Ellen Alexander - The Phantom of the East Tower

The Secret of Dinswood

The Missing Mortals

Edited by Lana King

Proofreader: Amanda Lewis

The Phantom of the East Tower

Copyright 2021 Ellen Alexander

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmit ted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, please write to the publisher.

This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the authors imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Published by BHC Press

Library of Congress Control Number:

2020936744

ISBN Numbers:

Hardcover: 978-1-64397-195-7

Softcover: 978-1-64397-196-4

Ebook: 978-1-64397-197-1

For information, write:

BHC Press

885 Penniman #5505

Plymouth, MI 48170

Visit the publisher:

www.bhcpress.com

to my newest grandchild, Evelyn Caroline

F ifteen-year-old Andrew Dawes blew into his cupped hands and then rubbed them together vigorously in an attempt to restore some feeling to his icy fingers. The light jacket he was wearing did little to protect him from the cold wind that had been blowing steadily from the north all day long. It was unusually cold for mid-September Andy thought as he walked along the shoulder of the road. He hoped it wasnt an indication of the winter to come.

Andy stopped for a moment to scan the road in both directions. There wasnt a car in sight. Hitchhiking wasnt as easy as hed thought it would be. People were reluctant to offer a ride to someone they didnt knoweven someone as unimposing as himself. Andy was average height but his slight frame was painfully thin. He had a pale complexion and shoulder-length white-blond hair. His face was long and narrow with high cheekbones but his most striking feature was his eyes, which were a light gray.

Andy carried a dark blue backpack and bedroll on his shoulders. The pack contained a change of clothes, a toothbrush and toothpaste, a small bottle of shampoo, a comb, and a bar of soap. Andy had also packed a bottle of water and some granola bars just in case he got hungry. Added together it wasnt much, but it was all he could carry.

Andy sighed as he shifted the pack to a more comfortable position. Then he set off once again. As he waited for a car to come by, he thought back over the past couple of days. As bad as things may seem today, they were still preferable to the situation he had so recently escaped. Andy had run away from home and his abusive stepfather just two days ago. Andys real father had been killed in a car accident when Andy was eight. Celia Dawes, Andys mother, had met and married Benny Barton a couple of years later after only having known him a few short months. While he and Celia were dating, Benny had managed to hide his terrible temper, but he had made no attempt to conceal it once the two were married. Afraid for her young son, Celia had hired a lawyer and begun divorce proceedings. Tragically, she too was killed in a car accident before the divorce was final, and Andy was left in the care of that horrible man. Andy suspected that Benny was somehow responsible for his mothers death, but at the age of twelve hed had no way of proving his suspicions.

Things at home had never been great, but during the past few weeks the situation had progressed from bad to worse. Bennys construction business was in some kind of financial trouble. Every evening Benny would come home and take it out on Andy. Andy had been planning to run away for a long time, so he had been secretly doing odd jobs after school to earn a little money. When Andy heard that thered been a fire at the new subdivision Bennys company was working on, he hadnt hung around to see what the repercussions would be for him. Hed hurriedly packed his bags, taken all the money hed saved, and left.

That was why he now found himself walking along the right shoulder of a two-lane highway leading out of a small town with a name he couldnt remember. Andy had been through so many towns in the last two days that he had quickly given up trying to keep track of their names.

A middle-aged couple had given him a ride earlier that afternoon. The woman had reminded him of his mother, not so much in appearance, but in her friendly smile and kind voice. Her husband had intimidated Andy at first. Not only was he one of the largest men Andy had ever seen, but he also had a booming voice to match. With a mustache and full beard, he had reminded Andy of a mountain man. Despite his gruff exterior, the man had turned out to be just as nice as his soft-spoken wife.

The couple had invited him to eat supper and spend the night in their home, which was a couple of miles west of town, but Andy had graciously declined their kind offer. Since Andy wouldnt accept their hospitality, theyd done the next best thing. They had taken Andy to the towns only restaurant and paid for his meal. Ignoring Andys protests, the big man had handed the waitress some money with instructions to give Andy whatever he wanted. Andy had tried to thank him, but the big man had waved away his thanks, saying, Eat all ya want, son. This place may not look like much but the foods great. A moment later he had gone, and the room had seemed strangely empty without his larger-than-life presence.

Andy had chosen a seat at one of the booths by the window overlooking the towns main street. After placing his order, he had taken a moment to look around. The man had said that the restaurant wasnt much to look at. A brief survey of the dining area had proven him right. The main counter, as well as all of the tables, had Formica tops. The floors had been covered in linoleum in a black-and-white diamond pattern. The benches and chairs had all been upholstered in red vinyl. All in all, the dcor had been dated and worn, but it had also been scrupulously clean. Andys survey of the dining room had ended abruptly with the arrival of his meal.

A moment later, hed found himself eating the best fried chicken hed ever had. While enjoying his meal, Andy had begun to feel guilty about the lie hed told the man who had paid for it. Andy had told the couple that he was nineteen years old and that he was taking some time to see some of the country before going back to college next term. Hed hated lying, but if hed told them his real age, they would have felt obligated to notify the police. Their offer of a good nights sleep in a warm house and a soft bed had been tempting, but Andy couldnt risk it. It was possible that his stepfather had reported his disappearance to the authorities, and if he had, Andys picture would soon be appearing on every televised newscast in the country.