Carolyn Q. Hunter - Christmas Waffle Caper

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Christmas Waffle Caper

A Wicked Waffle Paranormal Cozy

Book 4

By

Carolyn Q. Hunter

Copyright 2017 Summer Prescott Books

All Rights Reserved . No part of this publication nor any of the information herein may be quoted from, nor reproduced, in any form, including but not limited to: printing, scanning, photocopying or any other printed, digital, or audio formats, without prior express written consent of the copyright holder.

**This book is a work of fiction. Any similarities to persons, living or dead, places of business, or situations past or present, is completely unintentional.

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CHRISTMAS

WAFFLE CAPER

A Wicked Waffle Paranormal Cozy

Book 4

PROLOGUE

T he night shifts were always the longest and the worst. Sora hated every single sound, smell, and feeling that came with being stuck at the Rocky Mountain Institute of the Mind so late. Hes always hated the name of the treatment center he worked for. Institute of the Mind implied some sort of learning, education, or schooling.

In reality, the facility was little more than a glorified insane asylum.

Tucked away in a secluded location of the mountains, the commute to and from the place was absolute torture, and the work itself was worse.

Sitting in the reception area of the third floor, Sora had his coat wrapped around his body. During the winter months, the place felt like a freezer. It was as if the owner never even bothered paying the heating bill.

Besides the single fluorescent fixture above the desk, the rest of the lights throughout the surrounding hallways and rooms were off, only adding to the desolate and frozen sensation that already existed in the stagnant walls. Of course, there was a cheery string of colored Christmas lights running along the edge of the desk, as well as a skinny little snip of a tree in the cornerall decked out with fake presents underneathbut not even that could take away from the chilly nature that was inherent to the building.

The patients were spooky enough on their own, but the dark corners and strange noises echoing through the ancient building often sent chills up and down Soras spine. It was a wonder hed never seen the wandering spirits of a few of the patients whod up and croaked in their rooms on that floor.

Even thinking about it made Sora jump. Hed see shadows, and be constantly looking over his shoulder for someone who wasnt there. When hed gotten into nursing and medical administration, this was far from what hed expected his life to be.

Lifting his arm, he checked his wristwatch.

Time was closing in on seven in the evening, and the announcement of that nights procession to the cafeteria for another round of grey unidentifiable meat would be underway soon.

The patients, although many of them were completely bonkers, were trusted to find their way down to the cafeteria safely and quietly once the call was made. There was the occasional problem with a straggler who swore theyd found something hiding in the wall or a fight over who had the latest pen or another meaningless item.

He hoped that tonight, on his last shift before he left for Christmas vacation with his wife, that there would be no incidents to slow things down. He simply wanted to finish out his duties as usual and drive safely home.

Standing up from his desk, he headed over to the control panel on the wall. After unlocking the glass cover and pressing a little red button, a buzzer rang out through the hallways. Mealtime, he called out down the long corridor as the doors began to open.

Residents started their evening shuffle, toward the cafeteria. If it werent for the assigned medications, another of Soras duties, none of them would be safe to even be outside of their rooms.

Sora watched them go by, his eyes keeping track on anyone who might be a troublemaker that evening.

Once the hallways had emptied, he began his round of room checks to make sure no stragglers had gotten left behind. He passed by several empty rooms until he reached the end.

The final door sat partially ajar, and a bluish light filtered through. A few of the residents had gotten permission, given only by their specific doctors, to have a few Christmas decorations in their rooms. A quiet hum of Christmas music hummed from inside, coming from a little radio. As Sora remembered it, this particular patient had a string of blue lights and a small treecourtesy of her family who wanted her to have a little Christmas cheer despite not being able to come home.

With a sentiment like that, youd think the family visited on a frequent basis. However, nothing of the kind ever happened. Ever since the young woman was committed, not a single friendly face had come around to say hello.

It was always worse for the patients when they had no familial support, and despite disliking his job, Sora did care about the residents. After all, they were people with thoughts, feelings, and dreams.

He felt lucky, he could go home for the holidays and be with his wife. These poor folks couldnt even leave the building and walk the grounds without their doctors permission.

Pushing the door farther open, he instantly saw that the young woman was crouched in the corner near the Christmas tree.

Come on Annabeth. Its time for dinner.

The girl didnt respond.

Annabeth, I know you heard me, he spoke softly, but firmly.

Thats when he noticed, all the lights were in a wad at her feet. Shed taken them off the treebut why?

Annabeth, what are you doing?

Stepping closer, he went to place a hand on the womans shoulder.

A quick as a gust of wind, she spun around and tossed the string of light around his neck.

What are you doing? were the only words he could muster before the string was pulled tight.

Trained for this type of situation, he went to grab a hold of her arms and put her in a lock until more nurses could come. However, much to his surprise, no matter how he twisted and grabbed, she was as slippery as a sly fox.

Soon, he began to struggle for air, his lungs burning.

A-Anna... let... me... go, he managed to whisper, but it was no use.

She kept a firm grip.

Finally, as his vision started to blacken around him, he stumbled to the floor. Before completely losing consciousness, he watched her bare feet run down the hallway and disappear into the stairwell.

CHAPTER 1

T he snow was coming down hard outside the diners window, catching the red, green, and blue Christmas lights as they passed by. Sonja Reed was the last one in the building and was watching the weather from the kitchen, looking through the service window into the dining area. She hoped that the storm didnt get much worse since she had a delivery to make on the other side of the lake before she could officially call it a night.