Elizabeth Goddard - Deadly Evidence

A dangerous reunion they may not survive

In this Mount Shasta Secrets novel

FBI agent Tori Peterson intends to find her sister’s murderer, even if someone’s willing to kill her to keep the truth hidden. But that means returning home and working with the lead detective—her ex-boyfriend, Ryan Bradley. Though sparks still fly between them, Tori and Ryan must stay focused on catching a killer...before they are silenced for good.

ELIZABETH GODDARDis the award-winning author of more than thirty novels and novellas. A 2011 Carol Award winner, she was a double finalist in the 2016 Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery/Suspense, and a 2016 Carol Award finalist. Elizabeth graduated with a computer science degree and worked in high-level software sales before retiring to write full-time.

Also By Elizabeth Goddard

Mount Shasta Secrets

Deadly Evidence

Coldwater Bay Intrigue

Thread of Revenge

Stormy Haven

Distress Signal

Running Target

Texas Ranger Holidays

Texas Christmas Defender

Wilderness, Inc.

Targeted for Murder

Undercover Protector

False Security

Wilderness Reunion

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk

Deadly Evidence

Elizabeth Goddard

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-09737-6

DEADLY EVIDENCE

© 2019 Elizabeth Goddard

Published in Great Britain 2019

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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“What were you thinking going over those falls?”

She should have expected the third degree from Ryan. Tori kept her voice low and replied, “That’s not exactly what happened.”

“So you weren’t kayaking alone? You didn’t go over the falls?”

Tori locked eyes with him. “I went to the river to travel in Sarah’s path the day she died.” She held back the furious tears that surged unexpectedly. “So I went kayaking.”

“Why do you torture yourself?” His expression twisted into one of severe pain. “Is that why you went over the falls?”

Her heart might just rip open. He knew her better than that. “How could you even think that? I planned to turn back. But someone shot at me and hit the kayak. I tried to get away, and in the end, I had nowhere else to go. The falls grabbed me. I thought I was going to die.”

Ryan’s mouth hung open as if he couldn’t quite absorb the full meaning of her words, and he appeared to search for an adequate response but came up empty.

“Someone tried to kill me.”

Dear Reader,

Thank you so much for reading Deadly Evidence ! I hope you enjoyed the story and the first book in my newest series, Mount Shasta Secrets. As you might have figured out by now if you’ve read my other books, I love beautiful settings that usually include mountains or a Pacific Northwest coastline.

In Deadly Evidence , tragedy struck Tori’s life when her sister was murdered. Through that tragedy, Tori’s perspectives changed drastically. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what it sometimes takes to make us realize what’s truly important in life—the friends and family around us whom we should appreciate and not take for granted. Whom we should take the time to cherish and love.

But it doesn’t have to take a tragedy for us to savor the time we have with our loved ones and prioritize what is truly important. I hope and pray you treasure those around you while you can.

I love hearing from my readers. You can find out ways to contact me—Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.—through my website at elizabethgoddard.com.

Many blessings!

Elizabeth Goddard

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

—Psalms 119:105

To the One who lights my path

Acknowledgments

Many thanks to my family, who put up with the many hours I spend on my computer crafting stories. Also a big thanks to my writing buddies, who encourage me along the way and patiently listen to my wild ideas and offer suggestions. My sincerest gratitude to my editor at Love Inspired Suspense, who gave me the opportunity to indulge my imagination, and to my agent, Steve Laube, who never stops working on behalf of his clients.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Note to Readers

Introduction

Dear Reader

Bible Verse

Dedication

Acknowledgments

ONE

TWO

THREE

FOUR

FIVE

SIX

SEVEN

EIGHT

NINE

TEN

ELEVEN

TWELVE

THIRTEEN

FOURTEEN

FIFTEEN

SIXTEEN

Extract

About the Publisher

Victoria “Tori” Peterson glanced over her right shoulder as she rowed in her kayak, enjoying the view of the Wind River as it traversed through the shadow of Mount Shasta in beautiful northern California. Sweat rose on her back and beaded at her temples. Her muscles burned with each row of the double-bladed oar, but she welcomed the pain as the kayak glided on the river.