Lee’s Run

By Peggy J. Mosley

Lee is a regular runner at Oceanside Park, but on one particular morning she is running as fast as she can.

In fact, she is running for her life: There is something on the other side of the bushes that is gaining on her, so she is desperately trying to catch up with her friends – or anyone – to get help.

When she catches up with Mary and Roberta, whatever it is leaps out of the bushes and drags Roberta down the running path.

Roberta mercifully passes out and the women are able to get help, but when the police start asking questions, no one can say if the attacker was man or beast. The police are befuddled and call animal control.

Lee’s Run is about friends supporting each other, meeting new friends, romance, and trying to solve a mystery that seemingly has no answer.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Archway Publishing
• Release date: Dec 30, 2019
• ISBN: 9781480884250

Peggy J. Mosley

Retired, Christian mother and grandmother with family live in Indiana: married daughter, son-in-law, grandson and grand-daughter. I enjoy reading and writing, sports, long walks and cooking out. Summer is my favorite time of the year when color is all about and the sounds of happy children can be heard. UPDATE: 10.14.19 From MS: Peggy J. Mosley, enjoys writing, reading, and growing things. She is the seventh child in a family of many, she was born in Lubbock, Texas and she lived there until she joined the United States' Air Force. She now live in Indiana with her daughter and two grandchildren, she all loves the Summer and the beach.

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Copyright © 2019 Peggy J. Mosley.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

Archway Publishing

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

ISBN: 978-1-4808-8426-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4808-8424-3 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4808-8425-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2019918063

Archway Publishing rev. date: 12/11/2019

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Chapter 48

Chapter 49

Chapter 50

Chapter 51

Chapter 52

Chapter 53

Chapter 54

Chapter 55

Chapter 56

Chapter 57

References

About the Author

This novel is dedicated to my family, Tonya, Joshua, and Reyna,

they are support group and always in my corner, during all my thinking, complaining, and working – they saw me throught it all! Thanks family!

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Chapter 1

LEE WAS COMMITTED to running every morning on the running course in Oceanside Park for over four months. This morning Lee was running as fast as she could. It could be said she was running for her life. Whatever was on the other side of those bushes and trees was gaining on her. It was so close she could hear it breathing and the rustling of the dry leaves and debris each time its’ feet raked the ground on the wood side of the running course. Fear enter her heart and it was pounding in her chest so loud she could hear it. If she could make it to the end of the running course she could get some help. The path she ran on lead into another running path and usually some runners were there. She kept thinking, ‘no-one has ever been harmed here, no-one.’

Her thighs ached pain ran from her feet to her knees. Lee’s heels and toes were numb and still she tried for more speed. She could see the end of the running path and where it intersected another.

God give me strength to run just a few more feet, Lee prayed.

Lee fell on the running path in front of two women runners. The lead runner fell over Lee the other woman was able to jump over them. A few steps further she stumbled and fell against a boulder. The fallen runner was Roberta, Mary’s running companion and best friend since forever. Mary turned steadying herself against the boulder and she was ready to give the person who ran into their path a good piece of her mind.

Whats up with you? yelled Mary.

Lee yelled, hurry! Get up, run!

Her warning was too late. It came through the trees and sage bushes fast and it was on Roberta. Lee open her mouth to scream and nothing came out, her and mouth hung open. It was a wild animal or a homeless person with thick black hair or fur that covered its’ face and head. Lee could not tell what it was, she was devastated, she scooted back toward the larger boulder. The fallen woman gave the cry of a warrior and beat the thing with both of her fists. Mary seem to snap back and came to the aid of her friend. She remember she had mace in her pocket. she always carried it, she pull the can out and ran toward the thing. Mary sprayed its’ hairy face and head and she covered it in a cloud of mist. Lee coughed and tried to stand on her shaky legs. The person, the thing, what ever it was fell away from Roberta. Its’mouth drooled and its’ eyes were red and it was gone. Mary took Roberta’s arm to help her to her feet. Shaking Lee went to help Mary half carry half drag Roberta off the running path toward the park’s parking lot.

Help us, please help, yelled Mary, someone call the paramedic.

