VANISH
BLURB:
Getting to the truth may prove deadly...
On a deserted country road, Janet West accidentally strikes a woman with her SUV. She gets out to render aid but is attacked and drugged. When she wakes, she's back inside her vehicle and the woman--along with the assailant--have vanished.
Todd Duncan is shocked by the vicious assault and the haphazard investigation. Unlike the police, he believes Janet. She's driven to find the woman regardless of the risk and, although Todd's in town temporarily, he's not leaving his friend to do this alone.
Yet the more they dig into the mysterious woman's identity, the deadlier the threats become. Someone is determined to keep what happened that night a secret, and if they have to kill to do it...
So be it.
EXCERPT:
Chapter One
Home renovations were going to get her killed.
Janet West white-knuckled the steering wheel. Rain pounded against the windshield and obscured her vision of the country road. In the space between the seats, a heap of different bathroom tiles mingled with the strap of her purse and a collection of paint color samples. A whimper rose from the passenger seat. Callie, her golden retriever mix, cast a worried glance at her.
“I know, I know,” Janet said. “I spent too long in the hardware store before picking you up at the vet. I got carried away.”
Her headlights were no match for the storm and she flipped on her brights. Lightning flashed, followed by a window-rattling boom of thunder. Callie whimpered again and pushed her body against the seat. The poor dog was shaking.
“Five minutes and we’ll be home, girl.”
The farmhouse didn’t feel like home yet with its peeling plaster and horrific bathrooms, but after this week of renovations, Janet hoped it would.
“Todd should still be there, finishing up the kitchen backsplash. I’m sure you can convince him to sneak you a cookie.”
Callie’s tail thumped at Todd’s name. Her dog had fallen in love with him from the moment he’d set foot on the property. Not that Janet could blame her. Todd Duncan was ruggedly handsome and possessed both a quiet strength and an innate kindness she couldn’t resist either.
“What am I going to do with you when he leaves, huh?” she asked. “You know he’s only hanging around to finish construction on the house. Afterward, he’s moving on to his next adventure.”
The conversation was as much for Janet as it was for Callie. It wouldn’t do either of them any good to get attached to a man with one foot out the door.
Another bolt of lightning lit up the sky. Swollen ditches on either side struggled to keep up with the torrential downpour. Janet leaned closer to the windshield. She hadn’t missed the turn off for her drive, had she?
Something dashed into the road from the opposite side and she stomped on the brakes. The headlights reflected off fabric and a pale face.
Janet swerved.
Her head bounced against the side panel. The backend of her SUV fishtailed, skimming across the flooded asphalt, and a thump resounded against the side of the vehicle. She turned into the spin and pumped the brakes. Her heart pounded, the sound of it roaring in her ears, while the blur of trees beyond her windshield rushed closer. Janet’s body tensed, preparing to crash. The tires found traction. The SUV slid to a stop inches from the deep ditch lining the side of the road. Rain battered against the roof. Something slick and warm trickled down her head.
She sat, stunned and motionless.A wet nose nudged her arm. Janet sucked in a deep breath. She pried her fingers from the steering wheel and shoved the vehicle into park. Callie strained against the harness securing her to the seat and nudged Janet’s arm again.
“Are you okay, girl?” She patted the dog with one hand and used the other to check her scalp. She winced as pain shot across her head. The wet liquid coating her fingers was inky-black in the weak light coming off her headlights.
Blood. On her hands.
With a jolt, Janet’s gaze shot to the rearview mirror. A barely discernible lump lay on the road.
No, no, no, no, no. She flung her door open. Raindrops pelted her bare head and ran down her face in rivets, instantly soaking her. Goosebumps broke out across her skin. As if on autopilot, Janet flipped the hood of her coat up. She grabbed the flashlight from the side pocket with a shaking hand and raced toward the lump. Water soaked her tennis shoes, numbing her toes, and her breath came in short spurts.
Her flashlight flickered over a pale hand lying stark against the blacktop. Janet’s heart thundered and chills raced down her spine. Oh, God, no. It hadn’t been a nightmare.
The closer she ran, the more her light revealed. Ankle boots covered in mud and grass, soaked slacks, and a pale silk blouse. The woman’s wrists were rubbed raw, the skin broken and bloody, and a large purple bruise bloomed on her cheek.
Janet’s knees hit the pavement with bone-jarring force. Her whole body trembled. She placed her fingers along the smooth column of the woman’s throat.
She couldn’t find a pulse. A sob rose in her throat. She yanked the cell phone from her pocket and dialed 911. Her phone beeped. And then nothing. She had no signal. Tears ran down her face, mixing with the rain. She hit the buttons again.
“Come on, come on!”
Fingers grasped her arm. Janet gasped and tumbled back. The flashlight fell from her hand and rolled a short distance before coming to a stop.
The woman on the road groaned.
Panic gave way to heady relief and Janet ripped off her jacket, spreading it across the woman’s torso. It was poor protection from the rain, but it was something. The woman grabbed her arm again, her chipped and jagged fingernails digging into Janet’s skin. Her dark eyes were wide. Desperate. Her mouth moved, but no sound came out.
“You’re hurt.” Janet’s voice came out steady and sure, a far cry from the tangled emotions inside her. “I’m going to get help.”
She glanced back at her SUV. Her cell phone didn’t work, but she had an in-vehicle safety and security system. It was able to contact emergency services, even in most dead zones.
The woman tugged on her arm again, yanking Janet toward her. Up close, the lines on her face were visible. Her hair was gray at the roots, as if she normally dyed it but hadn’t in several months. Again her mouth moved. Janet couldn’t make out what she was saying.
“You’re going to be okay.” She worked her hand free. “I’m going to call for help, but I’ll be right back.”
In the distance, a dog barked. Lightning lit up the sky, as bright as day. The woman’s gaze flickered to something behind Janet. Her eyes widened.
Janet was yanked backward, lifted off the ground against a wall of hard muscle. A scream rose in her throat, muffled before it could pass her lips by a cloth closing over her nose and mouth. A pungent, musty odor filled her nostrils. The arm across her waist trapped her hands next to her body. She flailed her feet, landing a solid kick with her tennis shoe into a shin. Her attacker grunted. The dog barking grew furious.
The vise around her waist tightened, the man’s hold unrelenting. She couldn’t breathe. Her vision darkened. Janet bit the fabric covering her mouth, but only got cloth and not the flesh of her attacker’s hand.
Everything went black.
