Since her arrest for disobeying orders and going ashore at Iwo Jima almost a decade earlier, combat correspondent Georgette “Dickey” Chapelle has been unmoored. Her military accreditation revoked, her marriage failing, and her savings dwindling, Dickey jumps at the next opportunity. In the aftermath of a an assignment gone wrong, a flame is lit deep inside Dickey—to survive in order to be the world’s witness to war from the front lines.
Never content to report on battles unless her own boots are on the ground, Dickey and her camera journey with American and international soldiers from frozen wastelands to raging seas to luscious jungles, revealing one woman’s extraordinary courage and tenacity in the face of discrimination and danger. And it’s along the way, in Dickey’s desire to save the world, she realizes she might also be saving herself.
At a time when a woman’s heroic spirit often gave way to homeland reality, Dickey blazed a trail for the revolutionary hearts inside us all.
THE LAST ASSIGNMENT by Erika Robuck is a historical biographical fiction story featuring the later portion of photojournalist Georgette “Dickey” Chapelle’s life. Ms. Robuck does a wonderful job of bringing her to life not only writing about her achievements, but also her impetuosity which could get her into dangerous and terrible situations. This standalone story is a look at an impressive woman in history that I knew nothing about.
Dickey Chapelle led an awe-inspiring life photographing and writing about her favorite men, the Marines, on Iwo Jima during WWII, Europe’s reconstruction, Hungary’s revolution, dictators, refugees, and strife in foreign countries, all the way up to once again being with her Marines during the Vietnam War until her death in country. Her photography and stories were featured in many major magazines, and she received many awards, but that was never her goal. She always wanted to take that one picture that would end all wars. While her family and friends always worried about her, she could never sit still on the sidelines when she believed her photography could shine a light on injustice.
This is an intensive look into this female photojournalist’s later life. She always wanted to be first on the ground to uncover the truth. She was interested in the Civil Rights Movement, and it would have been safer for her to stay home in the states, but she needed and preferred to be out in the world and covering international conflicts. Dickey was by no means perfect and got in trouble, even imprisonment in Hungary for her actions, but it was always because she truly cared about the people she was covering.
This historical biography is brought to life through Dickey and with the obvious extensive research of Ms. Robuck. It is interesting to follow Dickey through this period and remember how the stories she covered were portrayed at that time and then the changes, or not, in perspective, as it became history to be analyzed and studied.
I highly recommend this engaging historical biographical fiction story, and I am very glad to be able to go back myself and see the important work Dickey left for the world.
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About the Author
Erika Robuck is the national bestselling author of historical fiction including SISTERS OF NIGHT AND FOG, THE INVISIBLE WOMAN, and HEMINGWAY’S GIRL. Her articles have appeared in Writer Unboxed, Crime Reads, and Writer’s Digest, and she has been named a Maryland Writer’s Association Notable Writer of 2024. A boating enthusiast, amateur historian, and teacher, she resides in Annapolis with her husband and three sons.
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for SKYLARK (The SEAL Saga Book #1) by Megan Michelle on this blog tour.
Below you will find a book summary, my book review, an about the author section, and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!
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Book Summary
Being the first female Navy SEAL is no easy job, but someone’s got to dismantle the patriarchy. Rachel Ryker, call sign ‘Skylark,’ can out run and out gun just about anybody, and with her second in command, Christopher Williams, by her side, she’s practically unstoppable. Christopher would follow Rachel to hell and back… or maybe just to the Middle East. When a top-secret malware code is stolen from the CIA, Rachel and Christopher lead their SEAL team through the Middle East in an attempt to recover it.
They both have their own reasons for fighting, but as the team gets closer to finding the stolen malware, Rachel discovers that the man they’re looking for may be closer to her than she thinks. Will Rachel’s obsession with completing their mission override her common sense and causes her to lose sight of what is really important- keeping women and children safe from the oppressive patriarchy they are all living in?
With secrets, pride, and a strict no fraternization policy keeping them apart, falling in love would mean sacrificing everything Rachel and Christopher have worked for. But when Rachel gets injured in combat, everything changes. Now Rachel will have to choose: does her devotion to the Navy outweigh her love for Christopher?