Roberta’s side, hip, and thigh was covered with blood, mercifully she had passed out. Mary and Lee could not believe what just happen before their eyes. Within minutes Roberta was taken from Mary and Lee’s arms she was on her way to the hospital. Flashing red and white lights with shrilling sirens seem to come from everywhere. On lookers pushed to get a closer look at the women as they crowded around the paramedics’ van and police cars.

Detectives Carl Smiths and Willie Crockett arrived and one of the policemen informed Detective Smithe that no-one in the park or on the camping-grounds saw anything. No-one saw the women being attacked on the running course, no-one saw anything. Detective Smithe told the policeman to continue searching the area and have men search the park and the woods and the camping -ground toward the ocean-side beach. He went to the car to talk with his friend and partner Detective Willie Crockett. Mary set in the backseat of the detectives’ car while Detective Crockett question her about the events that took place on the running course a short while earilier. He ask her if she got a good look at their attacker and was it someone they knew and had she seen their attacker in the park before .

Mary shook her head while crying, I don’t no what it was! I saw black hair, I saw red eyes, I saw it hurt my friend. Detective Crockett went over to Detective Smithe and tap his shoulder and motion for him to walk with him. They walked to the side of their car as they looked toward the woods and the camping-grounds.

Detective Smithe said, man, no-one knows if the women was attacked by man or beast. It could have been an animal but what would make an animal attack in broad day light? Lets’ call in animal control since no-one is dead it is out of our hands.

Its’ strange for sure, all these people heard the women screams yet they saw nothing,said Detective Crockett as he turned to look at people still milling around.

That’s always the way it is, Detective Smithe said, it has black hair and red eyes and it may have been a person. Maybe a homeless person or someone drugged up or it could have been an animal! No-one knows anything for sure!

A homeless person, Detective Crockett said as he turn to look at his friend. Why would a homeless person attack anyone? We have never had any problems with the homeless and most of the homeless in Daley City hang out here in the park and on the camping-ground.

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Chapter 2

LEE LAY ON a stretcher inside the paramedics bus she tried to sit-up but the medical technician pushed her back to a lying position as he open a cabinet behind her. He took out a metal pan and start placing items in it. He squat to pull a level that raise the stretcher Lee lay on, then he hit a level with his foot to lock it in place as he moved to the foot of the strether.

He ask, can you move your ankle? Try to move your foot.

Lee said, it hurts with each movement the pain flares upward into my ankle.

The tech said, I do not think it is broken there maybe some ligaments stretched. I will wrap it and give you some aspirins for the pain. We do not carry anything stronger for this type of injury. We will get you to the emergency room and into the care of a doctor.

The tech pulled Lee’s shoes off her feet and he cover her shoes with a white cloth and he place them under her foot. He continue talking as he handed Lee some aspirins and a cup of water. Which he poured from a large bottle and replaced the bottle in the bus’ builted-in cooler. The Tech said,the doctor will give you some stronger medication. You rest now I will check on the other woman then we are out of here.

Lee was thinking about the attack and she felted guilty as she wiped the tears from her cheeks. She should have been the one hurt and not Roberta. Lee vowed she would find a way to make this right for Roberta and Mary. Roberta was brave and so was Mary they saved her live.

She wished she had a rash-berry lemon aide daiquiri right about now. Lee did not really know what happen. Was their attacker a homeless man or a wild animal? She was not sure what it was it could have been a black bear but she was sure it growled and it attacked Roberta. It was an angry drooling thing with saliva flowing from the corners of its’ mouth. Saliva was flying around and it was getting all over the front of Roberta’s clothes and it flew on Mary as well as her. Mary sprayed the mace directly toward the thing’s head. Mary got mace in its’eyes she burn them bad enough to make it stop clawing at Roberta. The thing roared and when it turned to face Mary that gave her a chance to pull Roberta out of the its’ reach.

She helped Roberta to her feet as Mary continue to spray the thing with mace a cloud of mist surrounding its head, it roared and clawed the air wildly striking out at anything in its reach. Findly it moved back and lumbered off between the boulders and trees back to the woods under cover of great old Oak, Red Wood, and Pine trees. No-one saw the thing attack them on-one came to their aid.

