‘Jasmine'

　Chapter 1

John couldn't sleep, he tossed and turned, had been up twice to pee, He turned over and looked at the Alarm, d a m n it, only 5:00 Am, He had gone to bed at ten very tired from moving, he was recovering from back surgery , John owned a very successful Construction Business and never expected anything from his men that he wouldn't do himself, but the last job, he was helping lift a stack of roofing tiles and he felt something pop in his lower back, his legs went numb and he dropped to his knees, The x-rays showed he had three disks out of place, He only spent ten days in the hospital, but The rehab Doctors said it would be at least nine weeks before he can even drive, let alone go back to the construction site..

The log cabin that he had built a few miles out side Big Bear was still empty, it was fully furnished and had an open house, but no bids yet, so He hired a moving crew and spent the day putting things away, he had ordered groceries enough for least three weeks, and filled the freezer with meat. He stopped and bought a few good books and his favorite snacks; there was no TV or Internet hook up. He didn’t know if new owners would want all the trappings and technology of the twenty first century, it was after all advertised as a vacation getaway with plenty of fresh air and fishing, he had his cell phone if he had an emergency and there was a cell tower at he top of the mountain he could see it blinking away.

The two bedrooms split level cabin sat on the edge of the lake, it had a large deck that surrounded the front of the cabin with a small pier that went out about 10 feet into the water. John gave up, maybe a drink, he had also stocked the bar with all his favorites, he padded barefoot into the living room with only his boxers on, he had no problem finding the bar, the moon light through the large plate glass window lit up the room. He mixed a double and opened the sliding door on to the patio, it was a warm night with no wind, and he heard crickets and the frogs and….. What?? What was that sound? a women sobbing, no can’t be, he was wrong, no one lived within 5 miles of this property that he knew for sure, All of a sudden a light breeze blew across his face, he could smell Jasmine and he didn’t think any Jasmine was planted around the lake at all, and then again the sound of a women crying softly. It was coming from the side of the cabin near a large evergreen tree, he started to step off the deck onto the green grass and remembered he wasn’t dressed and was barefoot… So he put his drink down and went to his room slipping on a pair of cutoffs, a T-shirt and some flip-flops,

John was a sucker for women in distress, and her tears would haunt him if he didn’t find her and see what the trouble was, he stood still and listened nothing, not a sound, Hello he shouted, is anyone there? Can I help you? Again just silence. John followed the path down to the lake and into the tall evergreen tree’s. A rod Iron bench between two trees was unoccupied but the grass under the bench had indentations as if someone had been sitting there, the smell of Jasmine was very strong. He called out again. Hello!! Hello!!

I’ve lost it, there is no one here, he looked down and a small square of white cloth lie on the ground, he picked it up. It was very delicate, with lace all around and a pale pink flower, and under the flower the Initials J M F… he brought the piece of cloth to his nose and yes he could again smell Jasmine. A tint of sunrise showed on the horizon of the lake it would soon be light he yawned and went into the cabin, Maybe I can sleep now he thought, he closed and locked the sliding door and then changed his mind, Hmmm!,. If someone was out there that needed help he might not hear them. So he left the door open went to his room , slipped off his shoes and fell in to the soft bed, falling asleep quickly and deeply, with Jasmine's Hanky clutched in his hand.

John woke up blurry eyed he went in the kitchen and stared his coffee maker, as it brewed he remembered the events of the night before, he went out and stood by the bench, he could see depressions in the grass, foot steps moving away form the bench towards the lake shore, there was a small beach, foot prints led into the water,

Bare feet prints, so small they had to belong to women. John looked around, the sky was overcast and the smell of rain was in the air. Hello! Hello! He waited, the same as last night no answer, he was really starting to get curious. What the hell is going on he thought, Just as the started to call out again, a flash of lightning shot across the lake, and a low rumble of thunder shook the ground, he took one more look around the shore line, no foot prints leaving the water, the first big rain drops splashed across his face as he picked up his news paper from the deck and went inside, He could smell the coffee, yes nectar of the gods, he laughed pouring himself a steaming mug,

John wasn’t going to order the local paper but it was free for the first month so he agreed to a month’s subscription. He took a sip of the coffee and almost spilled it,

On the front page the header said, local women still missing, one year ago today, Jasmine Marie Franklin

Disappeared while honeymooning with her husband Michael only three day’s after they were married,

