The Rusty Cabin: FBI agent Jake Bellini series, #1

By Tony R Morrow

This 341-page thriller keeps you on your seat as you follow him through several of his cases starting with a new love, a new roommate, and a new partner. FBI agent Jake Bellini with his whits and courage while hunting down a serial killer avoids being killed more than once, but can't keep all of his friends and family safe. Shocking turns of events will leave you feeling Jake's loss and his love throughout the entire book. You'll be rooting for the good guys to win. Jake will fall in love twice while defying death three times.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tony R Morrow
• Release date: Jun 3, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201292560

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

You did say the Rustic Cabin is In the Blue Ridge Mountains, is that right?" Linda asked to reaffirm what she had read on the Airbnb site as she wrote all the information down while Betty explained.

Yes, we’re kinda out in the sticks as we say down here in North Carolina and it’s the Rusty Cabin but it is real rustic too, you’ll see when ya get here.

Betty spoke sluggishly and with a deep southern drawl. "We have a lot of writers just like yawl who come and stay with us here on the ridge. They say the place was just what they needed, quiet and all peaceful like.

Earl, that’s my better half, he takes care of the place mostly. He’ll come check on ya to make sure everything’s working out for ya." Betty sounded more like a favorite aunt than a businesswoman.

I guess I’ll send my deposit down by mail since you don’t take credit cards. Is that ok? Then quickly remembered another question.

Oh, I may need a little more information on how the place operates, it sounded kind of complicated on how the water and the electrical system worked.

Trying to be polite and not insult Betty by asking about the bathroom.

You did say it had an inside bathroom, didn’t you?

Make sure of this seemingly small detail, not wanting to be stuck using a creepy spider-infested outhouse in the middle of the night, not to mention all the wild animals roaming the area.

Betty then explained a little about the cabin’s water and electrical system but thought it might be best to let Earl explain it when she arrived next week, besides she didn’t want to scare her off with all the inconveniences the place had. She’d soon find out for herself once she got there.

The Rusty Cabin got its name from a simple mistake made by Earl. Niece Debbie had suggested listing the cabin on the Airbnb site so it could be rented more often. Before that, they had always advertised it in the local newspaper and by word of mouth, so the place wasn’t being rented as often as they would have liked.

But there was one small problem with the listing. The Rustic Cabin was uploaded as The Rusty Cabin and to change the slight misspelling would entail a lot of complicated changes to the website along with a hefty fee for the correction.

This is when Earl made an executive decision to just live with the name The Rusty Cabin. After all, it did have quite a bit of rust on the cabin’s metal roof.

After hanging up Linda was on the phone with her sister Patty telling her all about her upcoming three-month retreat to the Blue Ridge Mountains.

This was where she had planned on writing the entire novel. The same novel that had to finish before the end of the year. She had already promised her publisher she would have it done by then.

I’m going down next week and I wanted to tell you where I was going. Maybe you could think about dropping in for a visit. I think it would be a great little vacation for you.

Trying to convince Patty to come down, even if it was for a short time. Knowing she’d get bored being all alone in the wilderness and the stillness was sure to drive Linda crazy after living with the day-to-day noises of her downtown New York City apartment.

Patty wasn’t one to take off and go too far from home, she never felt comfortable leaving New York City and at this time of year was particularly hard, it being the anniversary of the accident coming up in November.

Well, I’m not going to make any promises to you, but it does sound great. I can just imagine us hiking in the woods and all the fall colors that time of the year. You did say you’d be there from September through to November, is that right?

Patty was Letting herself dream about the trip before she made any commitments. She would have to prepare herself mentally to leave New York, even for a week or two.

Wanted to assure Patty but not lie to her either.

I’ll let you know all about the cabin when I get down there, I’ll give you a call then and send some pictures.

She had given Patty this information not knowing there was no Wi-Fi or cell service at the cabin. Hell, there was barely running water and electricity, but Linda didn’t know that either.

Once she finished their call Linda looked it up on Google maps and was surprised to find the address along with a few pictures of the cabin renters had posted on a link to Airbnb.

Each posting had very little to say about the cabin itself and what few photos of the cabin were posted were mostly obscured by the thick forest of trees, but the pictures of the surrounding lake were beautiful. This was enough to put Linda at ease and proceed with her planned trip.

