Dangerous Passage (Southern Crimes Book #1) , livre ebook

Baker Publishing Group - Lisa Harris

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147 pages

English

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Description

When two Jane Does are killed on the outskirts of Atlanta, Georgia, detective and behavioral specialist Avery North discovers they share something in common--a tattoo of a magnolia on their shoulders. Suspecting a serial killer, Avery joins forces with medical examiner Jackson Bryant to solve the crimes and prevent another murder. But it doesn't take long for them to realize that there is much more to the case than meets the eye. As they venture deep into a sinister world of human trafficking, Avery and Jackson are taken to the very edge of their abilities--and their hearts.Dangerous Passage exposes a fully-realized and frightening world where every layer peeled back reveals more challenges ahead. Romantic suspense fans will be hooked from the start by Lisa Harris's first installment of the new Southern Crimes series.

Informations

Publié par	Baker Publishing Group
Date de parution	01 septembre 2013
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781441242839
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0202€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

Extrait

© 2013 by Lisa Harris
Published by Revell
a division of Baker Publishing Group
P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www.revellbooks.com
Ebook edition created 2013
Ebook corrections 04.08.2016
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4412-4283-9
Scripture quotations, whether quoted or paraphrased, are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Published in association with Joyce Hart of the Hartline Literary Agency, LLC
“In Dangerous Passage , Lisa Harris has crafted an intriguing tale of romance and mystery. She takes you on a trail that leads straight into the worst kind of evil—and the lives of those who are determined to stop it. Well-crafted characters and tight writing will keep readers flipping the pages.”
—Lynette Eason , bestselling author of the Deadly Reunions series
“Harris pens another thrilling tale that will give the reader one breathless moment after another.”
— DiAnn Mills , author of The Survivor
“In this compelling and emotionally charged read, Harris exposes the alarming state of human trafficking in the US and the incredible challenges faced by law enforcement to stop it. The intriguing plot, lightened with a sweet romance, kept me reading late into the night. Looking forward to the next book in this series.”
— Sandra Orchard , award-winning author of the Undercover Cops series and Deadly Devotion of the Port Aster Secrets series
To all those seeking freedom. May you seek and find it in your heavenly Father.
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
Matthew 6:26
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Endorsements
Dedication
Epigraph
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
Acknowledgments
Reader Questions for Dangerous Passage
Author’s Note
About the Author
Back Ads
Back Cover
1
A fter another grueling weekend spent wrapping up a homicide, Detective Avery North was not about to let anything get in the way of her one nonnegotiable indulgence on her first day off in two weeks. She pulled into the parking lot of Glam Day Spa and stepped into the sultry Atlanta morning. The rest of her Monday might end up being a marathon, but she didn’t care as long as she had the next hour to look forward to being pampered.
The petite, dark-haired manicurist greeted her at the front counter. “Morning, Miss North. You’re right on time.”
“Morning, Riza.”
“You’re off today?”
“Thankfully.” Avery finished the rest of her iced tea while following Riza back to an open chair. “I managed not to cancel my appointment a third time. Crazy weekend.”
“Then you need to sit down and relax completely. We could add a manicure? I have a new color that would look stunning with your red hair.”
Avery melted into the padded chair, kicked off her sandals, then dipped her feet into the hot, bubbly water, feeling herself relax for the first time in days. “Maybe next time.”
Her feet tingled. One whole hour to forget about the leaky kitchen sink, her father’s retirement party, and her mother’s relentless questions about it. She closed her eyes. One whole hour to completely unwind and indulge her thoughts in something beside caterers, plumbers, and homicide cases.
Something pleasurable like . . . Jackson Bryant. Her first date with Jackson had started off with a severe case of rattled nerves that left her realizing she’d rather confront an armed murder suspect than jump back into the dating scene. By the end of the second date, she’d somehow managed to lose a corner of her heart to the handsome heartthrob, but even that hadn’t been enough to lessen her surprise over the fact that there was now a third date planned for tonight.
