Left To Run (An Adele Sharp Mystery—Book Two)

by Blake Pierce

  She wasn’t sure what brought it on.

  She thought of the boy losing his father. She’d not been much older when she lost her mother.

  There had been a lot of pressure then as well. She wondered what she would’ve done if she thought she could have saved her mother. If there had been a moment when she had warning of what was coming, and to what ends she might go to prevent the horrible inevitability. And if she tried and failed, would the guilt have been manageable, or would it have swallowed her whole?

  Adele continued to cry, and John just held her, murmuring softly in her ear and pressing his hands around her shoulders. She felt small in his arms, and yet, somehow it still felt protective, and safe.

  She stood like that in the corridor of the DGSI headquarters, listening to the quiet drone of muffled voices through the interrogation room.

  Eventually, though, John began to guide her away, pressing his hand against her shoulders and leading her out of the room, down the hall, out the front of the office, into the parking structure. He didn’t say anything, and neither did she. Her tears kept coming, hot, streaking down her cheeks.

  They distanced themselves in body from the case, from the interrogation, from whatever was going to come next. Adele guessed Agent Paige would find the killer’s name soon enough. Adele would have to sign some paperwork, would have to make a report to Ms. Jayne. But that could wait. They’d found the answers they’d been looking for. Bleak, dark answers.

  And yet not everything about the world was so cold, or so dark.

  She leaned even closer to John, feeling his warmth and allowing him to lead her in a circle around the small gray stone steps in the center of the parking structure, passing beneath the glint and glimmer of the windows from the bare-faced facade of the DGSI headquarters.

  CHAPTER THIRTY

  Adele sat in a red leather chair, facing the fire. She could hear Robert in the kitchen, whistling and preparing something. He’d promised he’d found the perfect tea, and while Adele wasn’t the biggest fan of tea, she’d never been able to say no to one of Robert’s adventuresome concoctions. She detected the faint fragrance of berries and some sort of spice wafting in from the kitchen.

  As she sat in the leather chair, staring at the crackling fire, she heard a buzzing noise.

  Adele jerked upright, startled. But then she relaxed, realizing it was just her phone. Was it John? They’d made plans to meet up in a couple of days, just to chat. Nothing weird. Purely professional. At least, that’s what they were telling themselves. She reached down and pulled out her phone, peering at the screen.

  No, not John. Her father.

  The blue and green screen buzzed, displaying white letters spelling Dad across the front. Adele clicked the phone, holding it up. Her father’s face displayed across the screen, his nose jutting forward.

  Adele sighed. “Dad, you’re too close. Hold it back a bit.”

  Her father moved the camera, and now she found she was staring at his hands in his lap.

  “Dad, just a bit higher—can’t see your face.” It took a bit, but finally they were able to adjust, and Adele found herself looking into her father’s gaze across digital space. “How are you doing?” she asked.

  Her dad didn’t respond at first. His face was red, his nose shining. He seemed to be breathing heavier than normal, and for a moment Adele felt a bolt of worry.

  “Dad, is everything—”

  But then, as the camera shifted again, she spotted the two empty shot glasses and the tall bottle sitting on the kitchen table.

  She sighed. “Dad, maybe you should go to bed.”

  But her father was muttering to himself and shaking his head. His red nose glinted in the light of the camera from his phone. At last, he coughed slightly and said, “Dear, dear Becks.” He slurred the words a bit, and stared lopsided through the phone.

  Adele smiled slightly. “I think you need some rest.”

  Her father snorted and began to giggle, shaking his head. It was a rare thing to see her father amused. But this worried her more than anything.

  “You’re so much like her, you know,” her dad said.

  Adele’s uncertain smile faded as quickly as it had come. She cleared her throat, shifting in her leather chair. “Look, I don’t think we should talk when you’re like this. How about—”

  “You think I don’t care,” he said, tapping his finger against the screen with each word. He burped and shook his head. “But no—no, no, it devastated me,” he said, releasing a breath. “You know, you know that,” he said, with a hiccup. He wagged a finger to no one in particular and then pointed it, jabbing at the camera and blotting out screen for a second. Then his finger lowered, his reddish face revealed once more. “I-I’m not trying to force you—you to do—you anything,” he said, still slurring his words.

  Adele thought back to the last meeting at the café outside the airport in Germany. She sighed. “Dad, I shouldn’t have rushed off. I’m sorry.”

  “I can’t stop you,” he said. “I can’t. I want to. I do. I want to. But I can’t.” He giggled again and nodded rapidly, causing his head to bounce up and down.

  Adele leaned even further back in the red leather chair. “You said it devastated you,” she said, trying to settle her own emotions. “What did?” She spoke gently, trying to channel her inner Dr. Tyra.

  Her father sighed. “When Elise died, I thought I lost everything. I know we were separated. I know. Still, it nearly ended me.”