It was time to start making travel arrangements from New York City to a small place in North Carolina. Most anyone would think in this day and age it wouldn’t be that difficult, but they would be sorely mistaken.

Linda had planned to take a small charter plane down to a nearby city and then catch an uber over to the cabin, right? She soon found out no airport, no plane, no uber. Now what!

Searching around on different websites until she finally gave up coming to the conclusion the only way there was by car or a bus, and the bus would only get her to a small town about 25 miles from the cabin.

There were no Ubers, no cabs, or Lyfts, nada, nothing. No way as far as she could tell to get her to the Rusty Cabin’s front door.

After several hours of searching, Linda gave up and called Betty back to see if she had any suggestions on transportation.

Well, if ya come by bus and get off there in Lottie, pausing for a moment as she drew out every southern syllable, "it’s a little town about 25 miles from here

Earl, that’s my husband, he’ll come get ya. By the way, ya don’t need no transportation when you get here, we let ya use the old Jeep while youra stayin with us. It doesn’t look real good, and it has a few quirks, but it runs good. It’ll get ya back and forth to town all right just fine."

Bringing Linda in full circle back to regretting her decision to rent the cabin.

Then should I call you when I get into town?

Well, you might just want to tell me what bus youra taken, cause we don’t have much cell service up here in the mountains, unless ya call on the regular type phone, ya know a landline. We have one of those, as a matter of fact were talken on it right now.

Betty was being a little sly by only now mentioning the fact of not having WIFI or cell service at the cabin.

Linda was stumped, maybe she’d made a mistake by renting the place for the full three months.

While looking at the bus schedule she gave Betty the bus number, the only bus that ran through the little town of Lottie. Betty knew what bus it was and knew the driver by name.

That’s Bubba’s bus you’ll be coming on. Announced as if everyone knew who Bubba the bus driver was.

He’ll get ya here just fine and he’s on time most days unless he has to stop by the Miller’s farm and feed the livestock when they go out of town, but it don’t take him long, just a few minutes or so.

Oh great, Linda thought to herself after Betty finished with Bubba’s life history and a little about the Miller family and their sick in-laws down in Florida. Linda was doubting her choice after she ended the call.

Linda would pack two suitcases along with a large cotton shoulder bag filled with personal items and some snacks she might need while traveling on the bus; after all her calculations she estimated it was going to be a sixteen-hour bus trip from New York City to Lottie North Carolina and she wasn’t looking forward to the long ride.

The deeper she got into the logistics of the trip the more she felt she may have made a mistake, but It’s too late now she told herself. She had to finish the book by January 1.

Her publisher had already threatened to shoot her if she didn’t get it done by then. She’d already postponed the release date once. No more delays, period! the publisher insisted the last time they spoke on the phone.

Linda caught a cab down to the bus station in Manhattan. Once inside, she dialed 54 on the first phone she came to for the Red Cap service and tipped the gentleman generously after he loaded her luggage and kindly helped her up onto the bus. She then settled in for the long, long ride to Lottie North Carolina.

The ten-hour ride on the stinky bus so far had pushed her beyond her limits. Figuring just off the top of her head the bus had made a stop about every ten or fifteen miles, leading her to assume it could take a few days before she got there.

When on another annoying stop, it made her think about getting off and calling a cab even if it cost her 500 dollars to get there. So frustrated, she let off steam by whispering profanities to herself while punching her canvas bag.

Then coming to her senses and acknowledging there were no cabs between there and North Carolina. She was so over this little three-month getaway and it hadn’t even started.

The bus was on one of its many stops at a small gas station in Podunk town when a group of scary men came aboard.

You know types, the ones you wouldn’t bring home to mom or meet in a dark alley. The type with the skulls and crossbones tattoos on their forearms.

All but one, he was following close behind the other three. A tall stranger with a black cowboy hat on. Hmm, hmm, she thought to herself, giving him the once over, then a second closer look.

Waiting until the white supremacy men passed her by, she inconspicuously slid her bag off the empty seat and onto the floor so as not to make it obvious she’d made room for him next to her. To her surprise, he passed by the empty seat and kept walking.