SKYLARK (The SEAL Saga Book #1) by Megan Michelle is a Special Units Navy SEAL action war thriller/romance mash-up featuring the first female SEAL and her team. This is the first book in the proposed series, and I was surprised that it is this author’s debut book.
Navy Commander Rachel Ryker and her ten-man team are exceptional at their jobs and every man on her team respects their female leader. She is especially close with her second in command Lt. Commander Christopher Williams who attended BUDs with her ten years previously, and while there is plenty of sexual tension and chemistry, neither is willing to break the regulation against fraternization.
Rachel and her SEAL team are assigned an undercover mission in Afghanistan to recover a USB with top secret malware in the possession of an Al Qaeda leader. Rachel always hates returning to Afghanistan due to her hatred of the extreme patriarchal system under the Taliban, but to find her quarry, she must blend in and befriend the women of the local mosque. What Rachel does not know is that there is more going on regarding their mission, and they are about to uncover an international plot that could get them all killed.
This is an exciting, fast-paced military action story that kept me turning the pages as Rachel and her team fight their way through terrorists in the Middle East and at home. The descriptions of operations and combat were well plotted and contained vivid descriptions. Rachel’s steadfast belief in women’s rights and equality was front and center in this story. Her family life was sad, and it made it even more important for her to have her chosen family in her team and to help others in bad situations. The slow burn romance between Rachel and Christopher was believable and hot. There are plenty of twists, turns, and surprises throughout.
I highly recommend this gripping genre mash-up and look forward to the next book in the series!
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About the Author
Megan Michelle writes dark romance for the fearless women who are ready to reclaim their power and confront the shadows of their past. Her stories blend the raw emotions of military life, the strength of feminism, and the passion of forbidden love, all while guiding readers on a journey of self-discovery and healing. Through dark romance, she explores the complexity of love, power, and identity. Her stories invite you to dive deep into the hearts of women who don’t just survive—they thrive, reclaiming their power and rewriting their stories on their own terms.
Haunted by her family’s unsolved murder sixteen years ago, Leonora Spencer is familiar with death. As an assistant in her elderly uncle’s London morgue, she uses her photographic memory to catalogue details for his coroner reports. She also isn’t opposed to helping during postmortems, when his skilled hands begin to shake. After a thief breaks into the morgue and steals a locket from a corpse, Leo is determined to understand why, even if it means going against Detective Inspector Jasper Reid’s express orders to keep her nose out of it.
A closely guarded past
Born and bred in the East End slums, Jasper Reid’s recent promotion to the detective’s branch at Scotland Yard is a long step up from his murky past…a past he can’t afford to reveal to anyone. The last thing he needs is a muddled case connecting to the criminals he once associated with—and to the well-known eccentric Leo Spencer. Her stubborn resolve to undermine Jasper’s investigation tests his patience and the complicated history they share.
A murderer closing in
When the missing locket and a handful of suspicious deaths point to a mysterious buried object, Jasper grudgingly accepts Leo’s help to locate it. But someone is watching, and the more they uncover about a deadly blackmail plot, the closer Leo and Jasper get to becoming the killer’s next targets.
SHADOW AT THE MORGUE (Spencer & Reid Mysteries Book #1) by Cara Devlin is an exciting start to a new historical mystery series set in Victorian London in the 1880’s and featuring a young woman who does not conform to society’s rules and a newly promoted Detective Inspector. This is a story that starts off strong and continually kept me turning the pages with each new clue and twist in the case.
Fifteen years ago, Leonora ‘Leo’ Spenser was the sole surviving member of her family who were all brutally murdered. Now living with her uncle and aunt, she is an unofficial assistant to her uncle in a London morgue. With her photographic memory and her curiosity, she catalogues details for his coroner’s reports. Her best friend is a young female matron in the women and children’s side of the city jail while all others find her work in the morgue strange and unladylike.
Leo’s uncle is called away one evening and a man with a knife threatens Leo and locks her in a back room and then leaves after stealing a dead man’s case. Detective Inspector Jasper Reid is called and discovers Leo in the back room. While Jasper is wondering what was so important in the case, with Leo’s memory she knows nothing important was in it, but a dead woman in the morgue is missing a locket.
