Alison Stone - Plain Jeopardy

AMISH COUNTRY SECRETS

Reporter Grace Miller’s Amish hometown seems the perfect place to recuperate from surgery—until a tragedy puts her on the trail of her mother’s long-unsolved murder. Now someone’s set their lethal sights on her, determined to keep the truth behind her mother’s death and a fatal car crash involving local teens hidden. After discovering that Grace is in danger, police captain Conner Gates drops everything to protect her...and help solve the cold case his father could not. But as they delve into the past, can they face down the dangerous foe hiding in plain sight, threatening to turn their blossoming love into a deadly trap?

ALISON STONE lives with her husband of more than twenty years and their four children in Western New York. Besides writing, Alison keeps busy volunteering at her children’s schools, driving her girls to dance and watching her boys race motocross. Alison loves to hear from her readers at Alison@AlisonStone.com. For more information, please visit her website, alisonstone.com. She’s also chatty on Twitter, @alison_stone. Find her on Facebook at Facebook.com/alisonstoneauthor.

Also by Alison Stone

Love Inspired Suspense

Plain Pursuit

Critical Diagnosis

Silver Lake Secrets

Plain Peril

High-Risk Homecoming

Plain Threats

Plain Protector

Plain Cover-Up

Plain Sanctuary

Plain Jeopardy

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk

Plain Jeopardy

Alison Stone

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-08060-6

PLAIN JEOPARDY

© 2018 Alison Stone

Published in Great Britain 2018

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.

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www.millsandboon.co.uk

Version: 2020-03-02

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Suddenly, the library basement lights went out.

Frozen in blackness, Grace called out, “Hello, I’m down here.”

A muffled shuffling sent terror pulsing through her veins. She slid along the cabinets, the handles jabbing her side. A rhythmic creaking filled her ears, the sound made louder in the blackness.

“I know you’re down here,” someone whispered.

Tiny pinpricks of fear blanketed Grace’s scalp. She moved closer to the desk, realizing whoever it was had intentionally turned off the lights. Was coming for her.

Her hand found her tote bag on the desk. She reached inside for her phone. She swallowed hard. Remain calm. You’ve been in far scarier situations. Her usual response to those who warned her that her investigation was going to get her into trouble didn’t seem to be doing her much good at this exact moment.

A groan of something heavy being moved cut through the blackness. Grace scrambled under the desk with her phone. A violent whoosh of air sent her hair flying away from her face, and a loud crash exploded in her ears...

Dear Reader,

Welcome back to Quail Hollow, NY. This time we learned about Grace, sister of Heather from Plain Sanctuary. Grace had spent her life traveling, researching and writing about other people’s lives. She avoided looking too deeply into her own life because it was too painful. However, when circumstances forced her to face her fears, she finally found answers, peace of mind and eventually happiness.

Have you ever avoided something only to discover that facing it head-on was the only way to walk through it? I know I have. This is when I’m reminded that I need to trust in God.

When I start writing a new series, like Quail Hollow, I have an idea where I’m going, but sometimes the creative process of writing leads me off in another direction. Deputy Becky Spoth walked onto the page in Plain Jeopardy to help keep Grace safe, and suddenly I knew she needed a story of her own. Please keep an eye out for Becky’s story next from me with Harlequin Love Inspired Suspense.

If you’d like to keep up with my latest news and releases, sign up for my newsletter on my website at www.AlisonStone.com.

I can also be reached on Facebook under Author Alison Stone. You can also email me at Alison@AlisonStone.com or write me the old-fashioned way: Alison Stone, PO Box 333, Buffalo NY 14051.

I enjoy hearing from you.

Live, love, laugh,

Alison Stone

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

—John 14:27

To my eldest daughter, Kelsey, as you get ready for your next adventure. I’m very proud of you. May all your dreams come true. Love and kisses.

To Scott and the rest of the gang, love you guys, always and forever.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Introduction

Dear Reader

Bible Verse

Dedication

ONE

TWO

THREE

FOUR

FIVE

SIX

SEVEN

EIGHT

NINE

TEN

ELEVEN

TWELVE

THIRTEEN

FOURTEEN

FIFTEEN

SIXTEEN

EPILOGUE

Extract

ONE

The traction-control light lit up on the dashboard, and Grace Miller clutched the steering wheel tighter. The tires quickly gained purchase on the snowy country road. Phew. Not as icy as she’d feared. All she needed to do was leave a little extra distance between her car and the car in front of hers, which wasn’t too hard to do on the deserted streets of Quail Hollow, New York. Not a lot of cars—or wagons—out after dark. Most people were hunkered down at home doing sane things like watching TV or reading a book, not chasing leads on a story on a snowy night in the Amish community.