Fatal Forensic Investigation, page 19
“Mother loved to take me to the beach just to use me as a tool for picking up men. One would come along and she’d leave me by myself. Told me not to move or I’d get the whip on my behind.” His eyes darkened, turning more eerie than before. “She’d go off with them, and I would hunt for seashells. They comforted me.”
“So, the necklaces on your victims were to comfort them in their dying moments? How sick are you?” Come on, team, get here quick. We need you.
His expression softened. “After everything she did, I still loved her. I desired to add a token of that love on my victims.”
“But you killed your mother in that drone strike. Why?”
“You were getting too close. Besides, it was time for her to pay for everything. That no-good rich husband of hers couldn’t even save her.”
“Is that why you started killing again? After she got married?” Scarlet shifted her position, bending at the knees slightly and putting herself in an attack stance.
“Smart girl.”
“Tell me, why did you kill Ian, and why bring Violet into everything?”
“That’s easy. Dear old Violet was ready to out my drug of choice. I wanted to make her pay, and it was a way to get to Jace.” Aiden bent down to his victim and adjusted a seashell. “Ian, on the other hand, was a tragedy. He was my best friend, but he saw me the night I killed—or thought I killed—Lila Canfield.”
It now made sense. Well, sense in Aiden’s mind. All these people were out to spoil his mission. Stop him from ridding the island of his “vixens.” Sick.
Aiden once again raised his weapon. “Show me your gun.”
She held out her hands. “I rarely carry one.” Movement sounded behind her. Was Jace free of his bindings yet? She had to give him more time.
Charlie whimpered.
Lord, keep the little guy calm.
“Okay, we’re going to get this party started.” Aiden reached behind another log and picked up an item.
A jerrican.
No, Lord!
“That’s right. I know about the accident that killed Becky. You see, after you just wouldn’t die, I dug deep and discovered everything I could about you. Found an article from your childhood, when your friend died. Thought it would be a fitting way for you as well. Your punishment for interfering.” He stuffed the gun into his waistband and pressed diesel through the pump, spraying it in her direction.
She screamed.
“I’ve soaked this entire area. You can’t escape.”
Scarlet felt motion behind her. Jace had freed himself and slowly eased up her pant leg, removing her gun.
Sirens blared in the distance.
Marcy had called in the team.
Aiden’s eyes narrowed. “How did you—”
“You’re not the only one with tricks up their sleeves.” Scarlet prayed, asking God for protection and strength. Strength to face her fears. “Surrender. It’s over.”
“They can’t save you. It’s too late.” Aiden pulled a gun from his waistline and a dart from his front pocket, inserting it into the chamber. “This will help you sleep and ensure you don’t escape.” He dug a lighter out, flicking it at the same time he aimed the weapon in her direction.
No! They had to act fast. She wiggled her fingers at her sides, hoping Jace would get her signal.
The slight tug on her pants proved he did.
“Now, Jace!” Scarlet dived to the right, moving away from the possible gunfight.
Jace fired. His shot hit Aiden in the shoulder.
He screamed and fell to the ground, dropping the lighter. Flames erupted, sending a blaze in every direction.
Blocking their escape.
Shouts from across the beach drew closer. She prayed for the constables to make it in time.
A ring of fire circled Charlie and Jace, but their ankles were still bound. She had to get to them, even if it meant risking her life. Scarlet mustered up courage and bolted toward them, leaping through the flames. She dropped and rolled to rid herself of any embers, then scrambled to them. She removed her pocketknife and cut their ankle ropes.
Charlie whimpered, and Scarlet lifted him from the log. “I’ve got you, bud.”
Jace staggered to his feet. “Scarlet, move!” He raised the weapon.
She turned.
Aiden eased himself up, pointing his rifle at them.
Scarlet vaulted to the right.
Jace fired. This time, the shot met its target.
Aiden collapsed.
Constables raced toward them, shouting.
Doug reached them first, spraying the contents of a fire extinguisher into the inferno. Not that it would eliminate the blazing flames entirely, but it would help them escape what would have been their fiery grave.
Scarlet leaped through the flames with Jace behind her. They distanced themselves from the fire before she set Charlie on the sand and patted him down for embers.
Frank and Gail circled around to the other side and tugged Aiden’s body from the scene.
