Alabama Blues

By Margaret Sisu

Ginny Webster is a big city girl who doesn’t want to be recuperating in a sleepy little Alabama town, especially when her days and nights are repeatedly disturbed by strange dreams and events. Then there’re the woods out back that seem to call to her and the inexplicably dry patch of earth out under the old cypress tree. Pretty soon Ginny is immersed in a tragedy that has hung over the town of Homestead for forty years, but the story of where the pastor’s daughter was buried isn’t what anyone expects.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Margaret Sisu
• Release date: Jul 25, 2012
• ISBN: 9781476254876

Margaret Sisu

Experiencing the world widens your outlook and deepens your perspective. A Barbadian native, I lived in eight countries on both sides of the Atlantic before finally landing in Europe. I’ve had a lifelong passion for reading that encompassed many genres and authors - Toni Morrison, John Irving, Stephen King, Agatha Christie, Carl Hiaasen, Erick Jerome Dickey, historical romances, poetry, and much more. Now I write dramatic stories set against real life backdrops and have a particular love of deceptive riddles in high stake situations. My characters are usually just a little bad or mixed up, and my story settings are ones I’ve experienced firsthand—more than a few. My first novel, The Nude, was listed among Kirkus’s Best of 2012 and featured on USA Today.com. I welcome feedback because I want to bring my best to readers so they always look forward to my next book. We can connect on www.margaretsisu.com.

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Alabama Blues

By Margaret Sisu

Smashwords Edition

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Copyright 2011 Margaret Sisu

All rights reserved. No part of this story or cover image may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Alabama Blues cover design by Gennia Holder

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Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

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Also by Margaret Sisu:

Short Stories

Rolanda

Books

The Nude

This ebook contains an excerpt from The Nude.

Available at:

www.margaretsisu.com

Table of Contents

Title

Alabama Blues

Chapter 6 from The Nude

About The Author

ALABAMA BLUES

By Margaret Sisu

1999…

Yeoww! What the…?

Ripped from her daze by the searing pain in her arm, Ginny jerked out of what felt like a dream. She shook her head clear then shoved up the sleeve of her red silk blouse, twisting her arm for a look. An angry scratch was etched above her elbow, just starting to bleed, but did something that small really have to hurt so much?

She dabbed it with her fingertips and noticed that—she didn’t even know how—she’d also ruined two nails.

Just great. This was getting ridiculous.

She dropped her arm and looked around, eyes widening when she saw that she was now deep in the woods. The woods! Pines, oaks, and birches knitted canopies over her head, all but blocking out the noon sun. The smell of sodden moss and decomposing vegetation soaked the air. And clover and thick tufts of grass tangled her feet, reminding her that she wore sandals—with three inch heels, for heaven’s sake!

She turned to get her bearings and for a moment panicked. Then she caught a glimpse of the old house peek-a-booing through the trees in the much-too-far distance. She felt at once relieved and more disorientated than ever.

What in holy hell made me come this far?

First she was bullied into this countrified getaway when she preferred her condo in Birmingham, and her research lab, always with modern Alabama city amenities at hand. Then, in the days since she’d been in the plain, little Homestead house, incredibly named Paradise, she found herself repeatedly staring out back at the woods, as if something there called to her. A soil scientist she might be, but she was no naturist. She had no urge to explore the forest on her own. She’d just been taken with the unaccustomed view, she’d told herself. Yet here she was after—she glanced at her watch—more than half an hour of knowing that she wandering off, yet being unable to stop herself.

This is definitely getting ridiculous.

She brushed a twig from her natural, close-cropped hair and checked her shirt and slacks for damage. They looked okay and to keep them that way she was heading back to the house.

No, don’t turn back. Walk on some more.

Ginny stopped cold—literally. A chill ran through her.

Where on earth had that idea come from? –an urging so strong it almost was like a voice.

She shook her head and chided herself. That’s what catatonic little towns do to normal folk. Messes with their heads. Her words seemed to play through the lonely woods and bounce back to her.

Still, and not knowing why, she turned around once more and continued even deeper