Ocean-side Beach, Park and Camping-ground was full with the noises of people living. The people living on the camping-ground came to see what was going on when they heard the police’s car siren and saw the para-medics getting out of their van. Women carrying noise babies holding the hands of small children came rushing to the camping-ground entery across the street from the church. Men and women working in the church’s office and kitchen across the street from the enterance to the park on the camping-ground stopped working and came running. Cooks waving white aprons and kitchen towels about their heads while wiping their faces and hands came running, too. The early morning heat was a promise to another hot muggy Saturday.

Some older men were taking care of the parks’ utilities in the wash-rooms they stepped outside to see what was happening. Two men walked over to the curve to hear what was being said over the policemen car’s radio. The men question anyone who would respond to their queries. The men gather enough information to know that one or more persons had been hurt in some kind of animal attack near the running course on the woods side of the park.

Daley City Hospital para-medic’s van was only in the park a few minutes before the driver speed off down the street with the siren blaring putting the ocean-side park miles behinde him. After the detectives in the park talked to several people who was standing along side the path of the running course. They walked into the woods behind the large boulders off to the side of the running course and they discovered the place where the attack had taken place and they closed off the area with long ribbons of yellow and black tape. Discussing their finding with some of the men standing around the detectives posted men living on the camping-ground as lookouts on the woods side of the park and camping-ground.

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Chapter 3

MARY SIT IN the back seat of the polices’ car with her eyes closed the radio came on and it was an answer to the detectives request for someone from the Daley City’s Animal Control Department to come out to the running course to check the area at the Oceanside Park and near by woods for wild animals. Mary wanted to be on the way to the hospital to be with Roberta when the paramedic tech handed her a cup of water. He continue to check Mary for cuts when he was satisfied that all the blood on her was Roberta’s he left her alone. Detective Crockett closed the door for Mary then he got into the car as the tech headed to his van. The on-lookers parted they gave way to the police’s car as it followed the paramedic’s bus to the hospital.

Lying on the back seat of the detectives’ car Mary heard the detectives talking and they sound like they believed it was a wild animal attack on them. Mary wipe away tears as they ran down her cheeks thoughts of the morning events went around and around in her head ‘was that beast a man or wild animal? Why would it or any one want to attack them? What kind of animal come out in the daylight to attack?’

She had to get to the hospital to see about Roberta. Roberta was her best friend and they were as close as any sisters could have been. They were the closest thing to family either one of them had. Mary thought about all the times she and Roberta got into a jam and she smiled. Mary had always found away to get them out of it but today Roberta had been the brave one.

Roberta had lost both her parents before she met Mary on their first day of grade school. Roberta was a bold little thing in mixed-matched socks with a wide smile and large gray-black eyes. Mary remembrance of their youthfulness brought joy to her heart she wiped away tears and she smiled. They had been friends since forever Roberta would be ok she had to be. Mary said a pray for her friend as her eyes filled again. Detective Willie Crockett looked over the seat. Mary seemed to be sleeping he thought he heard her praying.

Man that other one is a spit-fire she fought with it, animal or man, said Detective Crockett.

Will there has never been a wild animal come into the park from those woods. There has never been a report of any missing or homeless person living in those woods, said Detective Smith.

Like most of the boys in their early teens the detectives had venture into the woods often in the area around the park and less used camping-ground back then. Black bears were known to range in the woods close to the mountains and near the waters of the lake. Water ran deeper into the thicker growth and foliage around the foot-hills. There was a stream with fresh drinking water and wild animals like black bears fish for salmon.

Detective Crockett said, there have to be something going on in the woods to cause a black bear to wonder so near people. A hungry young cub on its’ own might venture out during the quite of dawn following the smells of breakfast cooking but I think the barking dogs would keep a black bear cub away.

Detective Smithe went on to say, There have been fishermen and hunters that stayed week-ends in the woods and never came across any thing wilder than a buck deer, fox, or raccoon who mostly stay inland where there is a lot of vegetation around the flat lands of the mountains areas.

A great