“Charlie!” Marcy ran toward them, holding out her arms. “I’ll take him to the paramedics.” She lifted the boy and moved back to the ambulance.
Firefighters hustled all around them to put out the fire.
The adrenaline left Scarlet’s body, and she dropped to the ground, shaking.
Jace crouched beside her and enveloped her into an embrace. “You saved us.”
He smelled of smoke, but she didn’t care. She nuzzled deeper into his arms. “I would do anything for you, Jace.”
“Scarlet, I want you in my life. Permanently.”
She stiffened at his intent. “Will you after you learn about the secret I’ve kept from everyone, including my sister?”
He released his hold. “What do you mean?”
“I finally remember everything.” She hesitated, but only for a second. She had to clear the air. “Two years ago, I discovered my boyfriend of eight months was leading a double life. He had a wife and child I’d known nothing about. I felt shame at myself for not being able to read the man. I was trained to detect when someone was lying, but I failed to see it in him.”
He rubbed her cheek with his thumb. “I understand. My wife cheated on me with a coworker. I get it.”
“There’s more.” She heaved out a sigh. “When I tried to break it off, he—he raped me.” Tears escaped, tumbling down her face. “I’m so ashamed, I never told anyone.”
Jace brought her back into his arms. “I’m sorry you went through that.”
Could she tell him her true feelings? Do it. “Jace Allen, I had a crush on you in college.”
Once again, he leaned back, grinning. “What? I thought you hated me.”
She ran her finger down his cheek, stopping at his chin dimple. “Never.”
“I had a crush on you, too, but we always fought.”
“We acted like children, being mean to the one we were interested in. It kept our feelings hidden and us apart.”
“Exactly. For too long.” He eyed her lips. “Scarlet Wells, I love you.”
Her heart stuttered. “Ditto.”
He brought her closer, touching her lips with his in a gentle, romantic kiss.
A kiss that would remain etched in her memory—forever.
EPILOGUE
One year later
Scarlet adjusted her flowing white wedding dress and followed Charlie Allen down the red carpet laid across the sandy beach toward the shoreline. He tossed rose petals on each side of their royal rug. No seashells here. She had asked the boy who’d stolen her heart to be both a flower boy and ring bearer. He’d hopped with joy, accepting his dual role in his father’s wedding.
Scarlet’s raven hair was swept into a soft French twist at the nape of her neck, with tiny red roses tucked into the folds. Her bouquet matched the petals on the sand, along with the flowers in her updo. A tiara at the top of her head completed her wedding ensemble, making her feel like a princess. She grinned at the man waiting beside the trellis positioned in front of the waves.
His eyes matched the ocean, stealing her breath away.
Like they did every time his gaze found hers.
In the days after the Coastline Strangler was revealed, the small community of Coral Bay rallied together to comfort each other at the discovery of one of their own being a serial killer. Aiden Parker had succumbed to his gunshot wounds. His death sent a shock wave through the town. One of both sadness and relief. The women of the island were once again safe, but it took months for the town to come back from the deception of one of their own residents. Aiden had fooled them all.
Jace’s leader had promoted him officially after all his heroic actions. He was now Deputy Chief Jace Allen. His coworkers, who were once jealous of his abilities, now looked up to him.
All of Scarlet’s memories returned, and she made amends with those she’d wronged during the two years after her rape. She had only shared the tragic events of that night with her family and her boss, asking for their forgiveness for keeping it a secret. Scarlet discovered Brandon Snow had been diagnosed with terminal cancer, so to protect his family and not cause them further heartache, Scarlet decided not to pursue any legal actions. She’d finally moved on from that frightful night.
Jace, Charlie and Scarlet had formed an unbreakable bond after the day Aiden tried to take their lives. Jace and Scarlet dated for six months before he popped the question, each traveling back and forth between their homes. Scarlet left her official role as forensic artist in Whitehorse and opened a freelance business. She wanted to spend more time with her new family—Jace, Charlie and Marcy—so they turned the cottage on Jace’s property into an office for her to take on cases helping police identify victims as well as training up-and-coming artists.
She would officially move into her new home on the beach’s cliff after their wedding.
A seagull squawked overhead as the waves crashed on the shoreline against the red-orange sun, kissing the horizon and sparkling on the water. She smiled.
