A Darker Shade of Grey

By S E Holmes

After three trying months, Jace must get through one last week of work with elder twin brothers, both on parole for burglary, both total jerks. And then he's free of the family who've held him down for seventeen years. On arrival at the eerie locale of their final contract, a young girl with a crippled body warns him off Grey Manor, insisting no-one enter the abandoned mansion. But a lost cameo worth two million dollars is hidden inside and Jace faces the impossible task of keeping his greedy brothers out. When he witnesses a grisly death at the hands of the supposedly missing Lady Grey, Jace learns the girl's words are not easily dismissed, forced to unravel the mystery before it unravels him. Leaving has never been harder and the only one with answers is a comatose girl trapped by an entity whose vengeance knows no bounds. (Short Story)

• Language: English
• Publisher: S E Holmes
• Release date: Dec 15, 2011
• ISBN: 9781465919588

S E Holmes

The fact the real world is not as appealing as the ones I create was obvious in kindergarten when I ran away from school to have a chat with Santa, triggering a police search. My imaginary friend, Wendy, who often came in handy to eat my peas, generously took the blame.

Book preview

A Darker Shade of Grey

SueEllen Holmes

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2011

Smashword Edition, License Notes

This ebook is supplied free of charge and may not be re-sold to other people. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Thank you for downloading this eBook. If you enjoyed the writing please return to Smashwords.com to discover more works by this author. Alternatively, other books written by SueEllen Holmes can be obtained either through the author's official website:

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Urban Fantasy and Sci-Fi titles available so far:

The Crone's Stone

Dominion

Brink

Trouble with Angels

Kaleidoscopic

Sleek Comes the Night

My commitment to teen fiction is made possible by my enduringly supportive husband, skilled co-editor daughters and son's brave honesty. For once, words cannot express my love and gratitude.

Chapter One

The whole place was gothic. It might have been pretty, the sort of journey city Sunday-trippers made wishing for a tree-change, an avenue of firs and rolling greenery, cute little cottages dotting water-colour meadows -- except for the relic feel of it. The few farmers in their fields leaned on pitch-forks to stare when they drove passed, as if the combustion engine was a recent development.

They’re probably cannibals, Jace’s brother, Reagan, declared. Or zombies.

Reagan slowed the truck to a crawl and waved snidely. At twenty, he was two-and-a-half years older, but that didn’t translate to more mature. They parked in front of ‘Elwood’s Corner Store and Fishing Supply’, the primary wood-slat structure announcing main street. It was also the Post Office. Jace couldn’t believe it when an actual bell rang on crossing the threshold. He looked up, tracing string to the source of the tinkling cascade.

Christ! Have these people got a nineteenth century fetish or what? Reagan said, a little too loud. He was always the wrong side of loud.

Any chance we can make it out of here minus the social embarrassment?

Meh, meh, meh... Your mouth moves, but are you saying anything? Reagan barged him.

Jace almost toppled a pyramid of washing powder, wondering if the muscle-bound tosser dabbled in steroids. He righted himself and gnashed his teeth. A couple of his mates actually professed to like their brothers, but Jace found the claim suspect. Of course, most other people didn’t have crims for family, only recently released from the bar-and-cuff hospitality of the authorities. Just one week, one more lousy week! He’d counted down the days for over three of the longest months of his life. But he needed the money or he’d never afford to live on campus. At a far distant uni, he’d finally be liberated from the dregs of his family.

I’ll get directions from the old boy guarding the register. You’d think he was nervous we’re thieves or something. Reagan grinned and winked suggestively, Jace’s belly contracting.

Don’t forget you’re on parole.

I don’t need the reminder, his stony expression warned. Check if there’s anything worth purchasing in the way of supplies. I told Reece to shop before we came out here. But nooo. The dickhead! Lucky I brought beer to this anus-end of the world.

Lucky, Jace muttered. One. More. Week. I’m asking nicely. Please don’t screw with him.

Aww, Jace. Whatever do you mean? Such consideration for a stranger. I may shed a tear.

Reagan roughly scrubbed his head, before loping off to harass the unsuspecting elderly gent propped behind the glass counter. Jace was certain if the psycho-duo weren’t movie-star handsome, pouring on the charm at will to weasel coin from even the cheapest tight-arse, someone would have murdered them by now. He couldn’t help imagining the peace, before pushing such uncharitable thoughts deep where they belonged. In need of distraction, he collected a wire-basket and wandered aisles, shoving in articles without paying much attention. At the furthest reaches of the store, rifling refrigerated goods, the grocer’s voice pierced his abstraction.

Been locked-up tight since its owner went missing. Relatives fighting over the spoils in court, as it were. Want presumption of death declared.

That’s interesting. I’m a History major, cataloguing the great stories you hear in lovely villages like this. I’m thinking of writing a book. So, big estate is it...?

Jace vehemently wished the old guy would shut his trap. Reagan hadn’t thumbed pages other than ‘Alice’s Adventures in Whoreland’ for an extended period. And the notion he’d ever find his way to an institute of higher learning was laughable. In fact, Jace gagged on the hysteria.

He placed the basket on gleaming checkerboard linoleum to massage the back of his neck, an urgent tingle announcing the start of yet another migraine. He’d never had so