As Leo and Jasper follow the clues, more dead bodies are discovered and tied to the case. Then they uncover a blackmail plot that ties all the missing pieces together, but it also places them in the killer’s path and makes them disposable.
This is a great introduction to these new protagonists, and the mystery plot was full of red herrings and twists that continually surprised me. I love intelligent characters like Leo who buck convention and are ahead of the times they live in, but she also has a mystery in her past that can play out in future books. Jasper also has a past that was only touched on and I am sure will play into future stories. The dialogue between the two is snappy and while it can seem as if they are fighting like siblings, their feelings are a little more involved than that. The emotional ties between Leo and Jasper will be interesting to follow and see how they progress in future books. The author does an excellent job with her descriptions of atmosphere and historical depictions of London.
I highly recommend this new historical mystery and am looking forward to reading many more in this series!
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About the Author
Cara is an author, reader, and history lover. She reads and writes across genres, but her heart is reserved for romantic historical fiction and mystery. Her Bow Street Duchess books are fast-paced historical mysteries featuring a slow-burn romance taking place in Regency London. The series begins with Murder at the Seven Dials. Cara lives in rural New England with her family, where she is at work on her next series, the Spencer & Reid Mysteries.
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for NEVEREND by Blake Rudman on this Black Tide Book Tour.
Below you will find a book description, my book review, an about the author section and the author’s social media links. Enjoy!
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Book Description
Inexplicably, huge locust swarms of Biblical proportions plague Austin, Texas: a sinister portent of terrifying things to come?
Dr. Jon Edom, hero surgeon, loving father, finds himself unwittingly drawn into the dark conspiracies surrounding the sinister Church of the Resurrected, which has uncomfortably close family ties to his wife, Rochelle.
Rochelle Edom, daughter of the Church’s founder, genius creator of the worldwide hit video game, NeverEnd, has left her coding days behind to focus on family life. She laments that the repetitive, highly-addictive game she designed shows an alarming increase in ill effects among its players: they emulate the characters’ violent actions with increasingly brutal consequences – which her husband witnesses first hand.
When Rochelle unexpectedly goes missing, along with her and Jon’s two young children, the doctor all too quickly becomes a suspect once old infidelities are exposed.
As Jon fights to clear his name under seemingly impossible, tragic circumstances, aided by his close friend, Rabbi Max, he becomes inexorably embroiled in the evil undercurrent of the Church of the Resurrected’s association with the enigmatic Coppersmith, who has a nefarious agenda all of his own…
NEVEREND by Blake Rudman is an intense dark noir thriller with philosophical and religious elements as well as a criminal investigation and trial. The unsettling atmosphere, fully developed characters, and multitude of questions with every plot twist kept me turning the pages in a race to the end…which ended in a cliffhanger! UGH!!
Rochelle Edom is a brilliant software engineer and creator of the highly addictive video game, NeverEnd. She is also the oldest daughter of the founder of The Church of the Resurrected. Having worked through the childhood of her twins, she decided to retire and focus on her and Jon’s two younger sons. She has had problems in her marriage with Jon working long hours and her bipolar disease, so when Jon goes away to a conference, she gathers her two sons and disappears.
Dr. Jon Edom is a dedicated surgeon, but evidence begins to point to Jon as having hurt his wife and sons, he finds himself accused of the murder. Yes, they were having problems, but he loved them and cannot understand why the detective investigating his case is so sure of his guilt.
Besides Jon’s trial with startling revelations, there are swarms of locust plaguing Texas, a video game that has people killing each other, a hurricane bearing down, and questionable religious leaders and sects out to destroy each other all intertwined into a world that is completely unstable and psychologically disturbing.
This is the second book I have read by this author and once again I read it completely in one sitting. The world-building and psychological tension kept me off balance and questioning my assumptions throughout. It is a dark thriller with the criminal investigation and trial, but there are also moments of what some may call karma, or others will say divine intervention. The pacing is intense throughout. My one pet peeve as always, although it did not change my rating, is that the book ends in a cliffhanger. I hate them and will usually not pick up the next book for that reason, but I will definitely be waiting for this follow-up. Mr. Rudman has hooked me again!