The once flirty grin on her face was quickly replaced with a frown. Maybe he needed an extra seat for the big duffel bag he had slung over his shoulder. Coming up with excuses giving her self-pride a sympathetic pat on the back.

She would keep a close eye on him just in case another opportunity lent itself to speak to him.

Leaning over onto the empty seat and with her elbows firmly planted on the empty seat and cradling her chin in her clasped hands.

She slowly peeked around the back of the seat to see where the stranger was now seated, but when looking back, something was blocking her view. Craning her neck trying to look past the annoying obstacle blocking her site. When looking up, she found herself eye to eye with the tall strange man’s crotch and it was now two inches from her nose.

Is this seat taken? he politely asked while taking note of her somewhat awkward position leaning over on the unoccupied seat.

Now she was totally embarrassed as she rose up and made a Vana White hand jester offering him the seat.

Hi, my name’s Jake, I’m on my way to see my mom, she’s sick, so I need to get there real fast to take care of her.

Jake couldn’t believe what he just said. What’s wrong with me? I sounded like some teenager talking to a high school cheerleader. Scolding himself for being so clumsy with his introduction and then the unnecessary lying to boot.

Linda let his last statement settle for a second. Then thought, why would you take this mode of transportation if you were in a big hurry? It’s like being on a slow boat to China. This certainly wouldn’t be my first choice of transportation. Quickly letting her last thoughts get swept out of her head.

Hello, I’m Linda and I’m headed for a retreat in North Carolina.

Still smiling from their first exchange he informed her of the county where his mother lived and how he would be getting off the bus in the small town of Lottie.

Just then a light bulb went off in her head, knowing it was the same stop as hers. Then thinking maybe, just maybe, he too was getting a ride with Earl. Not putting anything past this little town after all she had heard from Betty.

For right now all she wanted was some good conversation to ease the pain of the long, long bus ride she’d endured up until now.

They talked for hours before coming to their final stop in Lottie, North Carolina. She didn’t want it to end, knowing they had something special between them. She’d never felt this strong of an attraction towards a man before.

Hoping to make some kind of arrangements to meet up with Jake while on her retreat. He could be the real jewel of this trip and not the novel.

As she let her imagination go wild for a moment, thinking he may even want to see her again, he certainly seemed interested in her while on the bus.

Prodding herself she had to say something before they left the bus stop and went their separate ways. This could be her one and only chance if she wanted to see him again.

The bus driver Bubba, helped each of the riders get their luggage out from under the bus’s storage bins; while they stood in line waiting for their turn to retrieve their luggage.

Jake asked if she would like to get some coffee before they parted ways.

Well, I have a ride coming soon. A ride out to the cabin where I’ll be staying. The owner of the place is coming to pick me up, but maybe we could meet back here some other time, after all, I’m going to be here for three months.

It was now Jake’s turn in line to gather his luggage but he had none, other than the big military duffel bag he carried onto the bus and had stowed it in the upper bin.

He’d been waiting in line the whole time just so he could talk with her. This was a good sign Linda thought.

I guess that will work, but up here in the mountains we don’t get cell signal, so we might want to make those plans right now before we leave Lottie tonight.

Sure, so let me see now, this is Wednesday. Looking over and noticing the diner across the street she said, So how about Friday night around 7 pm there at Paul’s Diner across the street, will that work for you?

Jake looked over at the diner then said, We can start over there for dinner and maybe later we could head down to one of the local joints where we could get a drink and dance a little, How’s that sound? You do dance don’t you?

With his hand lying flat on his stomach as he held out his right arm and swayed his hips back and forth as if he already had her in his arms and pretending to dance. He even finished his little performance with a silly 360-degree twirl and ended with a dramatic dip of his invisible partner.

Bent over in laughter and covering her mouth to hide her childish giggling. As a matter of fact I do dance and I think it sounds like a wonderful evening.

I’m looking forward to it. So, I guess I’ll see you then. Jake said while grinning from ear to ear.

No matter what happened the rest of the week, she was going to make it back to Lottie that Friday night, even if she had to hitchhike.

They exchanged phone numbers just in case there was a landline phone nearby then he gave her a quick little peck of a kiss on her forehead before leaving the bus stop.