Even though the beaches on this island had seen heartache, joy still radiated in their beauty.
Scarlet winked at her sister as she passed by their row. Her mother and father sat beside Olive. Even though Scarlet knew her mother’s memory was mostly gone, Evelyn and Carson Wells beamed from ear to ear at their daughter. A tear escaped as she remembered the moment when she felt the connection with what her mother must have experienced when her memories failed. Scarlet wiped it away and moved onward. She would visit her parents as much as possible.
Scarlet stepped onto the makeshift stage and stood facing the man of her dreams.
Jace winked and leaned closer, placing a kiss on her cheek. “You look beautiful.”
She fingered the rose on his suit jacket lapel. “You don’t look so shabby yourself, handsome.”
“Time to get married!” Charlie yelled, jumping in between them.
The small crowd burst into laughter.
Ten minutes later, after Scarlet and Jace had shared their vows, the pastor cleared his throat. “I now pronounce you husband and wife. Jace, you may kiss your bride.”
Jace took Scarlet into his arms and dipped her as if in a dance. He leaned closer and kissed her deeply.
Once again stealing her breath.
Scarlet silently thanked God for her husband—her hero.
Most of all, she praised Him for walking through the fire with her and restoring her memory, shaping her into the woman she was meant to be.
A sculpted work of her Father.
* * *
If you liked this story from Darlene L. Turner, check out her previous Love Inspired Suspense books:
Border Breach
Abducted in Alaska
Lethal Cover-Up
Safe House Exposed
Available now from Love Inspired Suspense!
Find more great reads at www.LoveInspired.com.
Keep reading for an excerpt from Ranch Under Siege by Sommer Smith.
Dear Reader,
Thank you so much for joining me on Scarlet and Jace’s roller-coaster adventure! Action hounded them at every corner. Thankfully they had each other to help overcome the difficulties they faced. I can’t imagine what Scarlet must have gone through when she lost her memory. However, in the end they both grew stronger in their faiths when they allowed God to sculpt their identities and mold them into whom He wanted them to be—children of the King. Isn’t that what our Father wants from us, too?
I enjoyed creating the fictional town of Coral Bay, British Columbia. I loosely based it on the real town of Oak Bay—a picturesque community on Vancouver Island.
I’d love to hear from you. You can contact me through my website, www.darlenelturner.com, and also sign up for my newsletter to receive exclusive subscriber giveaways. Thanks for reading my story.
God bless,
Darlene L. Turner
WE HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS BOOK FROM
Courage. Danger. Faith.
Find strength and determination in stories of faith and love in the face of danger.
6 NEW BOOKS AVAILABLE EVERY MONTH!
Ranch Under Siege
by Sommer Smith
ONE
Madison felt the eyes on her again.
She glanced around the crowded plane, but no one seemed to be looking in her direction. It was eerie.
She turned to gaze out the window, thankful she wasn’t stuck out on the aisle, and studied the dirty snow piled along the sides of the tarmac. At least it wasn’t snowing again now. She was glad to be headed south, even if only for the weekend. Early spring made her impatient for better weather, especially living up north where it was so much colder.
She turned to survey her fellow passengers once more, still aware of someone focused on her. No one stood out, though, so she was surely being ridiculous.
The flight attendant smiled at her as she passed, and the seats continued to fill. Madison didn’t know whether to breathe a sigh of relief or become more concerned as the jet began to creep along the runway.
She hadn’t felt safe since the attack in Boston.
It had seemed random at the time. She had been walking down the street, headed home to her apartment after staying late at the office. It was dark, and the street was quiet. Someone grabbed her from behind and tried to drag her into the alley. Thankfully, a passerby had noticed her struggle and ran up just in time, frightening the man away.
Madison had been shaken to her core. The police had insisted she was a random mugging victim, but she felt it was more than that, which made the lingering feelings of violation harder to shake. Ever since, she was anxious about being alone and often thought, like she did right now, that someone was watching her. She was off-balance, positive there was something more behind the attack. Every time she closed her eyes, she felt the grasp of her attacker again.
It was horrible.
