Killer Reads: A Collection of the Best in Inspirational Suspense

by Luana Ehrlich

Dylan’s heart sank as he read the verse again. His leg throbbed as he thought of those fangs piercing his skin. “I suppose these snake handlers keep snakes around to show how faithful God is.”

  Billy Clyde shook his head and blew out some air. “I’m getting a bad feeling about this, Monroe.”

  “You’re not the only one.” He looked at his watch. “How long have they been gone?”

  ****

  The truck surged forward.

  Rocks and dust scattered as Billy Clyde flew down the unpaved road. He slammed on the brakes. A little white house sat off the road surrounded by the woods. Without waiting for Billy Clyde, Dylan hopped out of the van.

  “Slow down, Monroe. Let’s do this the right way. We can’t help anyone if we barge in and start a firefight.”

  His steps stopped in their tracks. As much as he hated to admit it, Billy Clyde was right. “I’ll go around back. Meet you in the middle.”

  “Keep your eyes open and your head low.”

  “You got it, partner.”

  Dylan moved to the side of the house. When he came to the window, he looked inside. No people inside. He walked past the window and to the back of the house. No movement in the back yard or the woods behind it. He opened the door.

  He moved through the kitchen and into the living room. Billy Clyde stood at the threshold as he entered the living room. “They’re not here. No one out back from what I could see either. I’ll go check upstairs.”

  He walked quietly through the upstairs. No sign of anyone. He came back down the steps and shook his head at Billy Clyde. “No one around. Any ideas where they might be?”

  “This is Robbie’s family property. The rest of the family has houses further down. And not as nice as this. Robbie’s been trying to do right by LaTisha.”

  “What do you suggest? We go in now or wait for reinforcements.”

  Billy Clyde looked at his watch. “I’ll call Mark and tell him what’s going on, but I’m not waiting.”

  After the call, he looked at Dylan. “Let’s drive the van back to the main road and then hike in on foot.”

  “You go ahead and do that while I start back.”

  Billy Clyde sighed and blew out air. Dylan knew his mind was working on the strategy as if it were a chess game rather than the lives of their wives on the line. “OK. Stay in the woods and watch out for trip wires.”

  “Trip wires? You think they might have bombs?”

  “No, but these people have been moonshiners for generations. They have ways to let them know the revenuers are on their way and trip wires are as good a way as any. Godspeed, Monroe.” Billy Clyde sprinted to the van and a moment later was out of sight.

  CHAPTER 58

  This was it. The opportunity she’d been waiting for. Reggie gazed at the two men fighting. If they were going to get out of this mess alive, this was the time. Reggie jumped up as the two men struggled over the gun.

  Her eyes searched the old barn for a weapon.

  In the corner, an old rusty shovel was propped up against the wall. Her heart pounded in her chest as she ran to it. Her fingers curled around the smooth wood handle.

  When she turned around, Theresa had a bucket in her hand. Their eyes met. Reggie put a finger to her mouth. No need to call attention to themselves or the fact they weren’t tied up. Better the two men keep fighting with each other.

  She crept up until she was parallel to the fighting men.

  A muffled shot.

  Robbie’s dad moaned and crumpled to the barn floor.

  Reggie raised the shovel and took the last few steps to Denny. With all her strength, she hit him on his back. The shovel hit Denny on the back, neck and the lower part of his head.

  He toppled face first to the ground.

  “Quick. Get me that rope.” Reggie called to Theresa, but Theresa was on the ground beside Robbie’s father. “Never mind.”

  “I’ll get it.” LaTisha pulled herself to a standing position and lumbered over with rope in hand. She handed her the rope. “What else—”

  A surprised expression replaced the look of anguish on LaTisha’s face. She looked down at herself. “I think my water just broke.”

  ****

  Dylan moved into the woods watching his feet as he moved. The shade the trees provided cooled him down a bit. Good thing. He felt the adrenaline in his body and heard his own breathing. Bring it down a few notches, Monroe.