The couple had been out boating when a storm came up, her husband said the boat capsized and he lost track of his wife, rescue workers and shore patrol searched for over a week but Jasmine’s body was never found, Michael Franklin answered investigators questions and then left the area, repeated attempts to locate Mr. Franklin have not succeeded, and he is still wanted as a person of interest in the case. The couple had been honeymooning at the Bed and Breakfast the Eagles Nest, near Big Bear Lake, the owners said the couple was very quiet, and the young lady looked to be upset on the day she came up missing. At the breakfast table there waitress Betty, said she looked like she had been crying, ‘’and I know I saw bruises around her arms,’’ like finger prints…The family of Jasmine want to know what happened to their beautiful, daughter, they want answers as to how she could have drowned, she was a strong swimmer, she competed in both high school and collage, I know Michael did it, I just know it, her mother said sobbing..

Chapter 2

John looked at the picture of the girl in the photo, she was gorgeous…Long black silky hair, she was smiling with a hint of mystery in her eyes, of course the black and white newspaper photo didn’t show her true skin color, but she looked to have a clear creamy completion and her eyes looked to be light, maybe blue or green. What a shame, John thought, what a beautiful girl, what a sad story, He got up and refilled his cup, he turned on the little radio to pick up a LA station maybe get some weather information, the rain was beating against the class doors and windows. the lightning and thunder were fierce, he could see whitecaps across the three mile lake, the wind was blowing and the sky was getting darker and darker, just then a flash of lightning took out the lights, the silence was immediate,

The room was dark; it looked like early evening instead of ten o’clock in the morning. Another flash of lightning lit the ground around the lake. John went to the glass door and looked out. He wanted to make sure a tree wasn’t going to fall on his new SUV. It looked fine, far from any big trees, the next flash and John jumped, and he could feel the hair on the back of his neck stand up. Wow, that was close, He saw something out of the corner of his eye, a figure, the figure of women, she was standing on the shore looking out at the lake, it was hard to see through the rain hitting the glass but it was women, what the hell was she thinking? Going out in this weather with this wind and lightning? He reached over to get his hooded jacket hanging on the oak coat rack, He opened the door started out, and she was gone, just like that, gone. S h i t ! He went down the steps, Hey!! Who’s there? The wind snatched the words from his month, it was roaring, he could hardly stand, the shore line was empty, what the hell. I know I’m losing it now, he went back to the cabin closed the door, and as suddenly as it begin, the storm stopped, the lights flicked once and came back on. The little radio was talking about the rare severe storm in Big Bear; we don’t have these kinds of storms very often Sheriff Connors was saying, been at least a year, there has been a small amount of damage to some piers and sale boats, but so far no injuries or homes damaged.. John had met The Sheriff while his crew was up building the cabin, a really nice guy and had stopped by the cabin when he moved in, and wished him a speedy recovery.. I might just give him a call and see if he knows just the hell who could be wandering around here.

The cabin was cold and damp, he started a fire in the huge fireplace, and went in the bedroom and changed into sweats and wool socks. he grabbed a book refilled his coffee mug and sat in an over stuffed chair next to the cozy fire.

Because of the warm room, dull book, and sleepless night, John didn’t have a chance staying awake; he was soon snoring the afternoon away, He awoke with a start, looked at his watch almost six PM. His stomach growled, and he remembered he had not eaten any thing at all that day. He checked out the freezer, froze n pizza, quick and easy. He stuck it in the oven and started on a salad, a cold beer would top off the meal, a half hour later hunger satisfied, and he put the dishes in the dishwasher, and headed out to the deck… It was a beautiful evening

And a red sunset was mirrored across the lake, he locked the door and followed the path out and through the back of the property, he walked for a while and soon had lost sight of the cabin and lake. He continued up an incline until he came to a spot that looked over the bluff and down over the lake. On the breeze was a familiar smell,

Jasmine, He glanced over his shoulder and there she stood.

It was Jasmine, same long black hair, same eyes, only sadder this time, she was very pale and just stood looking at him., Her head was cocked to the side, her mouth open as if she wanted to speak, it was then that John noticed a blue light, almost as if Jasmine was surrounded by neon lights, she started to step back, Jasmine don’t be afraid John said softly, I wont hurt you. John could almost swear he heard the sound of wind blowing, but it was Jasmine, she turned and her voice was like a whisper. I’m not afraid of you. He is not here, who is not here Jasmine? Michael, she answered, are you afraid of Michael? John asked softly? He hurts me, she said, Can I ask you where you have been for the last year Jasmine? Been? I haven’t been any where, she said starting to cry, Michael hit me and pushed me off the boat, He held me under the water and I couldn’t hold my breath any longer, that was this afternoon, during the storm, the outline of her body started to shimmer, it was if she became translucent. He could see the trees and the lake through her,

Wait Jasmine, don’t go. Please! I want to help you. She reached out her hand and touched his out stretched one, it was cold and clammy, What happened to Michael? She asked looking around, she sat down on a large bolder and placed her hands in her lap, John sat next to her on the ground, and told her quietly what he had read in the paper that morning, that she was missing ,and that it had happened over a year ago.