The other worry plaguing her was her father. She hadn’t seen him once in the three long years since her mother’s death. They had disagreed over Madison’s choices at the time, and while Madison could now see the error in her thinking, she hadn’t at the time. For her, being successful had meant she had to leave and make a name for herself. She’d wanted to prove that someone raised on a ranch in Oklahoma could be just as successful as someone raised in the suburbs.
She had argued with her father and mother both, telling them she had to do more than they’d done with their lives, not knowing how she had hurt them with her words. She’d stayed long enough to finish college, get her start as a news reporter in the suburbs of Oklahoma City and see her mother begin to waste away from the horrors of cancer.
After the funeral was over, she’d hopped a plane to Boston to work her way into her dream job. She hadn’t risked a return since then. If the truth were told, she had avoided going home. With her mother gone, and the death of a close friend a little over a year ago, she didn’t look forward to the feeling of loss that would await her there. When Madison had learned of her friend Wade’s death in Afghanistan, she hadn’t even attended the funeral, making excuses that she couldn’t fly out. She regretted that now.
But a visit was long overdue.
Her father had just been diagnosed with a heart condition, and doctors were still adjusting his treatment plan. Once she’d learned about his heart attack, she’d dropped everything to book a trip back to Oklahoma. She had no idea if her father was truly hoping to see her, but she would likely know how he felt for sure as soon as she arrived.
In the few times they had spoken since she’d left, the conversation had been stilted and rife with unease. She had tried to apologize over the phone, but such an impersonal apology was never the same. With his health issues, she dared not wait any longer. She had to make sure things were right.
For now, though, she needed to settle in and get some of her assignments done. She didn’t want to have to write during her time at the ranch with her father.
Trying to work didn’t distract her at all.
She felt someone watching her again, and looking all around the plane did nothing to help. Her skin crawled, and her insides roiled.
Going to her email inbox, she noticed an odd sender name with an attachment. Thinking it might be something she could use for the article she was writing, she opened it.
In the email attachments, however, videos of her own apartment appeared. Various views of her living quarters displayed her own form going about her daily life, making a sandwich, doing laundry, feeding her cat and her Pomeranian...
She slammed the laptop closed, startling a middle-aged woman next to her. She tried to smile at her in apology, but it fell short. Her hands trembled. She rose to go to the restroom, excusing herself robotically on her way to the aisle. Knees weak, everything around her faded into the surreal as she tried to hold it together walking down the aisle of the plane.
“So, the necklaces on your victims were to comfort them in their dying moments? How sick are you?” Come on, team, get here quick. We need you.
His expression softened. “After everything she did, I still loved her. I desired to add a token of that love on my victims.”
“But you killed your mother in that drone strike. Why?”
“You were getting too close. Besides, it was time for her to pay for everything. That no-good rich husband of hers couldn’t even save her.”
“Is that why you started killing again? After she got married?” Scarlet shifted her position, bending at the knees slightly and putting herself in an attack stance.
“Smart girl.”
“Tell me, why did you kill Ian, and why bring Violet into everything?”
“That’s easy. Dear old Violet was ready to out my drug of choice. I wanted to make her pay, and it was a way to get to Jace.” Aiden bent down to his victim and adjusted a seashell. “Ian, on the other hand, was a tragedy. He was my best friend, but he saw me the night I killed—or thought I killed—Lila Canfield.”
It now made sense. Well, sense in Aiden’s mind. All these people were out to spoil his mission. Stop him from ridding the island of his “vixens.” Sick.
Aiden once again raised his weapon. “Show me your gun.”
She held out her hands. “I rarely carry one.” Movement sounded behind her. Was Jace free of his bindings yet? She had to give him more time.
Charlie whimpered.
Lord, keep the little guy calm.
“Okay, we’re going to get this party started.” Aiden reached behind another log and picked up an item.
A jerrican.
No, Lord!
“That’s right. I know about the accident that killed Becky. You see, after you just wouldn’t die, I dug deep and discovered everything I could about you. Found an article from your childhood, when your friend died. Thought it would be a fitting way for you as well. Your punishment for interfering.” He stuffed the gun into his waistband and pressed diesel through the pump, spraying it in her direction.
She screamed.
“I’ve soaked this entire area. You can’t escape.”
Scarlet felt motion behind her. Jace had freed himself and slowly eased up her pant leg, removing her gun.
Sirens blared in the distance.
Marcy had called in the team.
