Chapter One
Cara was full of mixed emotions as she drove into the small town of Misty Corners. She asked herself yet again what she was doing here, but how on earth could she ignore the pleas of an eighty-three year old woman? Janie was her friend and Cara drove nearly a thousand miles to arrive in a town that didn’t look the least bit modern… just as Janie described it in her emails. She was so engrossed in looking around at the stores Janie described in such accurate detail that she didn’t notice she was being followed until she glanced in the rear view mirror and saw the red and blue lights flashing right behind her. Cara cursed under her breath, but dutifully pulled over at the first opportunity she had. She got her driver’s license out of her billfold and put down the window as the officer got out of his patrol car and approached her cautiously.
“Are you lost, Miss?” the handsome man asked with a friendly smile.
“No, not really,” Cara answered. “I’m afraid I was just looking around and probably driving too slow.”
“Do you have business in town?” he questioned.
“Just visiting.”
“Really? Who are you here to see?” the man asked curiously.
“What business is that of yours?” Cara asked in surprise.
“You’re from out of state, young lady, and it’s my job to protect the folks of Misty Corners. And, it’s also my job to make sure you are safe from some of the odd ducks we have living here. I’m not asking to be nosy,” he assured her.
“I’m here to see a friend, Janie Weston.” Cara stated, and was surprised when the man’s dark eyes narrowed suspiciously.
“What do you want with Janie, Miss…?” he reached through the window and took the driver’s license from her hands and took his time looking it over, “Miss Hollister?”
“That is none of your business, Officer.”
“It’s Chief, Miss Hollister. Chief of Police, Sam Weston. Janie Weston is my Great-Aunt, and that makes it my business, young lady.”
“Very well, Chief of Police Samuel B. Weston, someone is terrorizing your Aunt Janie and she asked me to come and investigate since her ‘simple-minded nephew can’t seem to be bothered with taking her seriously’.” To Cara’s surprise, the man threw back his head and laughed heartily. “I don’t know why you find this so amusing?”
“Aunt Janie is full of sass, but I want you to know that I did and do take her seriously. No one is terrorizing her. If they were, I would know and put a stop to it.”
“Unless you are the one pulling the pranks?” Cara dared to point out, letting him know that she suspected him, too.
“Seems my Aunt Janie isn’t the only little lady full of sass,” he commented, his dark eyes seeming to look right through her. “The difference is that while I won’t raise a hand to her, I wouldn’t have any problem at all in putting you over my knee and spanking that sass right out of you. Step out of line while you’re here, Miss Hollister, and you will quickly learn that this little town isn’t the least bit modern when it comes to dealing with brats.” He handed back her driver’s license and said, “Turn left at the next light and you can’t miss Aunt Janie’s house. It’s the largest one in town and painted her favorite color! He grinned again and said, “No one is terrorizing my Aunt Janie, Miss Hollister. If there were, she’d take up her cane and give them what for.”
“If there is truly nothing going on, Chief of Police Samuel B. Weston, then you certainly can’t have any objections to my running an investigation of my own.” I put the window up and after making sure nothing was coming, I pulled out and went to the next light, making the required left turn. I drove about three blocks and actually giggled when I spotted Janie’s house. I knew how much she loved pink, but it was quite a shock to see the huge house painted pink with blue shutters and trim.
I pulled in the driveway and walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell. I heard chimes sound inside the old house and eventually the door was opened by a frail looking elderly lady. “Cara, dear, you are here!” Janie greeted me, taking my hand and pulling me inside and giving me a big hug. “Welcome. How was your drive?”
“I didn’t have a bit of trouble, Janie,” I answered with a big smile. “It’s so nice to finally meet you in person.”
“I feel the same. You are a tiny little thing, aren’t you?” she teased a bit.
“I can be big when I have to be,” I assured her. Janie laughed and said, “The terrorist was here again last night,” she whispered. “He moved all the furniture in the dining room this time. Come see,” she invited.
Cara followed the elderly woman through the house and into a large dining room. Sure enough, the furniture was stacked from the floor to the ceiling. There was no possible way that Janie could have done that herself. The furniture was solid and very heavy. It would take someone huge and very strong, like Chief of Police Samuel B. Weston to do something like this! “Did you call your nephew and report this, Janie?” I asked.
“It won’t do any good. He’ll simply find a logical reason for the furniture to be piled like this. But, if it will amuse you, I’ll call him to come over.” She went into the kitchen and picked up her telephone and a few seconds later she was speaking to her nephew. “Sam, I need for you to come by. I need to file another report.” She listened for a moment or two and then said, “I am not senile, young man. Do your job and get your butt over here right now. I swear I will attend the next council meeting and do my best to get you fired if you don’t take me seriously!”
