“What type of room would you like, and what dates did you have in mind?”
The man rattled off a few requirements, the oddest being that he wanted to book his stay open-ended. Katie stretched the phone cord, moving behind the counter to grab the registration book. Rates were reasonable, in line with the accommodations they offered, but most guests couldn’t afford an open-end reservation. After looking over availability, she suggested a second floor suite. “Given you don’t know how long you’ll be staying, you might want the extra living space.”
“That’s fine.” No hesitation.
Katie’s comment had caught Eve’s attention. Her friend stood, raising her eyebrows. The hotel only had three suites, the others all double or queen rooms with baths.
“I’ll need a credit card to hold your reservation.” Katie relayed the nightly rate, pen poised to jot down the information. The caller supplied a MasterCard number and expiration date.
“And the name on the card?
Katie nearly dropped the phone when the man answered. “Thank you.” She recovered quickly. “I believe I have everything I need. We’ll see you on Friday the twenty-third for checkin.”
“What was that about?” Eve asked after she’d hung up.
“A suite reservation for someone who booked an open-end stay.”
“I figured that much. Unusual, but not completely unheard of.” Eve stepped closer to the counter. “I was talking about your not-so-subtle look of shock when you asked for a name.”
Katie bit her lip. “I know who Q.M. is.”
“Q.M.?”
“From the Ouija board. Remember?”
“Oh. I’d forgotten.” Eve plainly conjured the memory from last autumn. “What does that have to do with the reservation?”
“Because the man who booked it is named Quentin Marsh.” Her gaze dropped to the entry she’d penned in the reservation book, her handwriting noticeably wobbly. Not surprising, given she had an inexplicable feeling something disastrous waited in the wings.
Biting her lip, she slammed the book shut.
Without a doubt, the Mothman would be at the heart of that unknown tragedy.
In case you missed it, keep reading for an excerpt from the first book in the Point Pleasant series,
A THOUSAND YESTERYEARS
Behind a legend lies the truth…
As a child, Eve Parrish lost her father and her best friend, Maggie Flynn, in a tragic bridge collapse. Fifteen years later, she returns to Point Pleasant to settle her deceased aunt’s estate. Though much has changed about the once thriving river community, the ghost of tragedy still weighs heavily on the town, as do rumors and sightings of the Mothman, a local legend. When Eve uncovers startling information about her aunt’s death, that legend is in danger of becoming all too real . . .
Caden Flynn is one of the few lucky survivors of the bridge collapse but blames himself for coercing his younger sister out that night. He’s carried that guilt for fifteen years, unaware of darker currents haunting the town. It isn’t long before Eve’s arrival unravels an old secret—one that places her and Caden in the crosshairs of a deadly killer . . .
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Prologue
December 15, 1967
Point Pleasant, West Virginia
“Do you think Caden Flynn will go?” Eve Parrish kept pace with her friend, Sarah, as a brisk December wind pushed them down Main Street toward the Crowne Theatre. Eager for a glimpse of the movie poster that had everyone in the tiny river town of Point Pleasant, West Virginia talking, she barely felt the sting on her cheeks. Her mother would box her ears if she knew what Eve was up to, but all the boys at school said the poster hung in the window, plain as day for anyone to see. That had to mean she could sneak a peek. She was twelve now, practically a teenager.
Her parents had called The Graduate racy, and Mrs. Quiggly, who sold brown eggs and fresh milk from her farm outside town, said the poster was shameless. She wanted to bring a petition against the theater and make them take the “vile thing” down.
“Silly, busybody,” Aunt Rosie had chided behind her back. Never one to get hung up on proper behavior, Aunt Rosie did artsy things like taking photographs and hosting moonlight picnics for friends. She even had a darkroom in her home and occasionally sold shots to the local paper who proudly displayed them with the byline Photo courtesy of Rosalind Parrish.
“I heard Caden tell Wyatt Fisher they should take their girlfriends to see it,” Sarah said, interrupting her thoughts.
Eve gasped. It was bad enough the boys might see a movie as shocking as The Graduate, but more appalling that girls would go, too.
“Maybe they’ll chicken out.” She had a hopeless crush on Caden, an awkward situation given he was eighteen and the brother of her friend, Maggie. Although careful not to make a fool of herself whenever Caden was around, she usually ended up tongue-tied.
Sarah shrugged and tugged the collar of her coat higher against the wind. Several cars drove by in the pre-holiday rush, the glow of headlights holding the night at bay. Sunset was still a half hour away, plenty of time for Eve and Sarah to reach the theater and ogle the poster. The movie didn’t open until next week, but the buzz it generated had already swept through their school.
“I wish Maggie was with us,” Eve said with a touch of melancholy.
Sarah rubbed her reddening nose. “Me, too.”
The walk to the Crowne was only a few blocks from the Parrish Hotel, owned by Eve’s parents and Aunt Rosie. Despite the short distance, it was cold enough to make her wish she’d brought a scarf. At least she’d have something titillating to share with Maggie once she saw the poster. Maybe her gushing about how improper the advertisement looked would make her friend smile.
“Do you think she really saw the Mothman?” Sarah’s voice was barely audible. Nervously, she glanced over her shoulder as if fearing the giant birdlike humanoid would sweep from the sky. “Was she near the TNT?”