh vegetables in the produce drawer, something was slightly sticking out from under the appliance. She reached her hand underneath to pull it out. It was a magnet. The outside of her refrigerator was bare since she had no children to decorate it, so she decided to keep it to hang reminders to herself.

Dana had been so busy unpacking that she ordered takeout the entire first week she lived in her new home. Carefully, she planned her first meal that she would prepare in this new house because it was also her first Thanksgiving there. She was so excited to cook in her new kitchen for the first time. It was too bad she had no one to share it with. She would have to eat it all alone, but hoped to get to know some new people, perhaps even a man, in this area soon. She especially missed her family this time of year.

As Dana carried the turkey to the table, she wished she had a man to carve it. Then she brought in the cranberry sauce and sat it on the very large dining room table. Next, she placed the mashed potatoes, gravy, and green bean casserole where she could reach it all.

She sat down at her place-setting, relaxing for a moment in her chair. The lighting seemed so dim to her, so she went to get her lighter to light the candles that were already a center-piece on the table. If she was ever going to do any entertaining in this room, she decided that she would have to put a chandelier above her large oak table.

Dana daydreamed of a room full of people sharing a lavish meal. She smiled as she imagined it full of laughter and conversation, hoping her new job would be the beginning of many great friendships.

After carving the turkey and dishing up a generous plate full of food, she noticed she had forgotten the wine. She went down to the cold, dark wine cellar to bring up a new bottle. A tingle moved up her spine as she had a strange feeling that someone was in the cellar watching her.

Quickly grabbing the bottle, she ran up the steps, slamming the cellar door behind her. She was so shaken that she nearly dropped the bottle, but steadied herself along the stairway to keep from it. She told herself that it was just her vivid imagination at work again and tried to shake off this feeling. Being alone in this enormous house must just be getting to her.

She popped the cork and sat back down to eat. Just as Dana took her first bite, she heard a dripping sound coming from the bathroom on the main floor. Putting her fork down, she thought she would never be able to eat this meal and got up to investigate the dripping.

Dana quietly mumbled to herself, That’s odd. This sink was not dripping before. Then she noticed a small leak under the sink as well.

It suddenly hit her that the magnet she had found earlier had the name of a plumber on it. Throwing a towel down to soak up the water, she moved swiftly into the kitchen to check the name and number on the magnet. She assumed that the plumber had worked on this house before. He would at least know where she was located.

Knowing since it was Thanksgiving, the price for a plumber to come out would be triple his normal rate, Dana decided to call him regardless. She did not want to have to deal with a leak all day on a holiday.

She punched the numbers on the key pad of her phone. As she heard the ringing on the other end of her phone, she thought she heard a ringing coming from somewhere in the house. She pulled the phone from her ear to listen harder, but did not hear anything else. Once again she attributed it to her vivid imagination.

"Hello? Hellooo? Helllloooo? Okay. It’s your dime."

Realizing that someone had answered, Dana put the phone back to her ear, Yes. Hello. Is this Matt Thomas?

Yeah. What can I do ya for?

I realize that it’s a holiday, but I am in need of a plumber. Would you be available?

Lady, it’ll cost ya today. I was just about to go to my folk’s house. Now I’m gonna be late.

I’ll pay whatever you want. I just don’t want to be listening to the constant dripping or mopping up water all day. I live at 3244 South Grand Haven. When can you be here?

Yeah, I know the place, Lady. I’ll be there in a half hour.

As Dana hung up the phone, she thought he was strange and rude. This would be an interesting meeting. She doubted