Aiden’s eyes narrowed. “How did you—”
“You’re not the only one with tricks up their sleeves.” Scarlet prayed, asking God for protection and strength. Strength to face her fears. “Surrender. It’s over.”
“They can’t save you. It’s too late.” Aiden pulled a gun from his waistline and a dart from his front pocket, inserting it into the chamber. “This will help you sleep and ensure you don’t escape.” He dug a lighter out, flicking it at the same time he aimed the weapon in her direction.
No! They had to act fast. She wiggled her fingers at her sides, hoping Jace would get her signal.
The slight tug on her pants proved he did.
“Now, Jace!” Scarlet dived to the right, moving away from the possible gunfight.
Jace fired. His shot hit Aiden in the shoulder.
He screamed and fell to the ground, dropping the lighter. Flames erupted, sending a blaze in every direction.
Blocking their escape.
Shouts from across the beach drew closer. She prayed for the constables to make it in time.
A ring of fire circled Charlie and Jace, but their ankles were still bound. She had to get to them, even if it meant risking her life. Scarlet mustered up courage and bolted toward them, leaping through the flames. She dropped and rolled to rid herself of any embers, then scrambled to them. She removed her pocketknife and cut their ankle ropes.
Charlie whimpered, and Scarlet lifted him from the log. “I’ve got you, bud.”
Jace staggered to his feet. “Scarlet, move!” He raised the weapon.
She turned.
Aiden eased himself up, pointing his rifle at them.
Scarlet vaulted to the right.
Jace fired. This time, the shot met its target.
Aiden collapsed.
Constables raced toward them, shouting.
Doug reached them first, spraying the contents of a fire extinguisher into the inferno. Not that it would eliminate the blazing flames entirely, but it would help them escape what would have been their fiery grave.
Scarlet leaped through the flames with Jace behind her. They distanced themselves from the fire before she set Charlie on the sand and patted him down for embers.
Frank and Gail circled around to the other side and tugged Aiden’s body from the scene.
“Charlie!” Marcy ran toward them, holding out her arms. “I’ll take him to the paramedics.” She lifted the boy and moved back to the ambulance.
Firefighters hustled all around them to put out the fire.
The adrenaline left Scarlet’s body, and she dropped to the ground, shaking.
Jace crouched beside her and enveloped her into an embrace. “You saved us.”
He smelled of smoke, but she didn’t care. She nuzzled deeper into his arms. “I would do anything for you, Jace.”
“Scarlet, I want you in my life. Permanently.”
She stiffened at his intent. “Will you after you learn about the secret I’ve kept from everyone, including my sister?”
He released his hold. “What do you mean?”
“I finally remember everything.” She hesitated, but only for a second. She had to clear the air. “Two years ago, I discovered my boyfriend of eight months was leading a double life. He had a wife and child I’d known nothing about. I felt shame at myself for not being able to read the man. I was trained to detect when someone was lying, but I failed to see it in him.”
He rubbed her cheek with his thumb. “I understand. My wife cheated on me with a coworker. I get it.”
“There’s more.” She heaved out a sigh. “When I tried to break it off, he—he raped me.” Tears escaped, tumbling down her face. “I’m so ashamed, I never told anyone.”
Jace brought her back into his arms. “I’m sorry you went through that.”
Could she tell him her true feelings? Do it. “Jace Allen, I had a crush on you in college.”
Once again, he leaned back, grinning. “What? I thought you hated me.”
She ran her finger down his cheek, stopping at his chin dimple. “Never.”
“I had a crush on you, too, but we always fought.”
“We acted like children, being mean to the one we were interested in. It kept our feelings hidden and us apart.”
“Exactly. For too long.” He eyed her lips. “Scarlet Wells, I love you.”
Her heart stuttered. “Ditto.”
He brought her closer, touching her lips with his in a gentle, romantic kiss.
A kiss that would remain etched in her memory—forever.
EPILOGUE
One year later
Scarlet adjusted her flowing white wedding dress and followed Charlie Allen down the red carpet laid across the sandy beach toward the shoreline. He tossed rose petals on each side of their royal rug. No seashells here. She had asked the boy who’d stolen her heart to be both a flower boy and ring bearer. He’d hopped with joy, accepting his dual role in his father’s wedding.