Cara heard Sam’s deep chuckle in the background, and she wondered yet again if he was responsible for all these pranks, but he did agree to come and take a look, which apparently surprised Janie.
“I can’t believe he’s actually going to come over here and take a look. Usually he says, “Aunt Janie, you just forgot you moved that box. Or, Aunt Janie, you just had a bad dream.” She shook her head and said, “Let’s get you settled in, dear. Are you sure I’m not imposing by asking you to come and stay for a while?”
“I am happy to be here, Janie. It’s fun to meet you in person, and I really want to find out who is pulling all these pranks on you.” Cara feared for Janie’s safety, and she felt that if someone was trying to make Janie appear senile, or even worse, if they hoped to frighten her so badly she had a heart attack, it was likely they would soon grow impatient and murder her. Cara couldn’t bear that. Janie was a dear friend, in spite of the fifty year age difference. They met each other online, in a forum for women who suffered the loss of their spouse. Janie lost Edgar to cancer after fifty-four years of marriage and Cara lost her Jason after twelve years of marriage. Of all the women on the site, it was Janie who helped Cara most. She didn’t permit the younger woman to wallow in self-pity, and told Cara that it would be an insult to Jason if she didn’t keep writing and move on with her life. Jason was killed in Iraq, and while Cara did not support the war, she did support the troops who were sent there. She missed Jason terribly, and was both happy and sad she didn’t have his child to raise; Jason had an accident as a teenager and was unable to father children. He’d been completely honest with her when he realized they were falling in love, and while Cara knew she would love to have a child, she loved Jason enough to marry him anyway. They’d planned to adopt, but the timing never seemed exactly right. She was certain now that God was simply protecting a child from losing a father.
“I don’t know who is pulling these pranks, my dear, but I will certainly feel much safer with you here in the house. I just don’t feel right asking any of my nieces or nephews to come and stay. And I know that you can work wherever you are. Besides, I’ve wanted to meet you for the last year now, and at my age it is not wise to put things of that sort off for too long. You are a sweet angel to humor an old woman, Cara. I will do everything I can to make your visit enjoyable.”
“I am enjoying meeting you and seeing your lovely home,” Cara smiled, and then heard a knock on the front door before it opened.
“Aunt Janie, I’m here!” Sam called out from the entrance hall.
“We’ll be there soon, Sammy,” Janie called out. “I was showing Cara my office.”
Janie didn’t rush. She walked with a cane, and I was pleased to see that Sam didn’t seem a bit impatient as he waited for us to join him.
“Miss Hollister,” he nodded politely.
“It’s actually Mrs. Hollister,” Janie corrected him, and then added, “Little Cara lost her Jason in Iraq around the same time I lost your Uncle Edgar. We met in an online support group for widows, and I took an instant like to Cara. She is just the sweetest, caring young person, and she helped me so much.”
“That is very nice, Aunt Janie,” Sam said politely, giving Cara a genuine smile.
“Actually, Janie gave me a swift kick in the butt and wouldn’t let me wallow in grief. She insisted I keep working and meet life head on. I don’t know what I would have done without her.”
“Aunt Janie is one of my favorite people,” Sam said truthfully. “I’m glad you were both able to help each other through a rough time.” He felt guilty for acting so suspicious of the young woman. “Now, Aunt Janie, what has happened?” he asked, aware that he was on duty.
“Come with us to the dining room, Sammy. You certainly can’t tell me I’m imagining this.”
Sam shook his head, but dutifully followed the elderly woman into the dining room and then whistled when he saw the furniture stacked to the ceiling. There was no way his sweet little Aunt could have done this. For the first time he felt a shiver of fear run up and down his spine. Maybe all these little pranks he attributed to forgetfulness were really pranks. He didn’t like it one little bit. “Aunt Janie, would you consider moving over to Mom and Dad’s until I find out who is doing this?”
“No, of course not!” she immediately answered. “I have a house guest.”
“A houseguest who is just as tiny as you are, Aunt Janie. Mrs. Hollister would be welcome, too. I’m sure of it.”
“No. We are staying right here, young man. If you are so concerned about us being alone, you can come and stay with us. Goodness knows there is plenty of room in this old house and I’d love to have you, Sammy.”
“It would make me feel better to stay here, Aunt Janie,” he answered. “I’ll go home when I get off duty and pack up a few things and be over. In the meantime, I want to dust for prints in the dining room… and,” he shook a finger at her, “don’t you dare let me catch you trying to lift any of those pieces down from there. I promise I will do all of that for you tonight.”
“Hmmmmm. You are certainly singing a different tune today, young man.”
“I’m sorry I doubted you, Aunt Janie,” Sam said contritely. He felt guilty as sin. “I’d never forgive myself if something happened to you because I didn’t listen to what you were saying. I won’t make that mistake again,” he promised.