I highly recommend this powerful dark noir thriller!
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About the Author
Blake Rudman enjoyed a former, successful career in executive management, building his own companies from the ground up.
Success or not, Blake’s heart has always been in the written word, and the myriad ideas he spent much of his spare time jotting down in notebooks, Post-Its, and scraps of paper whenever the inspiration hit him.
Now a breakout author of six noir thriller novels, Blake’s destiny of becoming a writer of some renown is well under way.
When he’s not working diligently on his next novel, Blake spends quality time with his daughter and reading.
April Raines is facing the end of her long-term marriage after her husband begins another family. Eager for a fresh start, she returns home with her grown daughters to Crown Island, just off the coast of Southern California.
When Ryan Kingston acquires the historical Majestic Hotel, he is determined to bring the vintage Victorian beach resort back to life. But it could come at a steep cost to him and his carefully guarded privacy.
Especially when April Raines, head of the new Crown Island Historical Society, captures his attention. Will they both get a second chance at life?
BEACH VIEW LANE (Crown Island Book #1) by Jan Moran is an emotional and enjoyable beginning to a women’s fiction/family saga/romance mash-up series. It introduces us to the families and multiple characters of Crown Island which is just off the Californian coast. This first story in the series features the return of an island daughter after the end of a long-term marriage.
April Raines has done everything to support her husband as he climbed the higher education academic ladder. While there were problems, they always seemed to work them out, until this time. He has started another family with a much younger woman while April has been on Crown Island nursing her mother back to health after a bad case of pneumonia.
April is determined to start a new life of her own with her background in historical education on the island she has always loved with her mother, daughter, and best friend as the new head of the Crown Island Historical Society. Her love of the historical Majestic Hotel and its new owner have her intrigued to learn more about the planned renovations, but their first meeting does not go well.
Ryan Kingston has bought his financial partner out and is determined to restore the Majestic Hotel to its formal glory. What many on the island do not realize is that the new extremely private owner has a secret on the island that only very few know about, and he is worried if it is revealed, it will affect his ability to carry out his plans.
This is a wonderful, emotion filled start to a genre mash-up series. The island descriptions make me want to visit and hopefully meet all the island inhabitants. The characters were fully developed even in this first book and very relatable. I lived in a town like this island, where there were vast social dichotomies and I had empathy for Ryan’s dilemma and thought it was handled beautifully. There are no sex scenes in this book, it more family drama and the beginning of a romantic relationship. I am looking forward to reading more books in this series to follow not only April’s friend, Deb, but also April’s daughters.
I highly recommend this genre mash-up book and cannot wait to read more books in this new series.
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About the Author
Jan Moran is a USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of heartfelt women’s fiction series, beach reads, family sagas, and romantic 20th-century historical novels. Jan dreams up her popular, small-town contemporary beach books on sunny shores in Southern California. Don’t miss out on new releases and special offers – join Jan’s Readers Club on her website for all her news.
Pour a cup of tea or a glass of wine, open one of her books, and find yourself transported with characters you’ll soon be rooting for as friends. Jan is an avid traveler, so you’ll find her books infused with authentic locales and things she loves to research—from chocolate, wine, and food to history, fashion, and more. Readers often say that along with a heartwarming story, they also learn many fascinating details.
As a native of Texas who lived on the East Coast and worked in Paris, Hong Kong, and Canada, Jan brings a wealth of experience to every book she writes. She welcomes you to her wonderful world of storytelling.
Today I am sharing my Feature Post and Book Review for SHADOWED WITNESS (The Secrets of Kincaid Book #2) by Angela Carlisle on this Partners In Crime Virtual Book Tour.
Below you will find a book description, my book review, and excerpt from the book, and the author’s bio and social media links. Enjoy!
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Book Description
A haunting attack. A killer in the shadows. A protective love.
