Introduction

We hope you’ve enjoyed the first three episodes of Jess and the Monsters in Jess and the Werewolf, Jess and the Ghost, and most recently, Jess and the Witch.

When we left off, Jess had taken Jack’s motorcycle and run for her life, fleeing the FBI and werewolves. She thought she had found refuge at a nice little bed & breakfast in Tennessee, but found ghosts and a demon there instead. After that, she found herself involved with a murderous college student who was killing her competitors with evil magic. What’s next for her in this world of magic and monsters?

Here’s book four in the series, where we see Jess on her first assignment from her job hunting monsters, this time solving the mystery of the Carnival Killer. So here’s the plan: We’ll be releasing a new stand-alone Jess tale every other week until the story ends. We’ll also be releasing the stories in six-book seasons. You can decide if you want each chapter of the story individually, or if you prefer to binge, you can pick up the whole season… just like a TV series.

BlueHouseBooks.com’s Releases

By Kevin L. Knights and Brian Schell:

Jess and the Monsters, Season One

Jess and the Werewolf

Jess and the Ghost

Jess and the Witch

Jess and the Carnival Killer

Jess and the Demon Zombies

Jess and the Swamp Monster

Jess and the Monsters Season One COMPLETE

Random Acts of Cloning 1: Impact

Random Acts of Cloning 2: Division

Random Acts of Cloning 3: Multiplication

Random Acts of Cloning 4: Exponents

Random Acts of Cloning 5: Explosions

Random Acts of Cloning 6: Mutations

Jess and the Carnival Killer

Jess woke with a start. Someone was banging on the door. For an instant she was disoriented and didn’t remember where she was.  She opened her eyes and was staring at striped green wallpaper that she didn’t recognize.  Then she remembered that it was a seedy motel off the interstate in some town she’d never heard of.  

She glanced at the clock radio on the nightstand, an old model with numbers that flipped over every minute, just as it clicked over to 7:07.  Sunlight was streaming through a gap in the curtains.

She sat up and realized she was stark naked.  Her clothes were on a pile on the floor next to the bed.  She must have been exhausted, she didn’t even remember taking them off. The knocking came again and she stiffly got out of bed.  Wrapping a sheet around herself, she cautiously approached the door and looked out the peephole.  Mike was standing there with a cardboard cup holder in one hand, loaded with coffee and something in wrappers.  Jess wondered grumpily why he was so damned early.

As if sensing her presence on the other side of the door, Mike looked at the peephole from his side and said, Good morning Jess, are you going to let me in or what?  I brought coffee and sandwiches.

Just a minute. She considered mentioning that she wasn’t dressed, but immediately realized that was a conversation she didn’t want to have with Mike. She pulled on her clothing from last night as quickly as she could, then threw the sheet back on the bed.

She opened the door and Mike walked in without invitation, setting the cup holder on a wobbly table in the corner.

Come in, Jess said sarcastically.

Sleep well? He asked, taking the lid off his own coffee and tasting the contents.  From the face he made, it was obviously too hot.

I slept great. I could have used another two hours though. Why so early? She eyed her own coffee warily.

I got a call from home. You know how we talked about weird cases that you could investigate for me? I have one already that sounds perfect for you.

He offered her one of the sandwiches.  She accepted it and took a bite before she replied.  It was surprisingly good, ham and egg with cheese.

But… You said my new ID wouldn’t be ready for another week. How am I going to make that work?

This looks like it’ll be undercover as a carnival worker. You like carnivals?

Jess glared at him. Not especially. She remembered the Ohio State Fair, where all this mess had really gotten started. She used to love the circus and carnivals and fairs, but she’d gone a little sour on them after that.

Good, Mike continued, not even hearing her response. A lot of ‘carnies,’ … do they still call them that? ...Work under the table. I don’t think you’ll need any special ID. Or at least, I’ll make sure you don’t when I talk to the client.

You haven’t talked to them yet?

No, they arranged all this through my office at home. I got a call from Crystal this morning.

Jess stopped in mid-bite and stared at him.  Crystal?  Your ghost friend Crystal?  She called you on the phone?

Mike nodded, Yep.  She’s almost like a personal assistant.

Jess still couldn’t quite get her head wrapped around that.  Mike could see her confusion and explained, That’s an ability that I have.  Kind of a gift.  Most ghosts are weak, they can barely make themselves visible, let alone do any physical actions in the real world.  I can work with them, befriend them, make them stronger so they can  focus their energy.

How?

Like I said, it’s an ability. Back home, I have several ghosts that help me out. Some of them even have jobs… behind the scenes, of course. Where do you think my money comes from?

Like slave labor? Jess asked.

Mike shook his head vehemently, "No, not at all.  It’s not against their will.  It’s kind of hard to explain.  Their motivations aren’t like living people any more.  They aren’t