Her heart longed for him already as she watched him jog across the street and disappeared into the ridge’s evening fog.

Giddy with puppy love, she was already thinking about what to wear on her first date Friday night, as she twirled around on the empty sidewalk.

All the other passengers were long gone, leaving Linda standing alone on the quiet and abandoned corner waiting for Earl’s big red truck to come retrieve her.

Betty did say Earl may be a little late due to the rough roads. It would be up to the weather. Remembering their conversation before leaving New York. If it rains sometimes it washes out the roads, were her last words or something to that effect, whatever it was it didn’t sound good.

Standing under one of the only four street lights there in downtown Lottie, maybe there were more, but from where she stood that’s all she counted. Not even a flashing stoplight in the center of this small town.

It was getting chilly as a cool September breeze swept through the top of the mountain ridge. The only noise was that of a paper cup tumbling and rolling down the ditch where she stood.

She began to let her crime writer’s imagination loose and wondered what would happen if Earl didn’t show up.

What would I do-o-o, what would I do-o-o-o? humming the words to her made-up song just in case someone was nearby.

There didn’t seem to be any lights on at any of the businesses on the main street. Looking for any signs of life in the nearby buildings.

Where could I go-o-o-o, to get out of the weather-er-er-er if it starts to storm-m-m-m? She hummed while the gray clouds only added to the spooky night as they raced by overhead.

About the time she was getting scared enough to run and hide, a set of headlights came rolling out of the mountain's evening fog just in time to save her, not really, but it was a relief to see it was Earl in his big red truck.

CHAPTER 2

Earl was a tall lanky guy and not really that old either, or not as old as Betty made him out to be. Thinking that he and Betty may be in their 70s or even their 80s by the way she talked of them not knowing about modern technology.

She said they had a niece who would take care of that kind of technical stuff for them. Then explained that the niece lived in the big city of Asheville, North Carolina where she had all the modern amenities like cable tv and the internet.

When Betty was telling Linda about all her niece's amenities. Linda wanted to blurt out water, electricity, and cell service to the list but refrained from sounding like the smart-ass New Yorker that she was.

Earl pulled up to the curb, got out, and began to explain to her with his long southern draw why it had taken him so long.

It seemed as if she had landed in some foreign country and he was speaking in some strange language while loading her luggage into the bed of the truck. She could barely understand him, but if she listened closely, she could make out every third word or so and would only be guessing he was speaking English.

I’m sorry I’m late, but the roads being so rough and all, I took my time so I didn’t beat up Old Red here.

You could tell he loved his old truck by the way he patted it and then ran his hand down the side of the truck while admiring it. Old Red still had a shine on the paint, what little there was of it, but he kept those few spots of red paint polished.

That’s fine, Betty said you might be a little late and for me to wait here for you.

Well, get in while I throw the rest of yur stuff in the back and we’ll head on up to the cabin. I did get Old Red warmed up for ya. She sometimes takes her own sweet time about get-n there, but she’s real nice and toasty now.

Along the way Linda found that Earl was a pleasant man, even though she couldn’t understand much of what he said, but later on in the conversation, she figured out he was giving her directions back to town from the cabin and then something about the cabin's inner workings.

He was taking her through the process of how the cabin’s shower worked and It went a little like this.

Well, first ya gotta take the big gray coffee pot down from the shelf, it should be on the shelf over top the cookstove. Fill it with some water there at the sink, ya have to use the hand pump to do that. Ya do know how a hand pump works, I’m sure. Pausing for a moment then remembered she was a city girl.

Ya know, ya just have to pump it up and down with the handle. It takes a few pumps before the water gets there, but just keep pumping till it does. If she won’t give ya any water, ya can pour a little cup of water down the top of the pump to prime it and she’ll work for sure after that.

Thinking he should explain more about how the handpump worked. After all, she wasn’t so knowledgeable about the simple things in life that they were a custom to up on the ridge.

Sometimes when the pump sits for a while and nobody’s used it. It just needs a little priming to start her up.

Right from the start his complicated instructions mixed in with his southern drawl, she just knew it was going to be fun staying there for three months, right?

"Then ya put a couple of biggest pieces of wood in the cookstove to