  He took several slow deliberate breaths and felt his muscles relax. As he moved through the brush, his eyes darted from the ground to his surroundings. He moved towards the next tree. He looked down. His foot touched an almost invisible filament.

  Dylan bent closer. Fishing line. His eyes scanned the area until he found what he was looking for. After stepping over the wire, Dylan picked up the branch. He walked back and stuck it in the ground, hoping Billy Clyde would notice it.

  He moved forward, but he stayed vigilant looking for more fishing wire. A dilapidated barn come into sight.

  He peered through the trees.

  Robbie’s truck was there. This must be the place. He moved closer and closer and finally was behind the ramshackle barn.

  He listened but could hear nothing.

  Each second that ticked by felt like five minutes. Every fiber of his being told him to go inside, but the thinking part of his brain told him to wait. Not to let his emotions get the better of him.

  Reggie needed him, but rushing into an unknown situation could get them all killed. On the other hand, he wasn’t going to stand here one minute longer. He moved toward the barn.

  A snap of a branch behind him drew his attention. He waited. A moment later Billy Clyde appeared. “You’re losing your touch Billy Clyde. I heard you coming.”

  Billy Clyde touched his belly. “I’m not quite as graceful as I once was.”

  “Just on my way in.” Dylan pointed to the barn. “They must be in there. I see the boy’s truck.”

  “Called Mark, they’re on their way with reinforcements, but I’m not waiting.”

  “Me neither. How are we going to do this? I don’t see a door on this side of the barn so it doesn’t look like we can sneak in with any element of surprise.”

  He nodded. “Let’s do this.”

  As he rounded the corner of the barn, Dylan saw the barn door hung open. That was good. They might still be able to sneak in and get the drop on them.

  Billy Clyde tapped him on the shoulder. “Let’s see if we can slip in without being seen.”

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  The two of them crept toward the open barn door.

  Dylan stopped at the edge of the door and listened. There was soft murmuring but nothing he could make out into intelligible conversation. Please let them be all right.

  He leaned down and peeked his head around the corner.

  Reggie’s back was turned to him. She knelt on the hay.

  By the looks of things, everything seemed under control. He motioned for Billy Clyde to come into the barn. He walked closer.

  No one noticed them.

  Reggie’s attention was focused on LaTisha who laid flat on the ground and breathing hard. Theresa was beside her, holding her hand.

  Two mean were sprawled out beside her, Dylan moved closer. Denny Reagan. His hands and feet were tied and he was unconscious or dead. Not sure which. Dylan shook his head. The big man had called that right—again.

  The other man. Apparently dead. Since no one seemed to be concerned about him at the moment.

  Robbie was propped up against the wall, holding some sort of cloth against his shoulder watching his wife and Theresa. Dylan’s gaze moved over to them and then to the two men on the floor. “They seem to have everything under control, Billy Clyde. Guess they didn’t need us after all?”

  Reggie jumped up and ran to him. His arms encircled her. “I’ll always need you.”

  CHAPTER 59

  “It seems like we’re always ending up in hospitals, Monroe. There must be a better way
to live.” Billy Clyde stood staring out the window at nothing.

  “Do you think?”

  Reggie clasped Dylan’s hand in her own. “Theresa’s right—the two of you are magnets for trouble.”

  They were sitting in the emergency room waiting for news about LaTisha and her baby. Theresa, of course, was in the delivery room. LaTisha had insisted on it. Denny Reagan was in custody.

  “Us. You had your own fair share of trouble. In fact, now that I think about it you always seem to be around when trouble comes a knocking.” Dylan arched his eyebrows at her.

  Laughing, she shook her head. “You can’t blame this mess on me.”

  Billy pointed a finger at her. “Monroe, you might be on to something here. I think she may be the magnet, not us.”

  Billy’s phone buzzed. He excused himself and walked outside.

  Reggie looked at her husband. “I know this isn’t the time, but I want you to know I get it.”

