November Lake: Teenage Detective (The November Lake Mysteries) Book 1 by Jamie Drew Page A

have you told about the
plans you have to make improvements to your home?” I
asked.
    “ No one,” she said with a frown.
    “ What was the weather like the day that this stranger first
came to your home?” I said.
    “ It was just like today, overcast and wet,” Wendy
said.
    “ And my last question. Other than you, who else has seen this
strange man that has scared you so much?” I asked her.
    “ Only I have met him,” she said, looking at me. Then, putting
down her cup, she got to her feet. “I haven’t imagined this man, if
that is what you are implying. I know that I am a writer and have a
vivid imagination, but everything I have told you is true. This man
really does exist.”
    “ And that is what I fear,” I said, matching her
stare.
    “ What do you mean?” she asked.
    Ignoring
another of her questions, I said, “What is the address of your
motel?”
    She told
me and Kale wrote it down in a notebook he pulled from his coat
pocket. “Go back to the motel and get some rest, as I believe we
will all have a very long and dangerous night ahead of
us.”
    “ Why, what is happening tonight?” Wendy asked, looking at Kale
then back at me for answers.
    “ We are going back to Little Choke to confront this stranger
who has scared you,” I said. “We will come and collect you tonight.
You will follow us back in your car. But you must not tell anyone
of our plan, not even Ethan if you care for his safety. Do you
understand?”
    “ Yes,” Wendy said with a nod of her head.
    “ We will see you at six tonight,” I said. “And do not worry.
This stranger will no longer trouble you after tonight. That I can
promise you.”
    Wendy
picked up the small case she had brought with her, and I ushered
her back down the stairs and out of the front door. She stepped out
into the rain. I closed the front door and headed back up the
stairs to my rooms.
    “ I told you it would be a great mystery, didn’t I?” Kale said,
his blue eyes bright and keen. “Have you ever heard anything so
strange?”
    “ It is certainly that,” I said.
    “ So what do you think, November?” Kale beamed with his boyish
grin. “I have my own theories, but I want to hear yours
first.”
    “ Let me show you something,” I said, heading across the poky
room to the far wall where a pile of newspapers rested. Thumbing
through the pile, I pulled one out. It was tinged yellow and the
corners of the pages were curled up. I opened the newspaper and
pointed to a column of print.
    “ What’s that?” Kale frowned.
    “ Read it,” I smiled.
    “ I’m going to sit quietly in my chair by the window and listen
to my iPod,” I said, heading back across the room.
    “ What’s the newspaper cutting about?” Kale asked.
    “ It tells the story of Veronica Straw, who went missing several
years ago,” I smiled, closing my eyes and switching on my
iPod.
     
    Once
Kale and I had discussed and agreed on a plan of action, I
telephoned Sergeant Black. There was no answer. We didn’t have time
to wait for him to switch his phone back on, so I left a message on
his answerphone. We then set off to meet with Wendy Creswell as
earlier planned.
    She was
waiting in the lobby of the motel. Once she had placed her case in
the boot of her car, we set off into the night, with Wendy
following behind. I had told that on the outskirts of the village
of Little Choke she was to overtake us, make her way to the pet
cemetery. I sat beside Kale as he drove along the coastal roads in
the direction of Little Choke. The earlier rain clouds had cleared
and the sky was now bright with moonlight. Kale and I spoke very
little, as both of us considered the course of action we had
planned. After Kale had read the newspaper article I’d given him, I
explained my theory. Together we sat in the fading light as rain
spattered the window by my chair. Kale put ideas forward for the
plan and I agreed. I liked Kale. He was fun to work with and his
enthusiasm for discovering the truth was