The Figure

By Tammy L McNatt-Cotton

What she thought was going to be a normal vacation ends up living in a town where chaos is everywhere. Bodies are falling everywhere but the murderers are still on the loose. Will Chief James ever find the killers and put them behind bars? Love is circling the doctor's office and knowing that Aiden will b

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mystery
• Release date: Aug 13, 2023
• ISBN: 9781088239827

Book preview

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TAMMY MCNATT COTTON

The Figure

Copyright © 2020 by Tammy McNatt Cotton

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

First edition

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Never give up on your dreams because you have a whole team cheering you on when you least expect it.

Tammy McNatt Cotton

Contents

Prefaceiii

Acknowledgementv

Preface

Ever since I can remember I loved writing either poems or short stories but never thought I would be able to write a whole book. I enjoy reading in school but my English teacher in the 12th grade inspired me to start reading again when we read The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. I knew at that point that I wanted to be a writer no matter what it took. The inspiration she gave me carried me past High School knowing I could do anything if I put my mind to it. I was told that I could never make as a writer and I shouldn’t even try. But I kept pushing through all the negativity to achieve my first book. Watching many episodes of crime television shows gave me the inspiration to write the Figure. Moving from Oklahoma to Kansas was a drastic move for me with my family living in Oklahoma so I try to include the closeness of my family as well as the chaos I endured moving to Kansas.

Bringing a romantic relationship in the book is similar to the way my husband and I met and we ended up getting married on July 11, 2020. Bringing my book to life from life experiences and some chaos from different situations I have seen on the television or read in the paper. I was excited to write my first book and seeing it blossom into something that will catch my readers attention. Between the chaos and the mystery of who

the Figure really was kept me on my toes because I wasn’t sure how I was going to end the book.

So sit back and enjoy the book and can’t wait to write my second book. I appreciate you taking time to read my novel and experience life from a medium town to a small city by the beach. Your curiosity won’t let you put the book down any time soon.

Enjoy and Thank you!

Acknowledgement

Thank you to Mrs. Shope who inspired me to read again, to my husband for dealing with me as I spent many nights writing this book. Thank you to my Sister Elizabeth for believing in me. Thank you to all my friends and family for supporting me through this journey.

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Chapter 1

As the sun was rising in the East, Jessica was enjoying the beautiful view of the ocean when she glanced over and saw a strange figure coming towards her. She started to anticipate the worst, so many thoughts were running through her head but no way to be prepared for what was going to happen. Jessica looked over and the figure was gone, where did it go and why was it by the ocean? She was in disbelief. She gathered her things to head back to the beach house when she felt a breeze that carried a breathtaking scent. Jessica decided to go back to the house to get some rest so she can go sightseeing later. Jessica was excited about her vacation in New Jersey and being able to see a different view that she isn’t used to seeing. Jessica is from a small town where everybody knows everybody and this is a good change. Jessica was sitting in her home in Oklahoma when she decided that she needed to get away and take some time for herself. She searched for the great getaway spots but nothing intrigued her. She decided why not go to New Jersey. She read about all the beautiful beaches and boardwalks and decided why

THE FIGURE

not this was a great opportunity to see a different view than what she saw daily. As the morning sun began to rise Jessica couldn’t get the figure out of her head and what it could be. The scent would be on her mind for the rest of the day. Jessica decided to head out to the Daily Grind Coffee Bar. When she finally arrives she gets out and heads over to the counter. How can I help you, Solace said. Yes may I please have a vanilla caramel latte with four shots of espresso please, Jessica asked. Sure it will be ready in a minute, she said with a smile. Jessica paid for her drink and headed back to the house.

