Where Shadows Meet
Page 1
ACCLAIM FOR COLLEEN COBLE
“Prepare to stay up all night with Colleen Coble. Coble’s beautiful, emotional prose coupled with her keen sense of pacing, escalating danger, and very real characters place her firmly at the top of the suspense genre. I could not put this book down.”
—Allison Brennan, New York Times bestselling author of Shattered on The View from Rainshadow Bay
“Bestselling author Colleen Coble elevates her already considerable suspense chops . . .”
—Publishers Weekly for Beneath Copper Falls
“I loved returning to Rock Harbor and you will too. Beneath Copper Falls is Colleen at her best!”
—Dani Pettrey, bestselling author of the Alaskan Courage and Chesapeake Valor series
“Return to Rock Harbor for Colleen Coble's best story to date. Beneath Copper Falls is a twisting, turning, thrill ride from page one that drops you head first into danger that will leave you breathless, sleep deprived, and eager for more! I couldn't turn the pages fast enough!”
—Lynette Eason, award-winning, bestselling author of the Elite Guardians series
“The tension, both suspenseful and romantic, is gripping, reflecting Coble’s prowess with the genre.”
—Publishers Weekly, starred review for Twilight at Blueberry Barrens
“Incredible storytelling and intricately drawn characters. You won’t want to miss Twilight at Blueberry Barrens!”
—Brenda Novak, New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author
“Coble has a gift for making a setting come to life. After reading Twilight at Blueberry Barrens, I feel like I’ve lived in Maine all my life. This plot kept me guessing until the end, and her characters seem like my friends. I don’t want to let them go!
—Terri Blackstock, USA TODAY bestselling author of If I Run
“I’m a long-time fan of Colleen Coble, and Twilight at Blueberry Barrens is the perfect example of why. Coble delivers riveting suspense, delicious romance, and carefully crafted characters, all with the deft hand of a veteran writer. If you love romantic suspense, pick this one up. You won’t be disappointed!”
—Denise Hunter, author of The Goodbye Bride
“Colleen Coble, the queen of Christian romantic mysteries, is back with her best book yet. Filled with familiar characters, plot twists, and a confusion of antagonists, I couldn’t keep the pages of this novel set in Maine turning fast enough. I reconnected with characters I love while taking a journey filled with murder, suspense, and the prospect of love. This truly is her best book to date, and perfect for readers who adore a page-turner laced with romance.”
—Cara Putman, award-winning author of Shadowed by Grace and Where Treetops Glisten, on Twilight at Blueberry Barrens
“Gripping! Colleen Coble has again written a page-turning romantic suspense with Twilight at Blueberry Barrens! Not only did she keep me up nights racing through the pages to see what would happen next, I genuinely cared for her characters. Colleen sets the bar high for romantic suspense!”
—Carrie Stuart Parks, author of A Cry from the Dust and When Death Draws Near
“Colleen Coble thrills readers again with her newest novel, an addictive suspense trenched in family, betrayal, and . . . murder.”
—DiAnn Mills, author of Deadly Encounter, on Twilight at Blueberry Barrens
“Coble’s latest, Twilight at Blueberry Barrens, is one of her best yet! With characters you want to know in person, a perfect setting, and a plot that had me holding my breath, laughing, and crying, this story will stay with the reader long after the book is closed. My highest recommendation.”
—Robin Caroll, bestselling novelist
“Colleen’s Twilight at Blueberry Barrens is filled with a bevy of twists and surprises, a wonderful romance, and the warmth of family love. I couldn’t have asked for more. This author has always been a five-star novelist, but I think it’s time to up the ante with this book. It’s on my keeping shelf!”
—Hannah Alexander, author of the Hallowed Halls Series
“Second chances, old flames, and startling new revelations combine to form a story filled with faith, trial, forgiveness, and redemption. Crack the cover and step in, but beware—Mermaid Moon is harboring secrets that will keep you guessing.”
—Lisa Wingate, New York Times bestselling author of Before We Were Yours
“I burned through The Inn at Ocean’s Edge in one sitting. An intricate plot by a master storyteller. Colleen Coble has done it again with this gripping opening to a new series. I can’t wait to spend more time at Sunset Cove.”
—Heather Burch, bestselling author of One Lavender Ribbon
“Coble doesn’t disappoint with her custom blend of suspense and romance.”
—Publishers Weekly on The Inn at Ocean’s Edge
“Veteran author Coble has penned another winner. Filled with mystery and romance that are unpredictable until the last page, this novel will grip readers long past when they should put their books down. Recommended to readers of contemporary mysteries.”
—CBA Retailers + Resources review of The Inn at Ocean’s Edge
“Coble truly shines when she’s penning a mystery, and this tale will really keep the reader guessing . . . Mystery lovers will definitely want to put this book on their purchase list.”
—RT Book Reviews on The Inn at Ocean’s Edge
“Master storyteller has done it again. The Inn at Ocean’s Edge is an intricately woven, well-crafted story of romance, suspense, family secrets, and a decades-old mystery. Needless to say, it had me hooked from page one. I simply couldn’t stop turning the pages. This one’s going on my keeper shelf.”