  He leaned in and kissed her cheek. “Get what, darling?”

  “That I’m not ever going to be the perfect farmer’s wife.”

  “Reggie, I—”

  She held up a hand. “Let me finish. I won’t ever be the perfect farmer’s wife, canning and quilting and gardening. But I finally get it. I don’t have to be able to do those things for you to love me.”

  Dylan smiled.

  “It’s sort of the way God’s love is. God doesn’t love me for the things I do. He loves me because He loves me, just the way I am. I don’t have to try and be someone I’m not. And you love me just the way I am.”

  “I think she’s got it, Ollie.”

  She sighed and took a deep breath. “When we get home, things are going to be changing. Big changes.”

  He rolled his eyes. “That sounds ominous. What kind of—”

  Billy Clyde ambled back in with a huge smile. “All done. Robbie’s information was good as gold. They stopped the robbery before it even got started. They’re in custody, including Scooter.”

  “It wasn’t all that bad of an idea.” Dylan said. “Stealing money that was about to be destroyed. Security wasn’t what it would be on a new shipment of money. Not a bad idea at all.”

  “So, what are they saying?” Reggie asked.

  “From what Scooter’s saying, it was all Denny Reagan’s idea. After they visited us, Denny got the idea of using my computers to help rob the Treasury Department. Apparently, Denny had some associates who knew computers. Robbie took them to the cabin but had no idea they were planning on setting it on fire.”

  Reggie shook her head. “I feel bad for Robbie and LaTisha. Robbie’s father forced him to help. He thought he was doing the right thing. Helping his family from losing their land.”

  “Yeah me too, he’s the one that milked the rattlers without Denny knowing about it. Otherwise, I’d be a dead man as we speak.”

  “Then God bless Robbie.” Reggie said. “No matter what else he did.”

  “Don’t feel too bad. His cooperation is going to go a long way in keeping him out of prison. Unlike Denny Reagan and Scooter. Chances are they’ll never see the light of day again. Between kidnapping, conspiracy, and murder. Denny and his accomplices won’t be bothering anyone else again. Ever.”

  Theresa walked out through the double doors. In her blue scrubs and blue hair net, she looked like a Smurf. She threw up her hands in a celebratory motion. “It’s a girl. Baby and mother are fine. Of course, LaTisha’s a mess after everything that happened, but I assured her my husband would take care of things.” She poked at Billy Clyde. “Was I lying to the woman?”

  “You were not lying to the woman. As long as Robbie keeps cooperating with the authorities, he won’t be getting any jail time. He’ll be around to raise his baby.”

  Theresa nodded with satisfaction. “That’s good. A baby needs a daddy.”

  “Amen to that, woman.”

  Theresa turned to Reggie. “So, I guess life goes back to normal.”

  Reggie hugged Dylan. “Maybe, maybe not. I was just telling Dylan there are going to be some big changes—”

  Dylan winked. “You keep saying that, but you aren’t saying what they are. You’re making me nervous.”

  “Nothing to be nervous about, husband of mine. There are a lot of women and children out there living with abusive husbands and boyfriends just like Misty was.”

  Theresa nodded. “That’s for sure.”

  “I know I can’t help all of them, but I can help some of them. Help them to have better lives. Help them to get away from their abusers.”

  Billy Clyde moved closer to his wife and flung an arm around her shoulder. “That’s a lot of women with very angry, very violent husbands.”

  “I’m going to start out slow, of course. Just helping them through the legal system. You know restraining orders, divorces, whatever they need. But I’m thinking eventually I can talk my father into donating some money. Then, we could set up a training program for better jobs and better parenting. Then—”

  “Wow, you have been thinking about this, haven’t you?”

  She shrugged. “Well, it was a long drive down to PawPaw from Fredericksburg.”

  Billy Clyde chuckled. “Like I said, Monroe. That wife of yours is a trouble magnet. I can see it now. All those angry men looking for their wives. Going to be big problems.”

