Debby Giusti - The Colonel's Daughter

UNDER SIEGE

A ruthless killer is targeting the families of soldiers in a U.S. Army colonel’s brigade. Special agent Jamison Steele, of the Criminal Investigation Division, vows to stop him—because this time, Jamison’s heart is involved. The colonel’s daughter, the woman who loved and left Jamison without a word, came face-to-face with the murderer. Protecting Michele Logan means constant surveillance. And solving the mystery of the serial killer’s motive requires asking Michele the questions she least wants to answer. Questions that may lead them both into a deadly trap.

Jamison pulled a small notebook and U.S. Army pen from his coat pocket and kept his face impassive as he thought of questions that begged to be answered.

Why’d you leave me, Michele? What happened that made you run away?

Shoving them aside, he asked, “Did you see anything out of place, Miss Logan, before you noticed the body?”

“Miss Logan?” She narrowed her gaze. Evidently she didn’t understand his decision to forgo first names.

No matter how alluring Michele might be, Jamison needed to remain professional but aloof and firmly grounded in the present.

“The room was dark...the smell of blood. I—I saw Yolanda,” she said.

“What happened next?”

“Someone shoved me into the couch.”

Jamison tensed. His mouth went dry. He swallowed, knowing all too well what the killer could have done to Michele. “Can...can you describe the person?”

She shook her head. “He struck me from behind. I never saw him, Agent Steele.”

Jamison almost smiled at her attempt to play hardball. Evidently she didn’t realize he’d built a wall around his heart and added armor for protection.

DEBBY GIUSTI

is a medical technologist who loves working with test tubes and petri dishes almost as much as she loves to write. Growing up as an army brat, Debby met and married her husband—then a captain in the army—at Fort Knox, Kentucky. Together they traveled the world, raised three wonderful army brats of their own and have now settled in Atlanta, Georgia, where Debby spins tales of suspense that touch the heart and soul. Contact Debby through her website, www.DebbyGiusti.com, email debby@debbygiusti.com, or write c/o Love Inspired Suspense, 233 Broadway, Suite 1001, New York, NY 10279.

The Colonel’s Daughter

Debby Giusti

www.millsandboon.co.uk

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Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man

who built his house on the rock. The rain

came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.

—Matthew 7:24, 25

This book is dedicated to

the deployed members of our Armed Forces

and to the families who await their return.

To my husband, who has always been my hero.

To Liz, Joe, Mary, Eric, Katie, Anna, Robert, William and John Anthony.

To the parishioners at Holy Trinity

who encourage me to write more stories.

To the Seekers and the extended Seekerville family for your friendship and support.

To Anna Adams with gratitude

for our weekly meetings at Panera’s.

To Emily Rodmell, my editor,

and Deidre Knight, my agent.

Contents

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

EPILOGUE

Dear Reader

Questions for Discussion

ONE

Angry storm clouds turned the evening sky over Fort Rickman, Georgia, as dark as the mood within the car. Michele Logan pulled her eyes from the road and glanced at her mother, sitting next to her in the passenger seat.

Roberta Logan, usually the poised colonel’s wife, toyed with the collar of her blouse and gave voice to a subject that had weighed on Michele’s heart for the past two years. “Despite what you think, dear, you haven’t gotten over your brother’s death.”

Ever since she and her mother had left her parents’ quarters en route to the potluck dinner, Roberta had insisted on talking about the accident that had claimed Lance’s life. The topic added to Michele’s anxiety, especially with the inclement August weather and the darkening night.

“Aren’t you the one who insists life goes on, Mother?”

“And it does, dear, but that doesn’t mean you’ve worked through your grief.” Roberta turned her gaze toward the encroaching storm. “As I’ve told you before, you weren’t to blame.”

True enough that Michele wasn’t to blame for the crashed army helicopter, yet she still felt responsible for her brother’s death. If she had visited that weekend, he never would have been on board the fateful flight.

“I don’t like the looks of those clouds.” Distracted by the storm, Roberta worried her fingers. “Maybe Yolanda should have canceled the potluck.”

“And disappoint the wives in Dad’s brigade? You said it’s important for the women to come together socially when the men were deployed.”

“But the weatherman mentioned another line of storms moving into Georgia.” Her mother’s voice grew increasingly concerned. “You should have stayed in Atlanta until the bad weather passed, dear.”

“I told you I want to help with preparations for the brigade’s return to Fort Rickman.”

“Which won’t be for another week. The real reason you came home early is to visit the cemetery tomorrow. It’s been two years. You don’t need to spend each anniversary crying at Lance’s grave site.”

“I’m not crying.”

“But you will be tomorrow.” Roberta shifted in the seat and sighed. “You never should have left post in the first place.”

Although she wouldn’t admit it, Michele sometimes wondered if moving to Atlanta ten months ago had been a mistake. She hadn’t seen Jamison Steele in all that time, but she’d thought about him far too often. They had dated for almost a year, and she had believed he was everything she’d wanted in a guy. When an investigation turned deadly on post, she realized her mistake.

As if sensing her struggle, Roberta gazed knowingly at her daughter. “Your father and I would love to have you move back, dear. You could work from home.”

“I...I can’t.”

Roberta rubbed her hand over Michele’s shoulder. “Just think about it.”

Moving back wasn’t an option. Michele had made a new life for herself. One that didn’t involve the military. She was happy in Atlanta, or so she kept telling herself.

Droplets of rain spattered against the windshield as Michele turned into the Buckner Housing Area. She activated the wipers and flipped the lights to high beam, exposing broken twigs and leaves that had fallen in the last downpour.

The street was long and narrow and led to a two-story home at the dead end of a cul-de-sac surrounded by a thick forest of hardwoods and tall pines. Michele pulled to the curb in front of the dark quarters.