Scarlet’s raven hair was swept into a soft French twist at the nape of her neck, with tiny red roses tucked into the folds. Her bouquet matched the petals on the sand, along with the flowers in her updo. A tiara at the top of her head completed her wedding ensemble, making her feel like a princess. She grinned at the man waiting beside the trellis positioned in front of the waves.
His eyes matched the ocean, stealing her breath away.
Like they did every time his gaze found hers.
In the days after the Coastline Strangler was revealed, the small community of Coral Bay rallied together to comfort each other at the discovery of one of their own being a serial killer. Aiden Parker had succumbed to his gunshot wounds. His death sent a shock wave through the town. One of both sadness and relief. The women of the island were once again safe, but it took months for the town to come back from the deception of one of their own residents. Aiden had fooled them all.
Jace’s leader had promoted him officially after all his heroic actions. He was now Deputy Chief Jace Allen. His coworkers, who were once jealous of his abilities, now looked up to him.
All of Scarlet’s memories returned, and she made amends with those she’d wronged during the two years after her rape. She had only shared the tragic events of that night with her family and her boss, asking for their forgiveness for keeping it a secret. Scarlet discovered Brandon Snow had been diagnosed with terminal cancer, so to protect his family and not cause them further heartache, Scarlet decided not to pursue any legal actions. She’d finally moved on from that frightful night.
Jace, Charlie and Scarlet had formed an unbreakable bond after the day Aiden tried to take their lives. Jace and Scarlet dated for six months before he popped the question, each traveling back and forth between their homes. Scarlet left her official role as forensic artist in Whitehorse and opened a freelance business. She wanted to spend more time with her new family—Jace, Charlie and Marcy—so they turned the cottage on Jace’s property into an office for her to take on cases helping police identify victims as well as training up-and-coming artists.
She would officially move into her new home on the beach’s cliff after their wedding.
A seagull squawked overhead as the waves crashed on the shoreline against the red-orange sun, kissing the horizon and sparkling on the water. She smiled.
Even though the beaches on this island had seen heartache, joy still radiated in their beauty.
Scarlet winked at her sister as she passed by their row. Her mother and father sat beside Olive. Even though Scarlet knew her mother’s memory was mostly gone, Evelyn and Carson Wells beamed from ear to ear at their daughter. A tear escaped as she remembered the moment when she felt the connection with what her mother must have experienced when her memories failed. Scarlet wiped it away and moved onward. She would visit her parents as much as possible.
Scarlet stepped onto the makeshift stage and stood facing the man of her dreams.
Jace winked and leaned closer, placing a kiss on her cheek. “You look beautiful.”
She fingered the rose on his suit jacket lapel. “You don’t look so shabby yourself, handsome.”
“Time to get married!” Charlie yelled, jumping in between them.
The small crowd burst into laughter.
Ten minutes later, after Scarlet and Jace had shared their vows, the pastor cleared his throat. “I now pronounce you husband and wife. Jace, you may kiss your bride.”
Jace took Scarlet into his arms and dipped her as if in a dance. He leaned closer and kissed her deeply.
Once again stealing her breath.
Scarlet silently thanked God for her husband—her hero.
Most of all, she praised Him for walking through the fire with her and restoring her memory, shaping her into the woman she was meant to be.
A sculpted work of her Father.
* * *
If you liked this story from Darlene L. Turner, check out her previous Love Inspired Suspense books:
Border Breach
Abducted in Alaska
Lethal Cover-Up
Safe House Exposed
Available now from Love Inspired Suspense!
Find more great reads at www.LoveInspired.com.
Keep reading for an excerpt from Ranch Under Siege by Sommer Smith.
Dear Reader,
Thank you so much for joining me on Scarlet and Jace’s roller-coaster adventure! Action hounded them at every corner. Thankfully they had each other to help overcome the difficulties they faced. I can’t imagine what Scarlet must have gone through when she lost her memory. However, in the end they both grew stronger in their faiths when they allowed God to sculpt their identities and mold them into whom He wanted them to be—children of the King. Isn’t that what our Father wants from us, too?
I enjoyed creating the fictional town of Coral Bay, British Columbia. I loosely based it on the real town of Oak Bay—a picturesque community on Vancouver Island.