Murder–that’s what photographer Allye Jessup knows she witnessed as she departed her studio one evening. Waking with bruises on her neck and a foggy memory, she believes she survived an attack, but everyone seems to think she simply sustained a head injury from falling down the stairs outside her studio. Plagued by an undiagnosed health condition, she is torn between the haunting reality of what she may have seen and the possibility that her mind is playing tricks on her.
Without proof the other victim ever existed, Detective Eric Thornton can hardly declare the area a murder scene. Still, he adds Allye’s report to his already full caseload. But when new evidence surfaces to support her claims, Eric must stay one step ahead of a ruthless killer and uncover the truth before the suspect closes in on Allye again.
Genre: Romantic Suspense Published by: Bethany House Publishers Publication Date: July 1, 2025 Number of Pages: 336 ISBN: 9780764242519 (ISBN10: 0764242512) Series: The Secrets of Kincaid, Book 2 (Amazon | Goodreads)
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My Book Review
RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars
SHADOWED WITNESS (The Secrets of Kincaid Book #2) by Angela Carlisle is a fast-paced Christian romantic suspense featuring a female protagonist who does not know if she can believe what she remembers about a murder she witnessed, or did she? This is the second book in the Secrets of Kincaid series, and it can easily be read as a standalone book.
Photographer Allye Jessup has always been a little clumsy, but lately she has had mysterious symptoms that are severely affecting her daily life. As she waits for further testing, she is leaving her office one night and believes she hears something behind her building. She gets off a scream before she is choked into unconsciousness, but when she wakes up, the mayor who finds her believes she just fell down her office stairs and knocked herself out. When she is attacked in her home, the story is so strange that even her friend, one of the town’s detectives, is having trouble believing her.
Detective Eric Thornton wants to believe Allye, but there is no proof at either scene and he is consumed with other cases. When a body surfaces in a shallow grave in the park, it appears to have evidence that proves Allye’s story. Could Allye have seen more than she knows and really be in danger?
This is a page turner full of suspense and unknowns. Allye is dealing with mysterious health issues and does not want her family to worry, so she is bearing the burden alone until she is diagnosed, but it also puts her in even more danger. Eric has his own problems not only with his workload, but with family trauma while growing up. Even with all their personal problems, they feel an attraction and the threats to Allye make Eric more protective. This is a Christian romantic suspense and with Allye’s health issues there are no sex scenes. The suspense is constant and kept me turning the pages. I only guessed part of the crime plot conclusion and the solution to Allye’s health problems was a surprise until it was suggested as a cause.
I recommend this second Christian romantic suspense in this series and look forward to more.
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Excerpt
1
LIGHTS? CHECK.
Camera? Check.
Three bags and a purse? Check.
Allye Jessup looped all four sets of straps over her left shoulder and stepped out of her small second- story photography studio into a warm autumn evening. The sun had just set, but it was still light enough that the dusk- to- dawn light above the landing hadn’t kicked on yet. That wouldn’t last long, especially with the fog already beginning to move in.
Tightly gripping the rail, she started down the metal stairs. She didn’t need another fall, and the way her equilibrium had been off lately, she wasn’t taking any chances. When she was nearly at the bottom, a dull thud sounded from behind the building. Someone stifled a cry. Another thud.
What in the world? Allye hurried down the last few stairs and toward the noise. She slowed before she reached the corner. Fished in her pocket for her phone. She groaned silently. Not there. No telling which bag she’d stuffed it into. Or if she’d left it in her studio. Wouldn’t be the first time.
As she edged toward the back of the building, she heard a louder ka- thump as if something heavy had fallen. The sounds changed to a muted, almost rhythmic thumping. She reached the corner and peered around.
Two men. One standing back in the shadows, watching. The second man delivered another savage kick to something— no, someone— unmoving on the ground. The blow left the fallen man’s head tilted at an unnatural angle. Allye sucked in a breath.
The attacker swung around, chest heaving. Looked her straight in the eyes.
No. Allye pushed off the building and ran, bags flopping against her back and side. Pursuing footfalls pounded the gravel behind her. She didn’t dare look back. She had to get out into the open. Had to—
A heavy weight plowed into her back. She screamed. Tried to catch herself as she went down in a tangle of bags. Pain shot through her knees and wrists, but she pushed herself up. Turned to fight.