The house sat off from the beach with a beautiful deck with patio furniture that makes the color of the house pop. She opened the door and placed her things on the kitchen table and headed to take a shower. She started her shower and was rummaging for something to put on, she finally found some shorts and a tank top. She headed to the shower. Jessica slid her clothes off and jumped in the shower. She let the water run down her petite body, she was finally letting her body relax after the last four years. Jessica finally finished her shower, dried off, and got dressed. She hung up her towel on the towel rack and headed to the kitchen to grab a bite to eat. Jessica opened the fridge to grab a salad she made the day before and grabbed the bottle of Tequila. She poured a shot of tequila, downed it, and poured another. The fridge opened again and she placed the bottle back while grabbing the bottle of Rose. She poured a glass of wine then placed it on her counter and went back to sit on the deck. It was a nice cool evening and the moon was shining over the beach. Jessica heard someone knocking on the door and she

CHAPTER 1

couldn’t figure out who would be coming over this late.

Jessica got up, and went to the door to see who it was. Who is it, She yelled. It’s Chief James, he responded. She opened the door and there stood an older gentleman in uniform. Hi Chief James, how can I help you tonight, she responded. Ms. Brandons, there is a horrible tropical storm coming in and I want to make sure you had sandbags and a backup generator, he responded. I don’t have either, I just in less than twenty- four hours ago, She responded. I will send Lane Claxton over to help with making sure you have sandbags and a generator. He responded. See you later and Lane should be over soon to help, he responded as leaving out the door. Jessica shut the door and locked it then proceeded to lock the patio door. She sat on the sofa waiting on Lane to show up. The wind started picking up, getting concerned Jessica started thinking of everything she needed to do to prepare for the storm. Two hours have passed and no news from Lane, maybe he just isn’t coming. Time seems to be going by slowly waiting for Lane but then Jessica noticed the wind started picking up a little more than what it was a couple of hours ago. Maybe the storm is moving in faster than we think. Jessica decided to go ahead and put her phone on the charger just to be on the safe side.

Out of nowhere, she can hear the windows rattle and Jessica started to get worried so she grabbed her phone as soon as she turned around there was a gush of wind that blew the glass out

THE FIGURE

of her patio door. She was mere inches from the door all she wanted to do was lock the door and pull the blinds and then she felt a sharp pain in her thigh. She looked down and had a piece of glass impaled in her thigh. She went to the bedroom to grab a towel to make it into a tourniquet to help with the bleeding. She then went to the bathroom and shut the door as a barrier from the storm. Jessica thought it would be wise to call Chief James to let him know what was going on. Good Evening, This is Chief James how can I help you, he said. Chief James this is Jessica, I have an inch gash on my thigh, and I am barricaded in my bathroom, she replied. Okay sit tight, I am on my way and I will call the EMS too. Did Lane not show up? He said in a concerned voice. No sir and the wind took me by surprise, she replied. On my way, He replied and then hung up the phone.

Bryden Colton and Avery Jenson showed up before Chief James did, he was less than 3 minutes out. Bryden and Avery started unloading the stretcher and their bag. Chief James pulled up and jumped out of the car. They headed towards the house, Chief James called Jessica to let her know they were coming in. Jessica was trying to make it to the front door when Avery grabbed her arm and helped her to the gurney. They started her vitals and loaded her up in the ambulance. Chief James followed behind after locking her house up. The ride to the hospital was a rocky one but they finally made it. They finally got Jessica into the hospital. " Dr. Randy This is a 25-year-old female with

CHAPTER 1

a laceration to her right thigh. Her blood pressure is 104/98 and her pulse is 82, Brayden replied. Thank you Brayden, stay safe," he replied. Dr. Randy ordered a ct scan to see what damage is done to her thigh. Jessica waited patiently while intake came in to grab some information. The tech finally came down to take Jessica to ct scan.

Chief James was patiently waiting for Jessica to return to see what the damage was. Chief tried to contact Lane but no response, so he thought maybe he might be on call. The Chief called down to the police station to see if one of the officers would go check on Lane. This is Chief James, I was needing to see if Officer Wixx and Officer Carter could go check on Lane Claxton for me, he replied. Yes sir I will dispatch them out, Catelin replied. Chief James hung up the phone and waited for the doctors to come back in. Time was slowly passing and still no answers. Jessica was slowly waking back up and starting to feel the pain in her thigh again. Dr. Randy comes back in and informs Jessica that they need to go in and repair some of the tissues in her thigh. The nurse will