Jasmine shook her head sadly, and then I’m dead. I think I knew it, but time never changed, and I felt as if I was suppose to be some place else. John reached into the pocket of his jacket and handed her the hanky he had found next to the bench, oh; I lost this, I don’t remember when. Jasmine why did Michael hurt you? She started to cry again, this time using the hanky to wipe her eyes, He didn’t want me to testify against him, he knew a wife could not testify against her husband, that’s why he married me, what did he do John asked, that would make him angry enough to want to silence you? He killed his grandfather, for his money.

Michael was the book keeper for the family business His grandfather found out that Michael had stolen thousands of dollars; he told me his Grandfather had accused him. They had fought and his grandfather had a heart attack. I found his bank book the night before our wedding, it showed thousands of dollars had been deposited in a Swiss bank account. Michael knew that I had seen the book. I told him I was going to the police. , he said he did it all for me, so we would have money to travel. Buy a new home and open our own business, But he said he would kill me if I told any one, we fought continually for the first two days of our honeymoon, He was always watching me, would never leave me alone. I tried to call but he yanked the phone out of my hands and shoved me to the floor, I lied, I promised him I would never tell anyone, after breakfast the next day. I told him I was going to take a walk around the lake, but he followed me, screamed that I had taken the bank book I said yes I had taken and hidden the book, and he would never find it ,he saw an abandoned boat, forced me in. the rest was a blur, he screamed at me. Told me I was useless, he would find someone who would appreciate what he could do for them and then he pushed me I into the water, where is the book Jasmine?, its at the Bed and Breakfast in the room we stayed in, behind a loose floor board under the bed, she told him. I will get that book and give it to the sheriff, we will catch Michael, I promise you Jasmine, he will be punished for what he did to you and to his grandfather, she looked over his shoulder as the sun went down, she vanished as easily as she had appeared…Ok, John said to him self this is just crazy, but it explains a lot.

Chapter 3

The next morning John drove down the mountain to the Sheriffs office .he sat in the office for over an hour explaining to the Sheriff all that had happened, Sheriff Connors looked at him like he had lost his mind, it’s the truth Dan I swear it, and you weren’t dreaming? No, But the one way to find out is to go and look and see if the book is there. The sheriff thought for a minute and stood up. Well all right, let’s check it out, they used the patrol car drove up and around the lake to the front of the Eagles Nest Bed and breakfast, Mrs. North opened the door to the room Michael and Jasmine had stayed in. He pushed the bed over against the wall and getting down on his hands and knees Dan slowly ran his hands across the floor under the bed, sure enough, one piece of tile was sitting a little higher then the rest, he used his pocket knife to pry it off, and there it was a small black Bank book, well Ill be damned. You did talk to Jasmine, What? You talked to A dead girl ? Mrs. North said, it’s a long long story..John said laughing.

John drove back to the cabin, he spent the rest of the day going to all of the places he had seen Jasmine, but she did not appear, He spent another restless night and all of the next day looking for her, and He was haunted by her sweet smell of Jasmine, her eyes. A week went by and one day as John was sitting on his deck looking out at the lake, Dan O’Connor’s police cruiser pulled up, he got out and sat next to John. Well, we got him, he smiled, he had just gotten off a plane, and rented a car in Monte Carlo when the FBI saw him, he took off and they chased him up and around the cliffs, remember that movie with Carrie Grant? The one where he was going around all those narrow cliffs that surround the mountain? He was swerving all over the road, almost as if someone had taken the wheel, he lost control and went over the side into the ocean ,almost 500 feet down.. When they raised the car he was gone, this was the only thing they found, he reached into his pocket and handed John a small square of cloth, with a pink flower on it, and lace all around. Even now it had a sweet distinct smell of Jasmine…

The sheriff smiled, got up got in his car and drove away. That night John went to the shore line of the lake…

he saw foot prints going in to the lake But he never saw Jasmine again..

The End