Her attacker shoved her against the side of the building. The back of her head bounced against the wall.
She screamed again. A rough hand closed around her throat, cutting off her cry and pinning her against the rough brick. Her hands flew to his, but his grip was like steel. Too tight for another scream. Just loose enough to allow her the slightest bit of oxygen.
“What do we have here?” He studied her, ignoring her strug- gles. He touched her hair, letting a curl wind around his finger, then slide off. His lips curved in a predatory grin. “Pretty little thing, aren’t you?”
A new wave of fear skittered up her spine. She kicked, and the tip of her shoe connected solidly with his shin. He slapped her, then shifted his hold on her throat, lifting so her toes barely touched the ground. Rage glittered in his eyes.
And he started to squeeze.
She clawed at his fingers, his arm. He snatched both her hands in his free one with a grip that threatened to snap her wrists. Her vision darkened, punctuated by pinpricks of light. She tried to kick again, but he was too close and her strength was fading.
Someone shouted— the words garbled by the rushing in her ears. Hope flared.
Her attacker looked to the side, but the force of his grip didn’t diminish.
Lungs feeling ready to burst, she jerked one last time against his hold. He didn’t budge. The glimmer of hope faded.
Allye succumbed to the darkness.
“ALLYE. ALLYE!” A voice penetrated the smothering black hole of unconsciousness. Someone gripped her shoulders and gently shook her. “Are you okay?”
Allye groaned, and her throat rebelled against the sound. Pain. The attack. Panic flooded in.
She clawed her way to the light, ready to fight for her life. But rather than cooperating with her brain, her eyelids fluttered, and her body declined to move at all.
“Allye?” The voice came again, and this time she recognized it. Mayor Jennings. Not the attacker.
The edge of her panic eased. She concentrated her efforts on opening her eyes, and this time, they obeyed. Mayor Jennings leaned over her, his face a picture of concern.
“Oh, thank God, you’re awake! Are you in pain?” “Where . . . is he?” She forced the words out, her throat pro- testing every word.
Confusion etched new lines onto the mayor’s forehead. “Who?” “That man.” Allye planted her elbows in the gravel and gathered her strength to rise. Her first attempt was pitiful, and she let her head fall back against the ground. Ouch. She waited a moment and tried again. She was partially successful, and Mayor Jennings assisted her into a full sitting position. She bit back another groan and straightened her glasses as she focused on regulating her breathing. Everything hurt. Especially her throat. She raised a shaky hand to her neck. “The man . . . choking me.” She could hear the hoarseness in her voice, and every syllable scraped pain- fully across her damaged windpipe.
Mayor Jennings sat back on his heels. “There wasn’t anyone else out here.”
“A man came after me. Choked me because I saw—” The man on the ground. Could he still be alive?
She pushed to her feet. Dizziness washed over her, and her purse swung against her body. She clutched at the staircase rail- ing. Instantly, she felt the mayor’s strong hand cupping her elbow.
“Easy, Allye. You had a hard fall.” She shook her head, making the dizziness worse. She squeezed her eyes shut for a count of ten. “I didn’t fall.”
“You didn’t?” His gaze dropped to her knees, and she glanced down. Despite the harsh shadows cast by the light above the landing, she could make out the shredded mess of her leggings. She blinked and thought back.
“Well, I did fall when he was chasing me,” she corrected. “When who was chasing you?” “The man.” And she needed to see if the other person being beaten had survived— though she wasn’t sure how he could have. She shook off the mayor’s hold and stumbled toward the back of the building. He followed, hovering as if he expected her to collapse at any second.
“There was a man— men— back here,” she explained. “One of them was beating another, and the one on the ground wasn’t moving. I’m not sure he was even still alive.” She rounded the corner and stopped short, nearly losing her balance. Mayor Jennings again reached out to steady her. No one was here now. No attacker. No victim.
She spun in a slow circle, even that motion increasing her dizziness. Had she confused the buildings? She crossed the space between structures and peered into the dimly lit area behind the newspaper office. Only an industrial- size dumpster and empty parking spaces met her gaze. That didn’t match. Again she turned. What she’d seen had definitely been behind her building.