I’d love to hear from you. You can contact me through my website, www.darlenelturner.com, and also sign up for my newsletter to receive exclusive subscriber giveaways. Thanks for reading my story.
God bless,
Darlene L. Turner
WE HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS BOOK FROM
Courage. Danger. Faith.
Find strength and determination in stories of faith and love in the face of danger.
6 NEW BOOKS AVAILABLE EVERY MONTH!
Ranch Under Siege
by Sommer Smith
ONE
Madison felt the eyes on her again.
She glanced around the crowded plane, but no one seemed to be looking in her direction. It was eerie.
She turned to gaze out the window, thankful she wasn’t stuck out on the aisle, and studied the dirty snow piled along the sides of the tarmac. At least it wasn’t snowing again now. She was glad to be headed south, even if only for the weekend. Early spring made her impatient for better weather, especially living up north where it was so much colder.
She turned to survey her fellow passengers once more, still aware of someone focused on her. No one stood out, though, so she was surely being ridiculous.
The flight attendant smiled at her as she passed, and the seats continued to fill. Madison didn’t know whether to breathe a sigh of relief or become more concerned as the jet began to creep along the runway.
She hadn’t felt safe since the attack in Boston.
It had seemed random at the time. She had been walking down the street, headed home to her apartment after staying late at the office. It was dark, and the street was quiet. Someone grabbed her from behind and tried to drag her into the alley. Thankfully, a passerby had noticed her struggle and ran up just in time, frightening the man away.
Madison had been shaken to her core. The police had insisted she was a random mugging victim, but she felt it was more than that, which made the lingering feelings of violation harder to shake. Ever since, she was anxious about being alone and often thought, like she did right now, that someone was watching her. She was off-balance, positive there was something more behind the attack. Every time she closed her eyes, she felt the grasp of her attacker again.
It was horrible.
The other worry plaguing her was her father. She hadn’t seen him once in the three long years since her mother’s death. They had disagreed over Madison’s choices at the time, and while Madison could now see the error in her thinking, she hadn’t at the time. For her, being successful had meant she had to leave and make a name for herself. She’d wanted to prove that someone raised on a ranch in Oklahoma could be just as successful as someone raised in the suburbs.
She had argued with her father and mother both, telling them she had to do more than they’d done with their lives, not knowing how she had hurt them with her words. She’d stayed long enough to finish college, get her start as a news reporter in the suburbs of Oklahoma City and see her mother begin to waste away from the horrors of cancer.
After the funeral was over, she’d hopped a plane to Boston to work her way into her dream job. She hadn’t risked a return since then. If the truth were told, she had avoided going home. With her mother gone, and the death of a close friend a little over a year ago, she didn’t look forward to the feeling of loss that would await her there. When Madison had learned of her friend Wade’s death in Afghanistan, she hadn’t even attended the funeral, making excuses that she couldn’t fly out. She regretted that now.
But a visit was long overdue.
Her father had just been diagnosed with a heart condition, and doctors were still adjusting his treatment plan. Once she’d learned about his heart attack, she’d dropped everything to book a trip back to Oklahoma. She had no idea if her father was truly hoping to see her, but she would likely know how he felt for sure as soon as she arrived.
In the few times they had spoken since she’d left, the conversation had been stilted and rife with unease. She had tried to apologize over the phone, but such an impersonal apology was never the same. With his health issues, she dared not wait any longer. She had to make sure things were right.
For now, though, she needed to settle in and get some of her assignments done. She didn’t want to have to write during her time at the ranch with her father.
Trying to work didn’t distract her at all.
She felt someone watching her again, and looking all around the plane did nothing to help. Her skin crawled, and her insides roiled.
Going to her email inbox, she noticed an odd sender name with an attachment. Thinking it might be something she could use for the article she was writing, she opened it.
In the email attachments, however, videos of her own apartment appeared. Various views of her living quarters displayed her own form going about her daily life, making a sandwich, doing laundry, feeding her cat and her Pomeranian...
She slammed the laptop closed, startling a middle-aged woman next to her. She tried to smile at her in apology, but it fell short. Her hands trembled. She rose to go to the restroom, excusing herself robotically on her way to the aisle. Knees weak, everything around her faded into the surreal as she tried to hold it together walking down the aisle of the plane.