  “She may be but she’s my magnet. And I love her just the way she is.”

  She smiled sweetly at her husband. “And I love you and you’re stuck with me. Remember we vowed until death do us part.”

 

  OTHER BOOKS BY LILLIAN DUNCAN

  DEADLY COMMUNICATIONS series: Who knew speech therapy could be so dangerous?

  AMAZON LINK DEADLY COMMUNICATIONS: Improving communications skills is never easy, but this time it might be deadly!

  AMAZON LINK DEADLY INTENT: Maven's back! When a young boy is abandoned in a local park, Maven can't turn her back on him...and that's when the trouble starts!

  SISTERS by CHOICE series: It takes more than blood to make a family!

  AMAZON LINK DECEPTION: As children, Jamie and Patti played the game of deception. Now it's not a game--it's a matter of life and death!

  AMAZON LINK BETRAYED: The nightmare isn't over, her dead husband just called--from the grave!

  AMAZON LINK REDEMPTION: Jamie’s worst mistake is her best hope for finding a missing child.

  STAND-ALONE BOOKS

  AMAZON LINK DARK ALLEYS: Homeless and alone, Tessa witnesses a murder--now he's after her!

  AMAZON LINK THE CHRISTMAS STALKING: Life’s not all glitz and glamour for country music star, Destiny; someone wants her dead!

  AMAZON LINK SERENITY SPRINGS, OHIO: His open and shut case just got complicated!

  AMAZON LINK GEESE MATE FOR LIFE: Her husband was murdered and no one believes her!

  AMAZON LINK PURSUED: Trusting Dylan will either be her best decision or her last!

  Lillian Duncan: stories of faith mingled with murder & mayhem!

  Lillian is a multi-published author who lives in the middle of Ohio Amish country with her husband, two parrots, one Jack Russell, and a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel that she’s thinking of renaming Clifford since he keeps growing and growing and….

  As a speech pathologist in the public schools for over thirty years, she worked with students of all ages with a wide variety of handicapping conditions, but especially with deaf and hard-of-hearing children.

  Whether as an educator, a writer, or a speech pathologist, she believes in the power of words to transform lives especially God’s Word.

  Lillian writes the types of books she loves to read—fast-paced suspense with a touch of romance that demonstrates God’s love for all of us. Other books by Lillian include Redemption; Betrayed; Deadly Communications; and The Christmas Stalking.

  To learn more about Lillian and her books, you may visit her Amazon page or at www.lillianduncan.net. She also has a devotional blog at www.PowerUpWithGod.com.

  Harmful
Intent

  A Veronica "Ronnie" Ingels/Dawson Hughes Novel

  By Nike Chillemi

  Crime Fictionista Press

  Copyright @ 2014 by Nike Chillemi

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles, notices, and reviews. crimefictionistapress@yahoo.com

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination, or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of the author.

  eBook editions are licensed for personal use only. eBook editions may not be resold or copied.

  Editor: Deborah K. Anderson

  Acknowledgements:

  All my love to my two best friends forever (BFFs), Carol Dilberian and Christine Sloat White, who are truly everything friends should be… the antithesis of one of the characters in this novel.

  Since this novel was first released, Christine has passed from ovarian cancer. I miss her so much, but know I will one day see her again in heaven.

  Praises for HARMFUL INTENT…

  Who’d a thunk it? Nike Chillemi’s New York gusto in Texas. HARMFUL INTENT is a mystery/suspense delight, mixing Nike’s New York flavor, the quirkiness of the South, a mystery to die for, and laugh aloud humor. I couldn’t put it down. ~ Fay Lamb, author of STALKING WILLOW and BETTER THAN REVENGE.

  Nike Chillemi delivers another gritty ‘who dun it’ in her signature no nonsense style, with just the right amount of humor to lighten it up on occasion while keeping it real. ~ Tracy Krauss, award winning and bestselling author of numerous novels including WIND OVER MARSHDALE