Zero Chill, page 1
Table of Contents
Synopsis
Praise for the works of Carolyn Elizabeth
Other Bella Books by Carolyn Elizabeth
Acknowledgments
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-one
Chapter Twenty-two
Chapter Twenty-three
Chapter Twenty-four
Chapter Twenty-five
Chapter Twenty-six
Chapter Twenty-seven
Chapter Twenty-eight
Chapter Twenty-nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-one
Epilogue
Bella Books
Synopsis
Corey Curtis and Thayer Reynolds are more than happy to put the days of their turbulent courtship behind them. With the holidays upon them, they’re looking forward to celebrating with friends and family, intimate moments alone, and festive surprises.
And in Corey’s world, nothing says Christmas quite like a frozen body. One that Corey must defrost in order to close out her next case. The discovery of the deceased’s possible connection to Thayer inflames the still healing wounds of their recent trauma and sends them both reeling back into a world of uncertainty and turmoil.
With her best friend in tow and the police not far behind, Corey ends up in the unlikeliest of places—a church. Along the way hate and violence erupt while corruption abounds. But from the ashes new relationships are kindled, and even the darkest moments are no match for Corey and Thayer’s love.
Zero Chill is the highly anticipated sequel to Dirt Nap and Gallows Humor.
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Praise for the works of Carolyn Elizabeth
The Other Side of Forestlands Lake
Elizabeth (Gallows Humor) delivers her signature blend of lesbian romance and murder in this suspenseful outing. Paranormal YA author Willa Dunn steps into her own ghost story when she returns to her childhood summer home at Forestlands Lake. She’s hoping to work on her next book and reconnect with her half-sister, rebellious teenager Nicole, but her plans are derailed by a series of spectral visitations. When Nicole gets drunk and almost drowns in the lake, Willa’s childhood sweetheart, Lee Chandler, saves her. Lee, now the director of a summer camp for LGBTQ youth, and her daughter, Maggie, join together with Willa and Nicole to investigate the haunting. Between ghostly possessions and cryptic conversations with mysterious neighbors, Willa and Lee rekindle the flame that was barely allowed to flicker back when they were both closeted teens. Though the story hits some speed bumps trying to juggle the tense mystery and the lighthearted romance, the charming characters will draw in readers, and the plot ultimately hangs together nicely. Fans of romantic suspense are sure to be pleased.
-Publishers Weekly
The author uses great descriptions and innocuous little details to give the community surrounding the lake a disturbing personality. This is a nice juxtaposition with the giddiness Willa and Lee feel over being reunited. I enjoyed losing myself in a paranormal story. I’m pretty set in my ways about sticking to the romance genre, but this was a nice change of pace. The book is well paced, and it’s spooky enough to raise the hair on the back of your neck without making you need to sleep with the lights on.
-The Lesbian Review
It took only one book by Carolyn Elizabeth for me to decide that she was a must-read author. This is her third and it proves true again. I love Elizabeth’s stories but even if I didn’t, I’d read her books for the characters. She makes me fall in love with all of them. There are many layers to this book, and so we don’t get one mystery but two. Well-thought, complex and thrilling mysteries. Everything came as a surprise yet still made complete sense (in a paranormal way). Carolyn Elizabeth is proving that she could write any genre and I’d want to read it. In this book, you get romance, paranormal and mystery all in one, with each element being as important and as well-crafted.
-Les Rêveur
The plot is solid, very interesting and exciting. The pacing is flawless, making the book a page-turner. The protagonists are very likable and I really found myself caring about them. And not only that, I find myself strongly rooting for them to fix things and start a life as it was supposed to be for them. The younger pair of characters are great too, with a very important role in the narrative. The author did a very good job with them, as well as with numerous secondary characters. All in all, a really enjoyable story which I will read again. I highly recommend it, and am looking forward to other books by Carolyn Elizabeth.
-Pin’s Reviews, goodreads
With every book I’ve read by Carolyn Elizabeth, I’ve fallen more in love with her writing, and that continues to be true after reading The Other Side of Forestlands Lake. Ms. Elizabeth did a wonderful job with the setting and the eerie mood of this tale. The characters, both main and secondary, are well developed and fit their roles in the story perfectly. Some of the secondary characters really add to the gloomy darkness of the setting. The story itself and the mystery of the tale is intriguing and spine-tingling in all the right places.
