Jekyll Island: A Paranormal Mystery (Taryn's Camera Book 5) Read Free Page B

thing could make her worse. She was also afraid of this but, so far, just felt tired. The excitement of being on the island, of starting a new job, overrode any weakness or pain.
    Back in her car, Taryn took herself for a drive around the island, trying to see as much as she could from her car. She’d have plenty of time to get out in the golf cart or on the bike later, if she wanted. (And she wanted . A lot.)
    George Strait sang about his exes living in Texas on the radio and she had a to-go cup full of Pepsi resting between her knees. It was still daylight and she’d received her second wind.
    To her right, the twinkling Atlantic spread out before her, a vastness that both thrilled and terrified her. Taryn had a love-hate relationship with water. She wasn’t so good in or on it. She loved watching it from the shore, though. It was one of the few times she felt like there was something bigger than herself out there in the universe.
    The other times were when she saw the ghosts.
    “Let’s start with the big daddy of sights,” she mumbled as she tried glancing down at her map and watching for cyclists and pedestrians at the same time.
    Although there wasn’t a sign for Driftwood Beach, the beach that boasted stark wreckages of trees and limbs that rose from the sand in skeletal monuments, she knew when she got there because of the amount of cars that were pulled over to the side of the road. She’d hoped she could catch a glimpse of the spectacle from her car but, alas, a thick grove of trees was in her way.
    “Well. Damn.” She’d have to save that for another day. Second wind or not, she didn’t feel like going for a hike.
    After passing a campground and RV park that looked pretty happening (Christmas tree lights strung through the trees, loud music pumping through the air, and the smell of charcoal) she rounded the corner and the so-called “tabby house” (officially known as the Horton House) came into view.
    “Okay now, that’s what I’m talking about,” she sang, grinning as she drew upon it. If there was one thing that got her blood pumping, it was old houses. And this one was old .
    Constructed of tabby in 1742, it was the oldest structure on the island and one of the oldest houses in the state of Georgia. For Taryn, it was a reminder that the Jekyll Island Club Hotel might be what the island became famous for, but its history was a lot more varied. The house may have lacked a roof, walls, and floors but it had been standing since the 18 th century.
    She pulled over to the side of the road and studied it for a moment, appreciating the way the early evening light shone through the windows and danced upon the lawn. It had wonderful shadows now and she knew it would take terrific pictures.
    “Mental note: return to Horton House,” she reminded herself as she turned back onto the road again.
    And then, after a few more minutes of driving with the river on her right this time, she was back around to the hotel again– the “historic village.” Since she was planning on returning the next day for the official tour, she kept going.
    “Plenty of time to get to know it…”
    After passing through a breadth of road that didn’t contain anything other than trees on both sides and a bike trail, she reached the water park. Taryn could see the tall water slides from the car and smiled. If she ever had a family she hoped she’d be the kind of parent who would round up the kids and take them to a place like that for the day. She envied the sunburnt and exhausted looking moms and dads she saw walking to their cars, carrying beach bags and screaming toddlers. Despite their tiredness and the heat they all looked so… happy .
    The south end of the island was wilder, much less developed than the rest. She knew there were beaches nearby, like the one where the movie “Glory” was filmed, but she couldn’t see them. Still, it was peaceful driving along the little road, windows rolled down and the hot summer sun