In the Dark
by Chris Patchell
Suspense/ Thriller
Date Published: August 2015
Marissa
Rooney stands in her daughter’s empty dorm room, a half-used vial of insulin
clutched in her trembling hand. Brooke has been missing for days. Her roommate
hasn’t seen her since that night in the bar. And if Marissa has Brooke’s
insulin, it means that Brooke does not.
But
Marissa isn’t alone in her terror. A phantom from her past is lurking in the
shadows, waiting in the night, and holding her family captive…
In
the dark.
"An
edge-of-your-seat suspense novel. It scared the hell out of me. Read it with
the lights on!" - Robert Dugoni, Amazon #1 and New York Times bestselling
author of My Sister's Grave
Prologue
The
heavy gate groaned shut. After engaging the lock, he pulled the backpack out of
his Jeep and slung it over his shoulder. It was a rare fall day in the Pacific
Northwest, and he planned to take full advantage of the good weather.
He
had work to do.
He
walked a quarter of a mile along the fence line and stopped. Then he pulled a
“No Trespassing” sign from the pack and propped it against the fence. With a
few sure strokes of a hammer, he nailed it to the post. The dull blows echoed
in the quiet woods.
Branches
and fallen leaves popped and crackled beneath his feet as he worked his way
methodically along the ridge, checking the barbed wire fence for gaps. The
cinnamon smell of the turning leaves was a sure sign that hunting season would
soon begin, and he couldn’t afford to have strangers stumbling onto his
property.
He
nailed the last sign to the post.
There.
That should keep the bastards out.
He
turned and started down the rugged trail carved into the steep hillside. A
couple of hundred feet below, the valley floor glimmered like an emerald in the
late-day sun. Three cabins stood in the clearing beside the Tolt River. A half
dozen more were scattered along the upper ridge, overlooking Lake Langlois.
The
place had been a youth camp once, before the drowning of a teenage girl had
destroyed its reputation. Afterward the camp had closed and the cabins had
fallen into disrepair.
It
was a shame, really. He had fond memories of the place. While his father had
spent the summer basking in an alcoholic haze, he’d spent it exploring the
woods, far away from his father’s violent mood swings. By any measure it was a
win-win.
Dappled
sunlight shone through the thick canopy of branches overhead. He loved days
like this. Alone in the woods, he felt at peace with the world.
A
scream rent the air, shattering the stillness of the afternoon. It was shrill.
Human.
Crows
fled the safety of the trees, a torrent of black wings flooding the blue sky.
Heart racing, he started to run. The uneven ground slid beneath his boots.
Branches slapped at his face, and he ran faster, driven on by her panicked
cries.
The
valley floor was muddy after the long weeks of rain. The spongy earth slowed
his pace as he raced toward the river.
Another
scream. Louder. “Help me. Oh God. Please.”
It
was coming from the cabin farthest from the water’s edge.
His
boots pounded up the wooden steps. Hinges squawked in protest as he crashed
through the door.
The
stench hit him hard—stale sweat and human waste. His stomach churned.
At
first he could see nothing, his eyes blinded in the dim light. Then her slender
form materialized out of the darkness—a slip of a girl, barely more than a
hundred pounds. She was standing near the center of the room, her hands bound
behind her back. A soiled University of Washington T-shirt hanging from her
skinny frame. Pink panties. And nothing else.
The
relief on her face froze the instant she spotted him. A small sob escaped her
lips. She stepped back, retreating into the shadows.
As if
she could hide.
“Now,
Kim,” he said. “What was the rule?”
Her
jaw worked, but no sound emerged. She took another pitiful step back, her wide
eyes brimming with fear.
“What
was the rule?”
His
voice boomed in the small cabin. She flinched like a beaten dog. “No calling
out,” she mumbled.
“I
can’t hear you. What’s the rule?” “No calling out.”
“No
calling out,” he repeated, smiling thinly. “That’s right. You leave me no
choice.” “Please,” she said, voice trembling, tears leaking from her eyes.
“I’ll do better, I promise. I promise . . .”
He
stepped toward her, his tread echoing on the bare plank floor. She shrank back,
trembling, and stumbled over the bucket. Without her hands to stop her, she
crashed to the floor.
He
stopped. His six-foot frame loomed above her. She averted her gaze, looking
anywhere but at him.
This
will not do.
He
hunkered down and gripped her narrow chin, forcing her gaze to meet his.
“Please,” she whispered.
Her
mouth trembled.
“Aw,
princess,” he said, running his thumb slowly across her swollen bottom lip.
“I’m afraid it’s too late for that.”
He
reached down and unbuckled his belt.
A
tech worker by day and an author by night, Chris Patchell writes gritty
suspense novels set in the Pacific Northwest that are sure to keep you up
reading late, turning pages well past dark. Her debut novel, Deadly Lies, won a
2015 Indie Reader Discovery Award for best fiction. Her latest novel, In the
Dark, was released on August 4, 2015 from Kindle Press.
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