  Adele stared at the screen. She felt a lump forming in her throat. She’d never heard her father talk like this before. She cleared her throat, trying to keep a grip on her emotions. “I’m sorry, but that’s the same for me. It’s why I want justice. I’m going to bring him in. For both of us.”

  But her dad shook his head. His eyes were rimmed red, and it looked as if he hadn’t slept in a while either. “Sharp, I’m scared. I’m so scared. If I lose you too…”

  The lump in Adele’s throat had nearly blocked off her breathing for a moment. But she managed to swallow the blockage, and despite the wetness in her eyes, she said, “It’s going to be fine. Look, I know it’s scary. I know. But Mother deserves justice. You have to see that.”

  Her dad hiccupped again. “I didn’t tell you everything,” he said. He shook his head. “Honey, there’s more about the case. Something, something I know I should’ve told you. I know. I just couldn’t come—I couldn’t bring myself…”

  Adele stiffened, staring at the camera. The prickle across the backs of her arms and up the nape of her neck became more intense.

  “Dad, what do you mean?”

  Her father waved his hand, and the camera angled off again toward his lap.

  “Dad, are you okay? What do you mean you didn’t tell me everything?”

  But her questions went unanswered. After a moment, Adele heard the quiet groaning sound of snoring. She sat like that in the red leather chair, facing the fire in Robert’s mansion, listening to the sound of her father snoring, and also heeding the flow of the thoughts swishing through her mind, twisting one after the other.

  She wasn’t sure what her father meant by that last part. Had he withheld evidence? That didn’t sound like him at all. Still, her father sounded scared. He didn’t want to lose her. It had been a moment of vulnerability, and it touched her. But, though it mattered, though she cared for him, it didn’t change anything.

  Adele kept her grip tight on the phone, still angling it toward her face, still listening to the snoring, but as she stared into the fire crackling in the hearth and listened to Robert whistling in the kitchen, she knew without a doubt that she would hunt her mother’s killer—and find him. Nothing was going to stop that.

  But she wouldn’t bring him in. No. Not this one. Her hand tightened around the phone. He had cut her mother to ribbons, enjoying her bleeding out at his feet. Whoever it was, wherever he was, when she found him, the DGSI, the FBI, Interpol—none of it would matter.

  Adele’s eyes n
arrowed, staring unblinking into the fire.

  The killer wouldn’t be brought to justice. Not if she was honest with herself. He would be brought to her. He would suffer. Of that, she was certain. And then—only then—would she end it.

  NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER!

  LEFT TO HIDE

  (An Adele Sharp Mystery—Book 3)

  “When you think that life cannot get better, Blake Pierce comes up with another masterpiece of thriller and mystery! This book is full of twists and the end brings a surprising revelation. I strongly recommend this book to the permanent library of any reader that enjoys a very well written thriller.”

  --Books and Movie Reviews, Roberto Mattos (re Almost Gone)

  LEFT TO HIDE is book #3 in a new FBI thriller series by USA Today bestselling author Blake Pierce, whose #1 bestseller Once Gone (Book #1) (a free download) has received over 1,000 five star reviews.

  An Italian couple vacationing in Germany are found brutally murdered, causing an international outcry. FBI special agent Adele Sharp is the only one with the international expertise to cross borders and stop the killer—and she finds herself working alongside her estranged father, who knows far more about her mother’s unsolved murder than he lets on.

  Though still shaken from the recent events in Paris, Adele must embark on a wild chase across Germany, uncovering lies and deception at every turn.

  Can Adele and her father heal the rift between them?

  And can she track down the killer before tragedy strikes again?

  An action-packed mystery series of international intrigue and riveting suspense, LEFT TO HIDE will have you turning pages late into the night.

  Book #4 in the ADELE SHARP MYSTERY series will be available soon.

  LEFT TO HIDE

  (An Adele Sharp Mystery—Book 3)

  Blake Pierce

  Blake Pierce is the USA Today bestselling author of the RILEY PAGE mystery series, which includes seventeen books. Blake Pierce is also the author of the MACKENZIE WHITE mystery series, comprising fourteen books; of the AVERY BLACK mystery series, comprising six books; of the KERI LOCKE mystery series, comprising five books; of the MAKING OF RILEY PAIGE mystery series, comprising six books; of the KATE WISE mystery series, comprising seven books; of the CHLOE FINE psychological suspense mystery, comprising six books; of the JESSE HUNT psychological suspense thriller series, comprising seven books (and counting); of the AU PAIR psychological suspense thriller series, comprising two books (and counting); of the ZOE PRIME mystery series, comprising three books (and counting); of the new ADELE SHARP mystery series; and of the new EUROPEAN VOYAGE cozy mystery series.

