She offers a tremulous smile, swipes the tears from her cheeks. “Thank you, Chief Burkholder.”
I can’t help but think about the challenges that lie ahead for this young couple. Even more if the relationship lasts and she becomes more involved with the Amish.
“Where are you two headed?” I ask.
Noah motions toward his parents’ farm ahead. “Ashley’s going to help me unload hay.”
“Since his arm’s in a sling,” she says, “I figure it’s the least I can do.”
“In that case, I’ll let you get to work.” I nod at Noah. “Tell your parents hello.”
He tips his hat at me. “I’ll do it.”
The two young people exchange a grin and the buggy pulls away. I’m smiling when I put the Explorer in gear and head toward Painters Mill.
Read on for an excerpt from
FALLEN
A Kate Burkholder Mystery
by Linda Castillo
Chapter 1
She knew coming back after so many years would be difficult, especially when she’d left so much hurt behind. She’d hurt the people she loved, never wasting a moment on the notion of regret. She’d sullied relationships that should have meant the world to her. She’d blamed others when misfortune reared its head, never admitting she might’ve been wrong. Mistakes had always been the one thing she was good at and she’d made them in spades.
Once upon a time she’d called Painters Mill home. She’d belonged here, been part of the community, and she’d never looked too far beyond the cornfields, the quaint farmhouses, and winding backroads. Once, this little town had been the center of her universe. It was the place where her family still lived—a family she hadn’t been part of for thirteen years. Like it or not, her connection to this place and its people ran deep—too deep in her opinion—but it was a link she could no longer deny no matter how hard she tried.
This saccharine little town with its all-American main street and pastoral countryside hadn’t always been kind. In the eyes of the seventeen-year-old girl she’d been, Painters Mill was a place of brutal lessons, rules she couldn’t abide by, and crushing recriminations by people who, like her, possessed the power to hurt.
It took years for her to realize all the suffering and never-lived-up-to expectations were crap. Like her mamm always said: Time is a relative thing and life is a cruel teacher. It was one of few things her mother had been right about.
Painters Mill hadn’t changed a lick. Main Street, with its charming storefronts and Amish tourist shops, still dominated the historic downtown. The bucolic farms and back roads were still dotted with the occasional buggy or hay wagon. Coming back was like entering a time warp. It was as if she’d never been gone, and everything that had happened since was nothing more than a dream. The utter sameness of this place unsettled her in ways she hadn’t expected.
The Willowdell Motel sure hadn’t changed. Same trashy façade and dusty gravel parking lot. Inside, the room was still dressed in the same godawful orange carpet. Same bad wall art. Same shoddily concealed cigarette smoke and the vague smell of moldy towels. It was a place she shouldn’t have known at the age of seventeen.
If life had taught her one lesson that stood out above the rest, it was to look forward, not back. To focus on goals instead of regrets. It took a lot of years and even more sacrifice, but she’d clawed her way out of the cesspit she’d made of her life. She’d done well—better than she ever imagined possible—and she’d forged a good life for herself. Did any of that matter now? Was it enough?
Tossing her overnight bag onto the bed, Rachael Schwartz figured she’d waited long enough to make things right. The time had come for her to rectify the one wrong that still kept her up nights. The one bad decision she hadn’t been able to live down. The one that, for years now, pounded at the back of her brain with increasing intensity. She didn’t know how things would turn out or if she’d get what she wanted. The one thing she did know was that she had to try. However this turned out, good or bad or somewhere in between, she figured she would simply have to live with it.
* * *
The knock on the door came at two AM. Even as she threw the covers aside and rolled from the bed, she knew who it was. A smile touched her mouth as she crossed to the door. Recognition kicked when she checked the peephole. The quiver of pleasure that followed didn’t quite cover the ping of trepidation. She swung open the door.
“Well, it’s about damn time,” she said.
A faltering smile followed by a flash of remembrance. “I didn’t think I’d ever see you again.”
She grinned. “No such luck.”
“Sorry about the time. Can I come in?”
“I think you’d better. We’ve a lot to discuss.” Stepping back, she motioned her visitor inside. “I’ll get the light.”
Her heart strummed as she started for the night table next to the bed. All the words she’d practiced saying for months now tumbled in her brain like dice. Something not quite right, but then, what had she expected?
“I hope you brought the wine,” she said as she bent to turn on the lamp.
The blow came out of nowhere. A sunburst of white light and sound, like a stick of dynamite igniting in her head. A splintering of pain. Her knees hit the floor. Shock and confusion rattled through her.
She reached out, grabbed the night table. A sound escaped her as she struggled to her feet, teetered left. She turned, spotted the bat, saw the other things she’d missed before. Dark intent. Buried rage. Dear God, how could she have been so naïve?