—Lynette Eason, award-winning, bestselling author of the Hidden Identity series
“Evocative and gripping, The Inn at Ocean’s Edge will keep you flipping pages long into the night.”
—Dani Pettrey, bestselling author of the Alaskan Courage series
“Coble’s atmospheric and suspenseful series launch should appeal to fans of Tracie Peterson and other authors of Christian romantic suspense.”
—Library Journal review of Tidewater Inn
“Romantically tense, but with just the right touch of danger, this cowboy love story is surprisingly clever—and pleasingly sweet.”
—USAToday.com review of Blue Moon Promise
“[An] outstanding, completely engaging tale that will have you on the edge of your seat . . . A must-have for all fans of romantic suspense!”
—TheRomanceReadersConnection.com review of Anathema
“Colleen Coble lays an intricate trail in Without a Trace and draws the reader on like a hound with a scent.”
—Romantic Times, 4½ stars
“Coble’s historical series just keeps getting better with each entry.”
—Library Journal starred review of The Lightkeeper’s Ball
“Don’t ever mistake [Coble’s] for the fluffy romances with a little bit of suspense. She writes solid suspense, and she ties it all together beautifully with a wonderful message.”
—LifeinReviewBlog.com review of Lonestar Angel
“Colleen is a master storyteller.”
—Karen Kingsbury, bestselling author of Unlocked and Learning
ALSO BY COLLEEN COBLE
ROCK HARBOR NOVELS
Without a Trace
Beyond a Doubt
Into the Deep
Cry in the Night
Silent Night: A Rock Harbor
Christmas Novella (e-book only)
Beneath Copper Falls
SUNSET COVER NOVELS
The Inn at Ocean’s Edge
Mermaid Moon
Twilight at Blueberry Barrens
HOPE BEACH NOVELS
Tidewater Inn
Seagrass Pier
All Is Bright: A Hope Beach
Christmas Novella (e-book only)
THE ALOHA REEF NOVELS
Distant Echoes
Black Sands
Dangerous Depths
Midnight Sea
Holy Night: An Aloha Reef
Christmas Novella (e-book only)
UNDER TEXAS STARS NOVELS
Blue Moon Promise
Safe in His Arms
THE MERCY FALLS SERIES
The Lightkeeper’s Daughter
The Lightkeeper’s Bride
The Lightkeeper’s Ball
Alaska Twilight
Fire Dancer
Haven of Swans (previously published as Abomination)
Anathema
Butterfly Palace
LONESTAR NOVELS
Lonestar Sanctuary
Lonestar Secrets
Lonestar Homecoming
Lonestar Angel
All Is Calm: A Lonestar Christmas Novella
JOURNEY OF THE HEART SERIES
A Heart’s Disguise
A Heart’s Obsession
A Heart’s Danger
A Heart’s Betrayal
A Heart’s Promise
A Heart’s Home
NOVELLAS INCLUDED IN:
Smitten
Secretly Smitten
Smitten Book Club
NOVELLA COLLECTIONS
Silent Night, Holy Night
All is Calm, All is Bright
OTHER NOVELLAS
Bluebonnet Bride
© 2008 by Colleen Coble
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other—except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Published in Nashville, Tennessee by Thomas Nelson. Thomas Nelson is a registered trademark of Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Thomas Nelson, Inc., books may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail SpecialMarkets@ThomasNelson.com.
Scripture quotations are taken from THE NEW KING JAMES VERSION®. © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Publisher’s Note: This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. All characters are fictional, and any similarity to people living or dead is purely coincidental.
ISBN: 978-0-7852-1665-0 (repack)
Epub Edition March 2018 9780785219972
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Coble, Colleen.
Anathema / Colleen Coble.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-1-59554-247-2 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-159554-557-2 (IE)
1. Amish—Fiction. 2. Parents—Crimes against—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3553.O2285A84 2008
813’.54—dc22
2008004094
Printed in the United States of America
18 19 20 21 22 / LSC / 5 4 3 2 1
For my Amish friends,
thank you for the lessons
you’ve taught me about peace,
and
for my aunt and uncle,
Don and Edith Phillips,
thank you for the constant
encouragement in my life.
CONTENTS
Acclaim for Colleen Coble
Also by Colleen Coble
Part One One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Part Two Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Thirteen
Fourteen
Fifteen
Sixteen
Seventeen
Eighteen
Nineteen
Twenty
Twenty - One
Twenty - Two
Twenty - Three
Twenty - Four
Twenty - Five
Twenty - Six
Twenty - Seven
Twenty - Eight
Acknowledgments
Discussion Questions
About the Author
PART ONE
ONE
“Hannah, why do you fight back? Always you kick against the goad. We’re told to turn the other cheek.”
