A missing cousin,
A Mysterious Mansion,
Family Secrets,
and
a "ghost" cat.
Looking For Lucy
by Debbie De Louise
Genre: Gothic Mystery, Psychological Thriller
She was never meant
to be the brave one.
Despite their different personalities, cousins Mary and Lucy are closer than
sisters. Mary, a teacher in a small town, fears change and suffers from
claustrophobia. Lucy, a thrill-seeker, travels around the world in search of
adventure.
When Lucy goes missing, Mary, her mother, and aunt visit a Long Island mansion
called Hollingham Hall where Lucy had been employed as a tour guide before she
disappeared. There, Mary meets three men, one of whom may have been romantically
involved with Lucy – a charming historian, a volatile artist, and a friendly
landscaper.
As Mary searches for her cousin, she is drawn deeper into Hollingham’s
labyrinthine gardens and shadowed corridors where she discovers a chilling
connection between Lucy and a woman who vanished seventy years ago on the eve
of her wedding. She also learns of the “ghost cat” rumored to prowl the
property.
When strange events take place at Hollingham, the police are called to
investigate. But is Lucy alive and is her disappearance connected to the
missing bride or one of the men on the estate?
A mystery of illicit affairs, hidden passageways, and family secrets, Looking
for Lucy is the perfect read for fans of gothic novels, psychological
thrillers, and atmospheric suspense.
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I held my cousin’s
letters from earlier this summer that I’d read over a dozen times.
We lost touch after graduation when she took off
to explore the world to volunteer in a variety of countries while I stayed home
and found a job as a teacher at the elementary school that we’d both attended
in our small town.
The last time I saw Lucy
she was wearing her Bardsley T-shirt and jean shorts. My aunt’s battered
suitcase stood at her side.
“I’ll send you lots of postcards,” she promised, but I’d never
received any. That’s why I was surprised when I got her first letter as school
was closing for the summer.
“Dear Mary, I hope you’re well. I’ve seen many things but have
missed you. While I was making a quick stop in the Hamptons, I visited a
beautiful place by the sea called Hollingham Hall. It was my luck that they
were looking for tour leaders. I feel like, after years of wandering, I’ve
finally found my place. The reason I haven’t called is that I lost my cell
phone in the Amazon River (OMG!) and am not replacing it. I’ll call you with
the phone number here soon.”
Lucy never called, but there were two more letters. The next
arrived ten days later.
“Dear Cousin, This is a dream job. I wish they had another opening
for you. So, here’s the thing, Mary, we once talked about my being an
independent woman the rest of my life without need of a man. Well, that’s
changed. In the short time I’ve been at Hollingham, I believe I’ve fallen for
someone. I don’t want to say too much in case I jinx it because the attraction
is new, and I’m not sure how he feels about me yet. I promise I’ll reveal
everything soon, and I can’t wait for you to meet my charming suitor.”
Lucy’s final and still eager letter arrived a week later.
“Me again, Dear Cousin. I had to write right away when I
discovered the most interesting thing by accident.”
“I’d ventured into a
part of the mansion that’s off limits to the public. I wasn’t snooping, but I
couldn’t help myself. There was a portrait in one of the closed rooms of a
young woman who looked so much like me that I thought someone had secretly
painted me. I was so curious I had to ask about it and risk losing this
incredible job. I wasn’t admonished for
going into the room. Instead, I was told me a history of the house that I
hadn’t yet heard. The woman in the painting disappeared at about our ages. They
never discovered what happened to her. I felt like I was caught in one of your
favorite mystery novels.”
“It won’t be long now,
dear cousin. I’m going to ask if you can stay here with me at the carriage
house when you visit.
After rereading her letters and trying to figure out what was
really going on behind her dramatic prose, I was shocked to get a live call
from Lucy around midnight, less than a week after receiving her last letter.
The phone woke me up. I answered in a groggy whisper, “Hello.”
At first, there was no reply, and I was about to hang up when I
heard Lucy’s whispered voice. “Mary, help me. Come quick. Please hurry.”
I was fully awake now. “Lucy, is that you? What’s wrong?”
There was a click and then a dial tone. “Lucy,” I said louder into
the phone, but she was gone. I didn’t realize at that point how gone she really
was.
Debbie De Louise is an award-winning author and a retired
reference librarian. She is a member of Sisters-in-Crime, International
Thriller Writers, the Cat Writers’ Association, and the South Carolina Writers
Association. She’s written over twenty books including three cozy mystery
series: the Cobble Cove Mysteries, Buttercup Bend Mysteries, and her new
series, Soup the Supernatural Kitten Mysteries. She’s also written a paranormal
romance, standalone mysteries, a time-travel novel, and a collection of cat poems.
Her stories and poetry appear in more than a dozen anthologies. Originally from
Long Island, she moved to South Carolina where she now lives with her husband,
daughter, and three cats. Learn more about Debbie and her books by visiting her
website at https://debbiedelouise.com.
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