  ONCE GONE (a Riley Paige Mystery--Book #1), BEFORE HE KILLS (A Mackenzie White Mystery—Book 1), CAUSE TO KILL (An Avery Black Mystery—Book 1), A TRACE OF DEATH (A Keri Locke Mystery—Book 1), WATCHING (The Making of Riley Paige—Book 1), NEXT DOOR (A Chloe Fine Psychological Suspense Mystery—Book 1), THE PERFECT WIFE (A Jessie Hunt Psychological Suspense Thriller—Book One), and IF SHE KNEW (A Kate Wise Mystery—Book 1) are each available as a free download on Amazon!

  An avid reader and lifelong fan of the mystery and thriller genres, Blake loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.blakepierceauthor.com to learn more and stay in touch.

  BOOKS BY BLAKE PIERCE

  EUROPEAN VOYAGE COZY MYSTERY SERIES

  MURDER (AND BAKLAVA) (Book #1)

  DEATH (AND APPLE STRUDEL) (Book #2)

  CRIME (AND LAGER) (Book #3)

  ADELE SHARP MYSTERY SERIES

  LEFT TO DIE (Book #1)

  LEFT TO RUN (Book #2)

  LEFT TO HIDE (Book #3)

  THE AU PAIR SERIES

  ALMOST GONE (Book#1)

  ALMOST LOST (Book #2)

  ALMOST DEAD (Book #3)

  ZOE PRIME MYSTERY SERIES

  FACE OF DEATH (Book#1)

  FACE OF MURDER (Book #2)

  FACE OF FEAR (Book #3)

  FACE OF MADNESS (Book #4)

  A JESSIE HUNT PSYCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE SERIES

  THE PERFECT WIFE (Book #1)

  THE PERFECT BLOCK (Book #2)

  THE PERFECT HOUSE (Book #3)

  THE PERFECT SMILE (Book #4)

  THE PERFECT LIE (Book #5)

  THE PERFECT LOOK (Book #6)

  THE PERFECT AFFAIR (Book #7)

  CHLOE FINE PSYCHOLOGICAL SUSPENSE SERIES

  NEXT DOOR (Book #1)

  A NEIGHBOR’S LIE (Book #2)

  CUL DE SAC (Book #3)

  SILENT NEIGHBOR (Book #4)

  HOMECOMING (Book #5)

  TINTED WINDOWS (Book #6)

  KATE WISE MYSTERY SERIES

  IF SHE KNEW (Book #1)

  IF SHE SAW (Book #2)

  IF SHE RAN (Book #3)

  IF SHE HID (Book #4)

  IF SHE FLED (Book #5)

  IF SHE FEARED (Book #6)

  IF SHE HEARD (Book #7)

  THE MAKING OF RILEY PAIGE SERIES

  WATCHING (Book #1)

  WAITING (Book #2)

  LURING (Book #3)

  TAKING (Book #4)

  STALKING (Book #5)

  KILLING (Book #6)

  RILEY PAIGE MYSTERY SERIES

  ONCE GONE (Book #1)

  ONCE TAKEN (Book #2)

  ONCE CRAVED (Book #3)

  ONCE LURED (Book #4)

  ONCE HUNTED (Book #5)

  ONCE PINED (Book #6)

  ONCE FORSAKEN (Book #7)

  ONCE COLD (Book #8)

  ONCE STALKED (Book #9)

  ONCE LOST (Book #10)

  ONCE BURIED (Book #11)

  ONCE BOUND (Book #12)

  ONCE TRAPPED (Book #13)

  ONCE DORMANT (Book #14)

  ONCE SHUNNED (Book #15)

  ONCE MISSED (Book #16)

  ONCE CHOSEN (Book #17)

  MACKENZIE WHITE MYSTERY SERIES

  BEFORE HE KILLS (Book #1)

  BEFORE HE SEES (Book #2)

  BEFORE HE COVETS (Book #3)

  BEFORE HE TAKES (Book #4)

  BEFORE HE NEEDS (Book #5)

  BEFORE HE FEELS (Book #6)

  BEFORE HE SINS (Book #7)

  BEFORE HE HUNTS (Book #8)

  BEFORE HE PREYS (Book #9)

  BEFORE HE LONGS (Book #10)

  BEFORE HE LAPSES (Book #11)

  BEFORE HE ENVIES (Book #12)

  BEFORE HE STALKS (Book #13)

  BEFORE HE HARMS (Book #14)

  AVERY BLACK MYSTERY SERIES

  CAUSE TO KILL (Book #1)

  CAUSE TO RUN (Book #2)

  CAUSE TO HIDE (Book #3)

  CAUSE TO FEAR (Book #4)

  CAUSE TO SAVE (Book #5)

  CAUSE TO DREAD (Book #6)

  KERI LOCKE MYSTERY SERIES

  A TRACE OF DEATH (Book #1)

  A TRACE OF MUDER (Book #2)

  A TRACE OF VICE (Book #3)

  A TRACE OF CRIME (Book #4)

  A TRACE OF HOPE (Book #5)