At thirtysomething, with a somewhat moody tween and a mother whose own emotional stability was currently in question, Avery wasn’t exactly Atlanta’s perfect catch for a rising professional like the associate medical examiner. She wondered how many dates it would take before he started reconsidering his options—or she got cold feet.
Her shoulders relaxed. Dreaming of Jackson might be dangerous, but it might also prove to be the perfect escape. Gorgeous brown eyes that seemed to peer right through her. Dark hair, solid muscles, and an illegal amount of charm for one person—
Avery’s phone rang in her front pocket. She opened her eyes and rubbed the back of her neck. She wasn’t going to answer. It was probably her mother again, with more nagging questions about her father’s upcoming retirement party.
Or it could be Tess. But she’d just dropped off her daughter at the middle school, so she should already be in her first-hour class.
A glance at the number told her it wasn’t either of them. “Detective North speaking.”
“This is Simons. 911 just received a call about a homicide. We’ve got an officer securing the crime scene, but Captain Peterson wants you there ASAP.”
Not today, Lord. Please, not today. You know how badly I need a day off . . .
Avery glanced at her watch. She deserved this day off. Having to reschedule the eleven o’clock lunch with her mother was one thing, but missing an hour of pure relaxation was an entirely different story.
Avery pressed her fingers against her now throbbing temple. “It’s my day off—”
“There’s a tattoo of a small magnolia on the victim’s right shoulder.”
Avery’s chest contracted. The recent crime scene flashed before her. A young girl. Asian. Body discarded next to a Dumpster. And a small magnolia tattooed on her right shoulder.
They’d never found the murderer.
“Where?”
Simons passed on the address.
“I’m on my way.” She flipped the phone shut and turned to Riza. “I’m sorry . . . I’ve got to go.”
“Do you want to reschedule?”
Riza patted Avery’s feet with a white fluffy towel, but Avery was already reaching for her sandals, ready to slide them on her still damp feet. “Yes . . . no. I’ll have to call.”
She left a generous tip on the chair, then slipped out the front door, back into the sultry Georgia morning.
2
A very slowed down as she approached the address Simons had given her over the phone, her gaze scanning the area for anything out of the ordinary. It wouldn’t be the first time a killer returned to the scene of the crime.
The tree-lined street, with its brick buildings looming on either side, reminded her of the neighborhoods she’d worked as a rookie police officer. It was a unique mixture of mom-and-pop stores, neighborhood bars, apartment buildings, and charming older homes.
Statistically, crime might be higher in this community situated outside the ritzier golf courses and gated country clubs, but she’d always found the people friendly. More often than not, it turned out to be the combination of too many drinks or the addition of illegal drugs that turned simple disagreements into something ugly.
Like murder.
Of course, it was also the neighborhoods like this one that Mama was convinced would be the downfall of the city. She believed Atlanta’s greatest attribute was its lingering pockets of old-fashioned southern charm. And everyone knew that transplants diluted that charm and added to the growing crime rate.
Avery, on the other hand, loved the diversity Atlanta offered with its collection of ethnic neighborhoods. The fact that she and Tess could spend a cultural afternoon in the city or escape to the nearby mountains on her time off was, in her mind, a plus. But someone had just lost any chance to visit Kennesaw Mountain Trail or Amicalola Falls. And it was up to her to find out why.
Especially if they were dealing with a serial killer.
A chill ran through her.
Avery pulled into the open space next to the alleyway, ten feet away from the yellow crime tape blocking off the scene. Detectives Sanders and Martin’s unmarked sedan sat next to the medical examiner’s vehicle and a couple of patrol cars. Already, a good number of onlookers stood gathered at the edges of the cordoned-off area. Avoiding the press would be impossible.
She grabbed her cell phone from the console, then hesitated. She should call her mother, except she’d never hear the end of missing today’s meeting with Aunt Doris, who was catering her father’s retirement party. She shoved the phone into her pocket. Mama would have to wait.
She got out of the car and headed for the sidewalk, where she took the clipboard from the uniformed officer standing guard at the front of the alley. She signed in, scribbling her initials and badge number.
Jackson Bryant’s name had already been scrawled above hers.
She ignored the unsolicited flutter of her heart and addressed the officer. “Tell me what you’ve got.”
“Asian female. Late teens, early twenties. The scene is secure. The medical examiner and two other officers arrived just before you did.”
She nodded toward the growing number of spectators. “Make sure no one steps onto this scene without my permission.”
“Yes ma’am.”
The alley smelled like cheap liquor and overripe garbage. Cigarette butts lay scattered across the gravel. Green ivy threaded its way up the walls of the br