Lost Souls by J. Bishop (the giving tree read aloud txt) 📗

Coming Soon and available for pre-order, Of Body and Bone.

The Redstone Chronicles

Lost Souls

Lost Dreams…available for pre-order

Dedication

To my Dad…

I love and miss you.

Acknowledgements

Another book is complete, and again, I have many to thank. This doesn’t happen alone, and I am indebted to family and friends for their help, support and encouragement. It is truly appreciated.

I love writing about the bonds between loving family, deep friendships and the ties that hold them together. Plus, my fascination with the unknown thrown into the mix makes for a satisfying story and hopefully, adds a little more thrill for my readers.

I especially want to thank my fans. Hearing from you and knowing that you’re enjoying my books makes all the hard work worthwhile. None of this would matter without your tremendous support. If I can help you escape from this crazy world for a short period each day, then I’ve done my job.

Here’s to more stories, more fun, and more time for yourself. If you can have a little of that each day, you’re on the right track.

Enjoy an excerpt from Lost Dreams, Book Two in

The Redstone Chronicles.

Mason Redstone walked through the old farmhouse that had recently been renovated into a beautiful two-story ranch-style home. High ceilings and big windows gave the house a light and airy feel and the gorgeous view of the rolling hills reminded Mason of his grandparent’s home in the hill country of Texas.

The owners had contacted his agency, SCOPE, the previous week and had asked Mason to investigate their property. They’d bought the farmhouse a year earlier and had envisioned it as the place where they would enjoy their eventual retirement. But once construction had begun, they’d had nothing but issues. Workmen came and went, never staying longer than a couple of weeks. They’d say the place had a vibe, or that they’d seen or heard something they couldn’t explain. Renovations had come to a halt more than once until new workers could be employed. Eventually, the home had been completed, although eight months behind schedule, and the owners, an older couple in their mid-sixties, had moved in a month later. Having had no experiences themselves during the renovation, they were unconcerned about the activity, believing it to be the result of overactive imaginations and superstitious beliefs.

They’d made it three months before calling SCOPE.

SCOPE stood for the Study of Cryptids or Paranormal Entities and Mason had thought it was the perfect name although his sister Mikey had disagreed. After a two-year stint as a Texas Ranger, several talks with his brother Max who lived in San Diego, and listening to the advice of his best friend Victor, Mason had taken the leap and left the Rangers, moved to California, and had become a private investigator in hopes of using his gifts to help others. Mikey had followed soon after.

It had been a rocky start, especially after his estrangement from Trick, his partner on the Rangers, his falling out with Victor, the murder of his cousin, and the gut-wrenching loss of his mother. But life was improving and business was picking up. The acceptance of the paranormal as more mainstream had kept Mason on his toes, and he was happy now that Trick had joined SCOPE.

Mason had been reluctant at first, especially after working a recent risky case with Trick in which he and Mikey had almost lost their lives. But that case had resulted in repairing their fractured friendship, and now that Trick was here, Mason could see the benefit of a second investigator. One who could handle the non-paranormal cases which also seemed to be on the rise despite the agency’s name. Trick had completed the requirements for a PI license and had started work that week. He already had a client coming in later that day, and Mason was anxious to hear about it once he returned to the office, but right now, he had some spirits to clear from the old farmhouse.

The minute he’d walked into the home, he had sensed the presence of two souls who still wandered the property. One was an older man and the other a young child, a girl, maybe ten years of age. The owners had been thwarted by odd noises and spectral voices, footsteps on the stairs and in the hallways, and objects falling from the shelves. They’d installed cameras and had caught an apparition moving past a door frame and the wife had called Mason the next day, telling him they needed help, and threatening to sell the property if the activity continued.

Mason had arrived two days later, and had walked through the house, sensing the two presences who Mason felt sure had lived here before. After spending some time on the property and reaching out to the entities, he’d learned it had been a father and daughter. The daughter had died in the home after a long illness, and the father had grieved for her and had died himself years later from a heart attack, likely brought on from the long period of grief.

The strange part of the visit, though, was why they chose to remain. The renovations had disturbed them, and although they weren’t dangerous spirits, they believed they still owned the property and didn’t care for the changes.

Mason had discussed the problem with the homeowners and they’d asked him to encourage the spirits to move on, and let them live in their house in peace. He’d agreed, believing he could do some research on the property, prepare, and would return to move the father and daughter on and into the light.

Now, a week later, as he walked through the main hallway, he opened himself up to the energy of the space, sensing the presence of the spirits. He’d communicated to them, telling them the situation, and letting them know it was time to leave. Honesty was the best policy with both the living and the dead, and Mason trusted that once the father and daughter understood their situation, they would happily