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Chapters (64)
  1. Cover
  2. PRAISE FOR JANICE CANTORE
  3. Map of Rogue’s Hollow
  4. Dedication
  5. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  6. Epigraph
  7. PROLOGUE
  8. 1
  9. 2
  10. 3
  11. 4
  12. 5
  13. 6
  14. 7
  15. 8
  16. 9
  17. 10
  18. 11
  19. 12
  20. 13
  21. 14
  22. 15
  23. 16
  24. 17
  25. 18
  26. 19
  27. 20
  28. 21
  29. 22
  30. 23
  31. 24
  32. 25
  33. 26
  34. 27
  35. 28
  36. 29
  37. 30
  38. 31
  39. 32
  40. 33
  41. 34
  42. 35
  43. 36
  44. 37
  45. 38
  46. 39
  47. 40
  48. 41
  49. 42
  50. 43
  51. 44
  52. 45
  53. 46
  54. 47
  55. 48
  56. 49
  57. 50
  58. 51
  59. 52
  60. 53
  61. EPILOGUE
  62. 1
  63. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  64. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

“Here!” Bender called out. Tess stopped, not certain what he was seeing. She followed his flashlight beam and still couldn’t make it out. Blinking her tired eyes, she refocused and saw it—a dark opening in the hillside behind the trees.

A new fear gripped her. What would they find inside?

Both men stepped aside and let Tess take the lead.

She stepped between the trees. The stench knocked her back on her heels. It was reminiscent of the odor they’d detected at the cut fence. Tess prayed a dead body wasn’t the source.

Tess, Bender, and Yarrow shone their lights into the black space. Off to one side something glinted—a sleeping bag, the lump making it obvious there was something inside.

Glancing to Yarrow, Tess said, “I’ve got this.” Then she ducked down and stepped into the dark crevasse. She held her breath and knelt down to unzip the bag. She saw hair first and then the face, duct tape across the mouth.

Tess reached forward to check the neck for a pulse when Janie’s eyes popped open, and Tess nearly fell back at the shock. The woman’s eyes squinted at the light. First they filled with fear, and her body bucked; then she relaxed when Tess spoke.

“Janie, it’s Chief O’Rourke. You’re safe, you’re safe.” The woman’s visible relief rippled through Tess like a wave. Finally some good news. Thank you, God.

With Bender’s help, Tess freed Janie from the bag and duct tape that bound her. As she worked to get circulation back into her limbs, Janie began to cry.

“Oh, Chief, it was Ken Blakely; he stopped me when I got to work. He wants all of our money. He says that Garrett owes him—”

“It’s okay. We know all about Blakely. He’s not going to bother you ever again. Are you hurt in any way?”

“Just stiff. My throat is parched. Can I get some water?”

Yarrow handed her a bottle.

As she drank, Tess felt a lot of tension fade away. It looked like Blakely’s attempt to conceal Janie actually kept her from freezing. While the woman hydrated and recovered from being bound and hidden for hours, Tess left the enclosure and radioed the news to Jonkey.

“We found her, she’s okay, and we’ll be heading back down in a few minutes.”

When Jonkey responded with a 10-4, Tess took a deep breath. This was a second miracle.

But as they readied the ATV to accommodate Janie on the way back down to the mobile home park, Tess found her mind wandering to Oliver and the tension between them. The last phone call was crushing. Would it take a third miracle for their relationship to survive all this?

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