“Your being here is already making a difference, Cara,” Janie smiled in delight as Sam took out his radio and wired for one of his officers to come and dust for prints. The doorbell rang, and Janie started to go and answer it, but both Cara and Sam reached out to stop her.
Sam said firmly, “You both stay right here and let me see who it is. I don’t want you answering doors right now, Aunt Janie.”
“That is just pure nonsense!” Janie whispered to Cara.
“No, Janie, I agree with Sam. You need to be careful right now.”
“Humph! Nothing is different from yesterday,” Janie snorted.
“It’s Wade Steller, Aunt Janie. He says he has an appointment…?”
“And I could have told you that if you’d bothered to ask, young man,” she tartly proclaimed. “You two get to know each other better while I go and look over some papers. I tried to get Wade to come earlier today, but he had court. I promise this won’t take long, Janie. Just visit a bit.” She hurried off, using her cane to keep herself steady.
“I could kick myself for not believing Aunt Janie,” Sam admitted self-consciously. “You must think we’re all a bunch of uncaring bastards to let someone terrorize our Aunt Janie, Mrs. Hollister?”
“My name is Cara, Sam. It’s going to get old real fast if we keep addressing each other formally.”
“Cara it is,” Sam acknowledged, and then turned all business as he asked, “What all has Aunt Janie told you that she kept from us?”
“I’m not sure,” Cara replied. “I do have a copy of all the emails she’s sent with the details in them. I brought them along so that I could try and find this sicko.”
“You’d best let me deal with this, Cara.”
“You’ve had the last couple of months to deal with it, Sam. Janie invited me here to help her, and that is what I am going to do.”
“You are going to keep your pretty little nose out of my way, little girl.”
“You have no right to tell me what I can or cannot do… just as long as I don’t break any laws, and since I’ve no intention of doing that, perhaps you should stay out of my way and let a real professional take over here.”
“Professional? Are you trying to tell me that you wear a badge?” Sam scoffed.
“I’m not trying to tell you anything. You wouldn’t listen anyway.”
“There you go with the sass again.”
“You just don’t like it because you know I’m right,” Cara taunted him.
“Did that husband of yours ever turn you over his knee?”
“That is none of your business, Sam!” Cara said angrily.
“Don’t push me while you’re here, Cara. I believe wholeheartedly in applying the palm of my hand where it will do some good.” The doorbell rang again, and Sam stomped off to answer the summons, and then took the officers into the dining room to get started looking for prints.
Cara decided to use the opportunity to bring in her bags and get settled in the bedroom that Janie showed her earlier. She didn’t bring a lot of clothing, figuring she could always go shopping if she needed something she didn’t pack. Cara quickly unpacked and stored the empty suitcases in the closet, all the while trying to calm her temper. She felt that Sam Weston was aggravating, and Cara decided the only reason she was going to tolerate his presence while she was visiting was for Janie’s sake. Cara wanted and needed to know that Janie would be safe when she went home.
Sam’s question about whether or not Jason spanked her left Cara feeling very unsettled. Yes, Jason did believe in spanking, and Cara knew that if he were still alive she would be wearing a sore backside for being so sassy toward Sam. In fact, the very first time Jason spanked her was because she wouldn’t stop giving him grief, even after he warned her he was getting fed up.
“I’m warning you, Miss Cara, that your sassy mouth is about to earn you an old-fashioned spanking!”
“Jason Hollister, don’t you dare threaten me! I am not your child, and I wouldn’t permit any man to spank me! That is simply ridiculous.”
“Cara, I’m an old-fashioned man, and I believe in taking a sassy woman over my knee and applying my hand to her fanny until she learns the error of her ways. If you continue to speak to me in that tone of voice, you are going to learn the hard way what a spanking feels like.”
“And I thought you loved me! If you are going to treat me so abominably, then perhaps we should call off our engagement!” Cara raised her voice.
“Cara!”
“I am not about to permit you to dictate to me, Jason. Your mother was being ridiculous, and I’ll speak to her any way I please and if you don’t like it, then that is just too damn bad. I am entitled to speak my mind! Especially when your mother is being a bitch!” Cara knew the last sentence out of her mouth was out of line, but before she could gather her wits and apologize, Jason took her by the arm and flipped her over his lap right there in her own living room, never mind that the drapes were open and anyone could walk by and see her in the humiliating position. “No, Jason! Please don’t! I’m sorry I said that.”
“Not as sorry as you will be in a few minutes, Cara. You are not free to call my mother a bitch. I will not tolerate that sort of behavior out of you. Do you understand?” he demanded.
“Yes, I do. I’m so sorry. Please let me up now!” Cara begged of him.