I thoroughly enjoyed this paranormal/mystery/romance and have added it to my favorites list.
-Betty H., NetGalley
Gallows Humor
At this very moment, my coffee cup is raised in Carolyn Elizabeth’s honor because she gave me the perfect blend of an angst-filled, budding romance with endless humor and an enthralling murder mystery that kept me up way past my bedtime. I still can’t get over the fact that this story is her debut novel because Carolyn Elizabeth has knocked my fluffy bedroom socks off with her flawless writing and the witty and entertaining dialogue between the characters along with the vivid descriptions of the Jackson City Memorial Hospital and environs.
If you’re looking for a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat and have you doubled over with laughter, then this is definitely the story for you!
-The Lesbian Review
I always enjoy reading good debuts. It gets me excited to find new authors. I would recommend this book to just about anyone. I think people will enjoy this read. I hope there is a book two because I will be reading it. Almost forgot, I also like the oddball title of the book
-Lex Kent’s Reviews, goodreads
Dirt Nap
Yes! This is how you write a sequel, you make it even better than the first. For those readers that were hoping for more of Thayer and Corey, including their relationship, you won’t be disappointed. Their connection keeps growing, the chemistry is in your face and every romantic scene is just as good as the most exciting scenes in the book. All the story lines of this book really hit for me. From a little relationship angst to Corey’s big problem with a trusted friend, there was always something going on that kept me flipping these pages.
-Lex Kent’s Reviews, goodreads
This is a perfect sequel to Gallows Humor and met all of my…high expectations. Sometimes sequels can be disappointing, but not this one. We have the same mystery, intrigue, and romance that we found in the first book. Corey, Thayer, and all the secondary characters are just as likable and easy to connect with. The romance is still as sweet, and it was fun seeing the two grow together through all the trials they had to endure. It was also fun meeting a few new characters and watching them develop. Ms. Elizabeth not only has the knowledge she needs in pathology and medicine for this story, she also shines in character development. This is what makes both of these books so great.
-Betty H., NetGalley
Great second book for Carolyn Elizabeth and a great second in the Curtis & Reynolds series. Just like her debut Gallows Humor, this one is also written in third person, from the point of view of both protagonists, Corey and Thayer. The plot is even more interesting, with a very well-done crime/thriller part, and continuation of a really good romance. The chemistry between the two well-defined and likable protagonists is excellent. Add to that a few other very well-written relationships, good pacing, nice ending…and you have a great read.
-Pin’s Reviews, goodreads
I must admit that this is the second time that I was blown away with this author’s captivating writing style. She has really outdone herself with this story because she gave me a riveting romantic thriller that has so many entertaining and laugh-out loud moments embedded within it. This story kept me glued to my Kindle and hungry for more priceless wisecracks from Corey and Thayer. Even though Carolyn Elizabeth did a wonderful job of filling in some of the details and facts from her first book, I would strongly advise you to read Gallows Humor before you read this story so that you would get to know more about these lovely characters.
-The Lesbian Review
I reiterate from
-Jules P., NetGalley
Other Bella Books by Carolyn Elizabeth
The Other Side of Forestlands Lake
The Curtis and Reynolds Series
Gallows Humor
Dirt Nap
Copyright © 2021 by Carolyn Elizabeth
Bella Books, Inc.
P.O. Box 10543
Tallahassee, FL 32302
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.
First Bella Books Edition 2021
Editor: Ann Roberts
Cover Designer: Judith Fellows
ISBN: 978-1-64247-198-4
PUBLISHER’S NOTE
The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.
Acknowledgments
This is my pandemic book and I don’t know that I’ll ever be able to think of it any other way. It’s the manuscript I was working on when the first lockdowns hit and life went sideways. Everything was uncertain, exhausting and depressing, and being creative was not the fun escape it should have been. For the first time, writing was work—and not the kind I enjoy. I received the MS back from my editor just in time for the second lockdown to take hold and it seemed a fitting, if painful, way to finish the project.
My family gets first mention this time. It was hard—it still is. Sometimes it was every woman and boy-child for themselves and sometimes we pulled each other along. A lot of times we stayed silent when we should have communicated better and there were times we said things we didn’t mean.
We’re still here together, we’re healthy, we’re heavier and will be stronger for having been through this. I love you all very much. Thank you for your continued support of my writing journey and for talking me out of scrapping this entire book when my bad attitude was at its worst.
