About the Book
Who would want Ciara dead? And why?
Against all odds, Landon Smith and her ordinary-hero neighbour Bobby Hawke survived a murderous plot six weeks ago. Now, she’s determined to leave solving mysteries to the experts—like handsome local police officer Dylan Tremblay.
But when a friend is nearly killed in a daring daylight attack, Landon can’t sit this out. Not when she knows the anger of being a victim.
Her faith tells her to leave room for God’s vengeance. Her heart says to retaliate.
The fight to expose Ciara’s enemy will uncover secrets and betrayal that could cost Landon her life.
Book Excerpt
Chapter 1
Thursday
What if I can’t do this?” Landon Smith twisted her fingers together in her lap until they hurt.
“Don’t let one toxic prof get inside your head.” Bobby Hawke looped the Corvette around another curve in the narrow coastal road. “She’s behind you now. Transferring to Halifax means a fresh start.”
“I ran away.”
“You made a strategic decision to regroup.”
Landon snapped her stretchy bead bracelet against her wrist. How could she explain her mounting anxiety when she didn’t understand it herself? She’d survived day one on her new campus. Next stop was a South Shore, Nova Scotia beach walk to unwind. Zero stress.
Except the drive from the city had given her time to think about the mountain of readings and the visible cliques among the other undergrads.
“Twenty-four isn’t that much older, but I feel like…” The hypnotic unfolding of the faded pavement drew her gaze. The throaty power of the convertible’s engine had them skimming the shore like a white seabird. “I feel like a trade-in car with dull paint and flat tires. What if I can’t keep up?”
The rays sparkling off the Atlantic Ocean dazzled her vision and churned the nameless dread in her gut, compounding the slipstream effect from the open roof. She ground her molars against a rising tide of heat. Spewing in Bobby’s Corvette was not an option.
Bobby slapped the vent control, and cool air blasted her cheeks. The car slowed. “Need me to pull over?”
Eyes closed, she inhaled deeply. The searing sensation ebbed, leaving a manageable queasiness. She gulped. “I’m good now.”
He eased back up to the speed limit. “You were getting kind of green around the gills.”
An oncoming police car chirped its siren once before whipping past.
Landon twisted to peer after it. “Was that Dylan?”
Bobby slowed again and jostled them onto the gravel shoulder, tires crunching to a stop. “Whoever it was just got a call. They’re coming back.”
Red and blue lights flashed, and the white cruiser paused alongside, its passenger window lowering. Constable Dylan Tremblay acknowledged them both with a nod. “There’s a pull-off around the next bend. Follow me.”
He cut the roof lights and drove on.
“Wonder what’s up.” Bobby signalled and eased the Corvette back onto the pavement.
Landon’s heart flipped. “Something’s happened at the inn.”
With the trouble at the Green Dory Inn this summer, Dylan had been the responding officer so many times that he and Landon had become friends. When she decided to extend her stay in Lunenburg, he’d adopted a protective big-brother role. Not that he or Bobby had more than five years on her.
She focused on the cool air streaming from the dash vent, but her nerves coiled tighter and tighter until she could barely breathe. As soon as Bobby cut left onto a grassy area and stopped beside the police car, she ran after Dylan toward the lone picnic table.
“Dylan, what’s wrong?”
He chose the bench with his back to the Atlantic. Behind him, the land fell away to where short, choppy waves sparkled like a net full of diamonds. The playful light contrasted with his unsmiling expression.
“Sorry about the theatrics. This needs more than a roadside chat.”
About the Author
Janet Sketchley is the author of the Green Dory Inn mystery series, the Redemption’s Edge Christian suspense series, and the daily devotional books A Year of Tenacity and Tenacity at Christmas. She likes her fiction with a splash of mystery and a dash of Christianity. Why leave faith out of our stories if it’s part of our lives? Janet writes in Atlantic Canada, and you can find her online at her website.
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**ebook preorder discount available until March 29, 2022
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