“Not until I give you the spanking you’ve been begging for all day, Cara. A woman doesn’t keep taunting after she’s been warned unless she wants to experience the spanking, and we might as well find out right here and now if there is a future for us after I turn your pretty bottom a nice shade of red. I believe in spanking, and I feel you are a woman who will need a spanking every so often to remind you to be respectful. If you can’t accept that I will spank, then we need to discover that right here and now.”
Cara was dismayed when Jason actually started spanking her! The swats made her bottom sting, even through her jeans! Jason didn’t stop after a few spanks, either. He kept right on spanking her and scolding her for her behavior for several long minutes, and Cara was in tears by the time he stopped spanking and asked if she could be a good girl now.
Cara was indignant at his words, and cursed at him, telling him they were through. Jason put her on her feet, then got up and picked up his coat and keys and left without another word. She expected him to call and apologize, but when a few days went by without a word, she knew that Jason was through with her. Cara realized that she loved the man, and she swallowed her pride and went to see him at his job. Jason was polite and heard her out, and then said, “I love you with all my heart, Cara, but I won’t permit you to speak to me as you did and not punish you for it. If we are going to get back together, then you will have to ask me for the spanking you deserve. You think about it and make sure you can accept your decision. If you are serious about wanting to make our relationship permanent, then you will come to me this evening and ask for your spanking. I won’t be gentle, Cara. And, you’ll know that this is how I will deal with sass and disrespect for as long as we are married.”
Cara walked around in a daze for the rest of the afternoon, but when Jason arrived home from work, she was there, waiting for him. She summoned all of her courage and asked Jason to give her the spanking she deserved. They were already lovers, and he had no qualms about telling her to push her jeans and panties down to her knees, and when that was done, he had Cara bend over the arm of the sofa.
Cara was a bit shocked when Jason pulled a small wooden paddle out of a desk drawer, and she immediately realized that Jason wasn’t kidding her about believing in spanking. “Where did that come from?” she pushed herself up from the sofa to question. “How many other women have you spanked?” she needed to know.
“Are you jealous, Cara?” Jason asked in disbelief.
“Yes!” She didn’t know why she was jealous, but there was no point in denying it. “I don’t like the idea of you keeping a paddle and using it on other women.”
“This paddle belonged to my Dad, honey, and he made it for my Mom. When he learned we were going to get married, he gave it to me and told me to use it with love to help keep our marriage strong. You are the only person I will ever use this paddle on, Cara. And only with love.”
Cara felt her eyes fill with tears, and she whispered, “I love you, Jason.”
“Let’s get this spanking over with, honey. We need to put this behind us and set a date for our wedding.”
Cara put herself over the arm of the sofa, and did her best to stay in position as Jason paddled her. It was one of the hardest spankings he ever gave her, but in many ways, it gave her to understand that a spanking could be given with love. Her sassy mouth earned her many spankings during their marriage…
The tap on her door brought Cara out of her reverie, and she used the backs of her hand to wipe away the tears on her cheeks. “Yes?” she answered as she opened the door. She expected to see Janie, but instead, Sam was standing there.
“I need your fingerprints, Cara, so I can exclude you.”
“I don’t think I touched anything in the dining room, Sam, but you’re welcome to my prints,” she answered, pulling up the sleeves on her sweater so she wouldn’t accidentally get the black stuff on her favorite sweater.
“I’m sorry I made that crack about your husband spanking you, Cara. I was out of line. I don’t normally treat guests so badly.”
“I didn’t need to be so sharp with you, either,” Cara answered. “The main thing is that we work together to protect Janie. I’m afraid that someone is going to hurt her if we don’t put a stop to all these pranks. Janie is a strong woman to put up with as much as she has, but eventually, the person doing this will take things too far. I’m frightened for her.”
“So am I,” Sam admitted. “I put in a call to my Dad and Mom, so don’t be too surprised if they come over. Dad is feeling guilty, too. And Mom is threatening us both with all sorts of dire consequences if we don’t get this sorted in short order.”
“I’m glad you all love Janie,” Cara said with a smile. “She really is special to me.”
“You are special to her, too. I’ve heard her talk about you before. She always says, ‘My sweet little friend, Cara…’” Sam mimicked his great-aunt. “While you’re here, Cara, I expect you to take precautions. Don’t let anyone in the house, and if you hear anything strange, I want to know about it right away. Don’t wait until I get here after work, or until morning. I can’t protect you or Aunt Janie if I’m not aware of what is happening.”
“You are awful bossy!” Cara commented.
“And you don’t like being told what to do?” he guessed.
“No, I don’t! I came here to investigate what is happening to Janie, and that is precisely what I am going to do, whether you like it or not!”
To be continued…
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