“I need to call 911. Maybe they’ll be able to find trace evidence.” “Allye, you need to go home and rest.” The mayor’s voice was gentle, fatherly. “Or get a doctor to check you out. You fell down the steps.”
“I don’t need a doctor, and I didn’t fall—” “I heard your scream from my office.” He took her arm and led her back the way they’d come. “I came outside immediately and found you at the bottom of the stairs. No one else was around.” “But—” They passed by the stairs, and her other bags lay as if she’d dropped them there. She slowed. “I need to get those.” “Let me get you to my car, then I’ll collect them for you.” “My car’s parked out front. I can drive.” “No.” His tone brooked no debate. “You hit your head and passed out. I am not letting you on the road. It wouldn’t be safe. Besides”— he winked at her—“your mother would never forgive me if something happened to you.”
She tried to muster a smile, but the attempt fell flat. Mayor Jennings and her mom had been dating for the past three months, and Allye still hadn’t quite gotten used to it. She had nothing against the man, who’d been Kincaid’s mayor for well over a de- cade and a member of their church for much longer, or against her mom for exploring the possibility of finding love again. It was just new territory.
When they’d lost Allye’s dad during what would have been his last active- duty tour in Afghanistan eighteen years ago, Julie Jessup had stepped into life as a single mom. In all these years, she’d shown little interest in dating— even after she abruptly entered the empty- nest stage when Allye’s younger brother, Derryck, was killed in a car accident at fifteen. No, she’d just thrown herself more fully into her thriving realty career and spent her free time in volunteer work. Or hovering over her remaining two children as much as they let her.
As they reached the sidewalk, the mayor decisively steered them toward the parking lot on the other side of city hall— and away from her Jetta. Allye glanced over her shoulder. She didn’t want to leave her car here and be stranded at home, but . . . the mayor was probably right about her driving. Regardless of how it came about, she had lost consciousness, and her brain still felt fuzzy. And truth be told, she didn’t have the energy to argue any further. She bit back a sigh and allowed him to lead her to his shiny black Mercedes. He insisted on helping her inside before heading back for her bags.
After hitting the locks, she slumped in the leather passenger seat and watched until he disappeared around the corner of the newspaper office. Could he be right? She replayed the moments before everything went dark. Though her memories weren’t as crisp as normal— or what had been normal until the last couple of months— they were solid. Real.
She frowned. No matter what the mayor thought, she hadn’t fallen down the steps. She’d seen someone getting attacked, and the attacker had chased her— choked her.
So where had everyone gone? And why was she still alive? None of it made any sense. But she knew what she’d seen. Felt. There was another victim out there, and the more she thought about it, the less she believed he’d be found alive. And if that was the case . . . she’d witnessed a murder tonight.
Her stomach flipped as the realization sank in. She needed to call the police, and the sooner the better. She dug in her purse for her phone but again failed to find it. She’d have to search her other bags once Mayor Jennings returned. Or just ask to borrow his phone.
When he rejoined her a moment later, she cleared her throat and grimaced at the pain. “I can’t leave until I call the police. I’m almost positive that was a murder in progress, and at the very least, the man attempted to kill me.” She saw the protest on Mayor Jennings’s face, but before he could voice it, she plowed ahead. “I know you think I just fell, but what will it hurt to have them look?” He sighed and rubbed the skin between his eyes. “How about this? I’ll call the police and have them take a look around. But first let me take care of you. The last thing you need is to be stuck out here while we wait for an available officer to arrive and investigate.”
“But they’ll need my statement.” “If they find anything, yes. And they can follow up with you with any questions they have.”
A wave of fatigue washed over her, making it hard to think. Would an extra ten or twenty minutes make a difference at this point? The men were gone, and she doubted they’d return any- time soon. And though she had no intention of admitting it, she needed to lie down. Holding herself upright was taking nearly all the energy she had left.
“Okay.” Satisfied with her one- word acquiescence, the mayor started the engine. “Am I taking you home or to the ER?”