PATRICIA SCHWARTZ
Hannah Schwartz quickened her pace along the path from the farmhouse until she stood on the hillside peering down at the covered bridge. The Indiana winter wind pierced through the black wool cape she wore. She played nervously with the strings on her bonnet.
Had he come already? Oh, she shouldn’t be here. Mamm would be so unhappy with her. But Hannah had made this choice for a good reason.
Though only seven o’clock, the darkness deepened with the storm clouds building in the southwest. Thunder rumbled, and she heard the strains of her cousin Moe’s yodeling as he went to the barn. She couldn’t let him see her. Slipping past the bare branches of an arching goldenrod barring her path to the road, she hurried the last few feet. Flanked by bare maple trees, the opening yawned ahead. She stepped onto the planks of the bridge. A lingering odor of gasoline exhaust made her sneeze three times.
Pausing, she waited until her eyes adjusted to the deeper gloom. She didn’t need light. The interior of the covered bridge was as familiar to her as her own bedroom. Reece would be along in a few minutes. She shivered, but not from the February chill that swept down off the hills of Parke County, Indiana.
It was wrong to be here. If her parents knew . . . and Noah.
She paced the wide wooden boards of the covered bridge, pausing occasionally to listen for the sound of Reece’s truck. She’d expected him to be here waiting for her like usual. Perhaps he’d had to attend to a convenience-store break-in or some minor law violation. She leaned against one of the massive crossbeams supporting the bridge and looked through a cutout in the siding that formed a window overlooking the water. Still there was no sign of Reece. If he didn’t come soon, she would have to go back.
She heard an engine and turned with an eager smile, only to face two men she’d never seen, approaching in a small four-door car. She stepped up onto the footpath of the bridge and waited for them to pass, but the car slowed. The window ran down, and a man who looked to be in his thirties leaned out as the car stopped. He hung his arm, covered with a red and black plaid jacket, out the window.
His blond hair was thinning on top, and his pale blue eyes gleamed in the light from the car’s dash. “Hey, pretty lady, need a ride?”
“No, I’m waiting for a friend,” she said.
“Well, your friend’s not here, but we are.” The door opened and he got out. The other man hopped out as well. He was about the same age and wore an orange hat. They approached where she stood.
Hannah shrank back. “My friend will be here any minute.”
The man’s smile turned predatory. He grabbed her arm and pulled her toward him. “We can have some fun.”
“No!” She struggled to pull her arm from his grasp, but his other hand snaked around her waist. To her horror, she felt him grappling with the snaps on the back of her dress. “Let go of me!” Panicked now, she began to kick and strike at him.
“Whoa, we’ve caught ourselves a little wildcat.” He pinned her hands down and began to drag her to the car. The other man held open the back door.
Where was Reece? She opened her mouth to scream, but the man clapped his hand over it. She smelled tobacco on his fingers and beer on his breath. He tossed her like a rag doll into the car and began to crawl inside with her. She kicked him in the face and scrabbled for the other door, only to find the other man there. A shriek tore from her throat.
Hannah’s limbs froze. This couldn’t be happening.
The first man’s face twisted into a snarl, and he grabbed her ankle when she tried to kick him again. He managed to climb in next to her. “Get us out of here,” he told the other guy.
The man in the orange cap ran around to the driver’s seat and jumped in. He accelerated toward the end of the bridge. Hannah shrank against the door and fumbled with the lock.
The blond man grabbed her arm. “No, you don’t.”
He tried to kiss her on the neck, but she bit him on the ear. Bile rose in her throat at the taste of his blood. He swore and pulled away, holding his ear. His face darkened, and he raised his hand. His arm and hand cast a shadow in the light of the overhead dome. She cringed just before his slap landed on her cheek. Her vision darkened, and she saw stars.
The car was nearly to the end of the covered bridge. The man in the front seat swore, and the brakes began to squeal. The car fishtailed as he tried to stop. Over the top of the seat, Hannah saw a truck blocking the end of the bridge. Reece stood between the vehicles, gun drawn. The car’s headlamps caught the gleam of his badge.
“Get out of the car!” he shouted. “Hannah, get out of the car.”
Hannah found the strength to grab the lock and flip open the door. The blond man made a halfhearted attempt to grab at her, but she slid out of the car. He slammed the door shut, and she heard him shout to the driver, “Let’s get out of here!” The car reversed and backed quickly toward the other side of the bridge.
She lay on the wide wooden boards with the stink of car exhaust filling her lungs. She could see the glimmer of water through the cracks in the boards. What had almost happened? Shudders racked her shoulders, and she rose painfully to her hands and knees. Her palms stung, and her neck muscles throbbed. Running steps sounded on the boards, and Reece called her name.
“I’m here,” she said, her voice trembling as hard as her limbs.
Then his strong arms were lifting her. He held her close to his chest, and she felt the way his heart pounded in her ear. His breathing sounded ragged, and she knew he’d been just as frightened as she. “You saved me,” she whispered. “Again. You always are there at the right time.”
He cupped his palms on each side of her head and kissed her. “I’ll always be here for you. No one is going to harm my Hannah.”