Kimberly Van Meter - To Catch a Killer

Kimberly Van Meter

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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Cover

Title Page To Catch a Killer Kimberly Van Meter www.millsandboon.co.uk

About the Author About the Author KIMBERLEY VAN METER wrote her first book at sixteen and finally achieved publication in December 2006. She writes for Mills & Boon Cherish and Mills & Boon Intrigue. She and her husband of seventeen years have three children, three cats and always a houseful of friends, family and fun.

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Epilogue

Copyright

Special thanks go to Lieutenant Vernon Gladney for

putting a gun in my hands. He said I couldn’t write

about an FBI agent without knowing what it feels

like to shoot the guns they use every day. He was right.

Knowledge is power. And guns … are still scary.

To Sally Grigg, the mistress of the Howard Creek Ranch

in Westport, California. Thank you for sharing your

knowledge of local flora and fauna and your delicious

cooking. I’m still pining for more of your fresh

mint tea and homemade biscuits. To “that guy” in Shelter

Cove who filled me in on the “Emerald Triangle” of the

northern California coast. Your candid comments were

priceless. Lastly, to John. My traveling partner, friend,

husband and lover. Every day you help remind me

why love is worth fighting for. Thank you.

KIMBERLEY VAN METERwrote her first book at sixteen and finally achieved publication in December 2006. She writes for Mills & Boon Cherish and Mills & Boon Intrigue.

She and her husband of seventeen years have three children, three cats and always a houseful of friends, family and fun.

Dear Reader,

Sometimes a story comes out of nowhere and the characters grab you by the throat, demanding that you put words to paper. That’s what happened with this book. Kara Thistle and Matthew Beauchamp materialised in my mind and wouldn’t let go. Theirs is a dark story, but the light of their love ultimately illuminates the path to happiness and joy.

This is my first M&B Intrigue novel, and I’m proud of the way it turned out, even if the writing of it was incredibly difficult. I shudder at the places I took my characters, but their strength helped me as well as them as they raced to save a child from a killer.

I hope you enjoy this roller coaster of a read as much as I enjoyed writing it. Hearing from readers is one of my greatest joys (aside from really good chocolate), so don’t be shy. Feel free to drop me a line at my website, www.kimberlyvanmeter.com, or through snail mail, PO Box 2210, Oakdale, CA 95361, USA.

Happy Reading,

Kimberly Van Meter

The morning broke gray and dismal. Cloud cover drifted, creeping among the trees of Wolf’s Tooth ravine, overgrown with hundred-year-old cedars and western red hemlock. It was a place Matthew Beauchamp would normally enjoy hiking to, but today was no ordinary day.

A freelance photographer taking photos of the area had stumbled upon the body of a little girl. Now, looking down at the body, Matthew thought he had not come across a more heart-rending scene in his entire law enforcement career. Having grown up in the sleepy town of Lantern Cove, Matthew, as chief of police, was more accustomed to crimes of opportunity: petty theft, vandalism, the usual pot smokers and growers. Nothing like this.

Mud spattered her short-sleeve “Princess” shirt and pink sweatpants; she was missing a shoe. Her small toes had the remnants of pink polish and her flaxen hair was matted with dirt and underbrush. Someone had tossed this child away as if she were garbage.

“Feds are on their way. Should be here anytime,” Sgt. Oren Lawrence said, coming to stand next to Matthew. Wiping his ruddy nose with the back of his glove, he sucked back the rest of the snot before continuing, “You thinking what I’m thinking?”

Cold seeping into his bones, Matthew nodded. “It’s that Linney girl. Went missing a week ago in San Francisco.”

“Far from home.”

“Yeah,” Matthew said grimly. “But only someone who’s familiar with this area would’ve known about Wolf’s Tooth. It’s not like this place is popular with tourists. It’s hard to get to and you risk a broken ankle coming down that ridge.” He shook his head.

“How about the shutterbug who found her?” Oren speculated but Matthew shook his head.

“At this point he seems clean. Looked ready to puke. I don’t blame him. Coming across a body like this might make any normal person lose his lunch. But I’ve got Dinky looking into his alibi.”

The sound of cars pulling off the shoulder above them drew their attention and Oren grimaced. “Feds.” Then he clapped Matthew on the shoulder before returning to the team who were canvassing the area. “Remember to play nice,” he said.

Matthew looked up as two agents appeared over the ridge, a man and a woman, and he waved them down.

At first there was nothing extraordinary about the two. They had the look of federal agents, complete with austere coats, serious expressions and an air of arrogance that seemed to come with being affiliated with a government agency. But as they traversed the dangerous, uneven terrain, and walked toward him, Matthew sucked in a sharp breath as recognition hit him in a flash, knocking the wind out of him. He hadn’t seen her in almost ten years but he’d recognize that face anywhere.

Kara Thistle.

She had been the fiancée of his best friend—they had all grown up together. Now she was a special agent for the FBI. Kara was the last person he expected to see walking back into his life, if even only professionally.

Time had treated her well enough, although she’d lost the softness of youth. Her cinnamon hair was scraped back in a no-nonsense ponytail at the base of her neck, and she wore neither earrings nor makeup. Her cheeks glowed from the salty sea air and clear, marble-green eyes stared back at him. A stunning young woman had blossomed into a striking adult, not that Matthew was surprised. Good looks had never been her problem.

“Matthew.” Her voice gave away nothing of what she may have been feeling, but there was something behind her eyes that betrayed her for a split second. To her credit, she recovered quickly. He acknowledged her with a stiff nod, feeling awkward as hell at the unexpected reunion. She’d never show it, but he suspected she was just as uncomfortable, and he wasn’t surprised when she didn’t waste time chewing the fat over old times. That was just fine by him. The less time they had to spend in each other’s company the better. “This is my partner Dillon McIntyre. We’re part of the Child Abduction Rapid Deployment Team—CARD for short—assigned to the Babysitter cases,” she explained as she handed Matthew a business card as a matter of protocol.