The bat came down again. Air whooshed. She staggered right, tried to escape it. Not fast enough. The blow landed hard on her shoulder. Her clavicle snapped. The lightning bolt of pain took her breath. Mewling, she turned, tried to run, fell to her knees.
Footsteps behind her. More to come. She swiveled, raised her hands to protect herself. The bat struck her forearm. An explosion of pain. The shock pulsing like a strobe.
“Don’t!” she cried.
Her attacker drew back. Teeth clenched. The dead eyes of a taxidermist’s glass. The bat struck her cheekbone, the force snapping her head back. She bit her tongue, tasted blood. Darkness crowded her vision. The sensation of falling into space. The floor rushed up, struck her shoulder. The scrape of carpet against her face. The knowledge that she was injured badly. That it wasn’t going to stop. That she’d made a serious miscalculation.
The shuffle of feet on carpet. The hiss of a labored breath. Fighting dizziness, she reached for the bed, fisted the bedsheet, tried to pull herself up. The bat struck the mattress inches from her hand. Still a chance to get away. Terrible sounds tore from her throat as she threw herself onto the bed, scrabbled across. On the other side, she grabbed the lamp, yanked the cord from the wall.
The bat slammed against her back. A sickening wet-meat punch that took her breath. An electric shock ran the length of her spine. Unconsciousness beckoned. She swiveled, tried to swing the lamp, but she was too injured and it clattered to the floor.
“Get away!” she cried.
She rolled off the bed, tried to land on her feet. Her legs buckled and she went down. She looked around. A few feet away, the door stood open. Pale light spilling in. If she could reach it … Freedom, she thought. Life. She crawled toward it, pain running like a freight train through her body.
A sound to her left. Shoes against carpet. Legs coming around the bed. Blocking her way. “No!” she screamed, a primal cry of outrage and terror. No time to brace.
The bat struck her ribs with such force she was thrown onto her side. An animalistic sound ripped from her throat. Pain piled atop of pain. She opened her mouth, tried to suck in air, swallowed blood.
A wheeze escaped her as she rolled onto her back. The face that stared down at her was a mindless machine. Flat eyes filled with unspeakable purpose. No intellect. No emotion. And in that instant, she knew she was going to die. She knew her life was going to end here in this dirty motel and there wasn’t a goddamn t
hing she could do to help herself.
See you in hell, she thought.
She didn’t see the next blow coming.
ALSO BY LINDA CASTILLO
Shamed
Sworn to Silence
Pray for Silence
Breaking Silence
Gone Missing
Her Last Breath
The Dead Will Tell
After the Storm
Among the Wicked
Down a Dark Road
A Gathering of Secrets
Linda Castillo’s New York Times bestselling Kate Burkholder novels are:
“GRIPPING.” —People
“CHILLING.” —USA Today
“EXCELLENT.” —Publishers Weekly
“STUNNING.” —Lisa Scottoline
“MASTERFUL.” —Booklist
“FASCINATING.” —RT Book Reviews
“REWARDING.” —Kirkus Reviews
About the Author
LINDA CASTILLO is the New York Times bestselling author of the Kate Burkholder novels, including Sworn to Silence, which was adapted into a Lifetime Original Movie starring Neve Campbell as Kate Burkholder. She has received numerous industry awards including a nomination by the International Thriller Writers for Best Hardcover, the Daphne du Maurier Award of Excellence, and a nomination for the RITA. In addition to writing, Castillo’s other passion is horses. She lives in Texas with her husband. You can sign up for email updates here.
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Contents
TITLE PAGE
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
LONG LOST
A HIDDEN SECRET
SEEDS OF DECEPTION
ONLY THE LUCKY
IN DARK COMPANY
IN PLAIN SIGHT
EXCERPT: FALLEN
ALSO BY LINDA CASTILLO
LINDA CASTILLO’S NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING KATE BURKHOLDER NOVELS ARE:
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
COPYRIGHT
NOTE: If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher has received any payment for this “stripped book.”
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this book are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
First published in the United States by St. Martin’s Paperbacks, an imprint of St. Martin’s Publishing Group
A SIMPLE MURDER: A KATE BURKHOLDER SHORT STORY COLLECTION
Copyright © 2021 by Linda Castillo.
“Long Lost” copyright © 2013 by Linda Castillo.
“A Hidden Secret” copyright © 2015 by Linda Castillo.
“Seeds of Deception” copyright © 2016 by Linda Castillo.
“Only the Lucky” copyright © 2017 by Linda Castillo.
“In Dark Company” copyright © 2018 by Linda Castillo.
“In Plain Sight” copyright © 2019 by Linda Castillo.
Excerpt from Fallen copyright © 2021 by Linda Castillo.
All rights reserved.
For information, address St. Martin’s Publishing Group, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271.
www.stmartins.com
ISBN: 978-1-250-78361-5
eISBN: 9781250783622
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A Simple Murder Page 29