Thank you to my editor, Ann Roberts, for your encouragement, your patience, and all your words of wisdom. Thank you to the Bella Books family. I very much look forward to seeing you all in person soon.
Peace, love, and vaccines.
Chapter One
December Twenty-sixth
The Jackson City Memorial Hospital morgue was quiet the day after Christmas and Corey Curtis was hoping it remained so. She wasn’t looking forward to a body rolling in for autopsy and harshing on the holiday high she was hoping to hold onto into the new year. The second the thought floated out of her brain the buzzer to the outside door leading to the loading dock sounded and her stomach sank. If she wasn’t expecting a funeral home for a pick-up it was going to be a drop-off and a case requiring a post. She enjoyed her job as Autopsy Coordinator, but she had hoped she could hang onto all the good feelings from her lovely and lively first Christmas with her girlfriend, Thayer Reynolds. She wasn’t ready to go down the death investigation rabbit hole.
She opened the back door to her friend, Sergeant Jim Collier, and behind him Officer Kelly Warren.
“Merry Christmas, Curtis.” Collier held out a tall cup of coffee.
“Ah, just what I wanted.” She backed away from the door to let them in along with a blast of cold air. She looked around the loading dock but only saw his car.
“The ambulance got stuck behind a funeral procession, ironically enough.” Collier shed is coat and pushed his way into the morgue anteroom, hanging it over the back of Corey’s desk chair. “They’ll be here in a few minutes.”
“I’m in no hurry. Kelly, how’d the rest of your night go?” She raised her brows hoping for some good gossip knowing he gave Thayer’s very drunk best friend, Dana Fowler, a ride home.
“None of your business.”
“That tells me everything I need to know.”
Collier looked between them. “Were you two together last night?”
“At Rachel’s Christmas dinner at the coffee shop,” she said.
“What? I didn’t get invited?”
“You did. Or, at least, Steph did. She said you had plans.”
Collier grunted. “She wanted to work the city soup kitchen.”
Corey’s brows rose. “Wow, man, that’s awesome. She is so good for you.”
“If you say so,” he grumbled, but he couldn’t hide the light in his eyes that talking about Steph Austin sparked. She had been his partner for a short time over the summer while they worked the unidentified body linked to a drug trafficking case. The same case that got Thayer assaulted by Harold Crandall and Corey arrested for interfering with the police when she chased after the kids who’d vandalized her best friend Rachel Wiley’s coffee shop.
“Who are you bringing me?” Corey asked, leaning against the desk and sipping her coffee.
“Eh, could be interesting. Could be nothing,” Collier replied vaguely. “Let’s wait for the body and Doc Webster so we can all be on the same page at the same time,” he said referring to Corey’s boss, the forensic pathologist.
The buzzer sounded and Corey straightened and reached for the phone. “Guess we’re about to find out. If you get the door, I’ll get Webster.”
Corey gloved and gowned before dragging the irregularly-shaped, heavy black bodybag from the ambulance stretcher to the steel table so the paramedics could get back to work.
“Sergeant Collier, I was very much hoping for a quiet week,” Dr. Webster muttered as he lumbered into the autopsy suite.
“Don’t shoot the messenger,” Collier said and snapped open his notebook. “Unidentified, white, adult male found this morning partially obscured by the dumpsters behind the Towne Plaza between the pharmacy and the bowling alley when the trash pick-up came.”
Corey winced. “Ah, jeez, I was just there.”
“We didn’t want to risk any damage with a preliminary search of the body but we saw no obvious signs of trauma or struggle, no blood at the scene, and no weapon of any kind.”
Corey unzipped the bag to reveal the body of a young man in dark jeans and dark, hooded sweatshirt, curled up on his side, arms and legs tucked in. “Ooh, boy.”
“Frozen?” Dr. Webster asked.
Corey pulled on an arm, the flesh was rock hard and rigid in a way not explained by death and rigor. What skin they could see was bluish and icy. “As if by the hand of the Snow Queen, herself.”
Dr. Webster studied the body. “What’s your best guess on his weight?”
Corey pursed her lips, considering. “Hard to tell because of his positioning—one-eighty, maybe?”
Dr. Webster stroked his chin. “All right. Nothing for us to do until he thaws. Corey, get his temperature and whatever external you can and pop him in the cooler. Send me an email with the preliminary external exam. Keep an eye on him and let me know when he comes up above freezing.”