“Home.” The ER wouldn’t do anything for bruises that she couldn’t do just as well herself, and she had enough medical bills and doctor appointments as it was. She wasn’t going to add one she didn’t need.
They pulled onto the road, and the mayor aimed his car toward her house.
“Now, tell me what you think you saw, so I can give the police an accurate description.”
Allye resisted the urge to correct his use of the word think. “I was coming down from my studio and heard what sounded like someone getting hit behind the building. I went to the corner and looked around and saw three men. One was on the ground like he’d fallen, and another was kicking him.” She swallowed. “I think I made a noise because the attacker looked up and saw me. I tried to run, but . . .”
The mayor stopped at a light and turned to look at her. “And?” “He pushed me down.” She blinked. “Or I fell. I don’t remem- ber now. But when I got up, he grabbed me. Held me against the wall and started choking me. I blacked out. Then you were there.” The light changed, and the mayor returned his attention to the road. “You said you think you saw the attack behind the building. Right or left from the alley?” “Right. And I did see it.” He didn’t respond. Tired as she was, Allye couldn’t let the silence ride for long. “How did you find me?”
“I heard you scream and came looking.” “No, I mean how was I positioned? What did you see?” His fingers tightened on the steering wheel. “When I came around the corner, I saw you face down at the base of the stairs. I turned you over and checked your pulse. Made sure you were breathing.” He wiped his forehead. “You scared me, Allye.”
His concern was comforting, but his statement didn’t make sense. She’d been a couple of yards past the steps when the at- tacker caught up to her. He’d pinned her against the wall, choked her, and . . . what? She had no idea what had happened afterward, but much time couldn’t have passed if the mayor had come look- ing for her when she screamed.
She realized she was holding her throat again. It still hurt, and her voice was becoming weaker the more she talked. Wasn’t that proof of her being attacked?
“I didn’t fall down the steps,” she said quietly. “I passed out because he choked me.”
“Allye”—the mayor sounded weary—“there wasn’t anyone out there with you.”
“Then why is my throat so sore?” Her raspy challenge was pitiful.
“You screamed pretty loud.” He met her eyes for a brief sec- ond before returning his attention to the road. “And that purse you’re carrying looks heavy. When you fell, it could have yanked against your neck.”
She glanced down. She normally carried the bag slung over one shoulder, but the mayor was right. It hung cross- body. She couldn’t remember doing that before leaving her studio. But with the brain fog she’d been fighting the last couple of months, that didn’t mean much. She sighed and lapsed into silence, this time for the rest of the short drive to her duplex.
When they arrived, the mayor insisted on guiding her to the door. She reluctantly agreed, but only because she felt so awful. She unlocked her duplex and allowed him to set her bags just inside.
“Are you feeling up to staying by yourself? I could call your mother for you.”
“No.” Allye forced her aching body straighter. “I’m fine— just sore. Please don’t tell my mom about tonight. I don’t want her to worry.”
The mayor frowned. “If your mom finds out you fell down the steps and I didn’t let her know—”
“She won’t.” Allye forced a grin. “I’m sure not going to tell her, and if we were the only ones there . . .”
His expression didn’t clear. “Okay.” He took her hand. “But only if you promise me you’ll go straight to bed and you’ll be careful on those steps from now on.”
“Deal.” She hadn’t fallen down the stairs, but she would con- tinue to be careful when navigating them.
He patted her hand, then released it and headed for his car. “And, Mayor Jennings?” He turned back to her. “Thank you.” He flashed the smile that had earned him nine- tenths of the vote last election cycle. “I’m always here when you need me.”
Allye closed and locked her door, then limped to a nearby recliner. She hadn’t lied to him exactly. But between the sore- ness and a renewed weight of fatigue, she didn’t have it in her to make it to her bed tonight.
***
Author Bio
Angela Carlisle resides in the hills of northern Kentucky and is a member of American Christian Fiction Writers and The Christian PEN. Angela’s debut novel, Secondary Target, was a Parable Weekly top seller and was included in the Library Journal Stars So Far listing. Angela is an editor by day and prefers to spend her free time reading, baking, and drinking ridiculous quantities of hot tea.
