Karen Harper - Shallow Grave

The truth won’t stay buried forever...

It’s been four months since forensic psychologist Claire Britten last crossed paths with danger. Finally feeling she can catch her breath, together with her partner, criminal lawyer Nick Markwood, Claire has settled into a new role, volunteering with a support group for children stressed by domestic violence. But a leisurely field trip to a wildlife sanctuary turns deadly, leaving Claire to question whether the death was an accident, suicide—or something far more sinister.

Nick gets the South Shores team on the case, hunting down anyone with a potential grudge against the sanctuary. But their investigation turns wild when other attacks come too close to home. With a hostile predator on the loose, Nick and Claire will have to race to unbury the truth before a killer wipes them from the endangered-species list for good.

Also By Karen Harper

South Shores

FALLING DARKNESS

DROWNING TIDES

CHASING SHADOWS

Cold Creek

BROKEN BONDS

FORBIDDEN GROUND

SHATTERED SECRETS

Home Valley Amish

UPON A WINTER’S NIGHT

DARK CROSSINGS (featuring “The Covered Bridge”)

FINDING MERCY

RETURN TO GRACE

FALL FROM PRIDE

Novels

DOWN RIVER

DEEP DOWN

THE HIDING PLACE

BELOW THE SURFACE

INFERNO

HURRICANE

DARK ANGEL

DARK HARVEST

DARK ROAD HOME

Visit karenharperauthor.comfor more titles.

Look for Karen Harper’s next South Shores novel SILENT SCREAM coming soon

Shallow Grave

Karen Harper

Copyright

An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

First published in Great Britain by HQ in 2018

Copyright © Karen Harper 2018

Karen Harper asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, 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 HarperCollins.

Ebook Edition © February 2018 ISBN: 9781474074704

Version: 2018-01-22

To all our Naples, Florida friends and, as ever,

to Don for thirty lovely winters there.

Praise for the novels of Karen Harper

“Karen Harper has created top-notch characters caught up in a thrilling novel of suspense! A must-read and a keeper.”

—Heather Graham, New York Times bestselling author, on Shallow Grave

“Karen Harper keeps the action and mystery going at full throttle right up to the very last chapter.”

—Suspense Magazine on Chasing Shadows

“The thrilling finish takes a twist that most readers won’t see coming. While intrigue is the main driver of the story, the able, well-researched plotting and sympathetic characters will keep romance readers along for the ride.”

—Publishers Weekly on Broken Bonds

“Haunting suspense, tender romance and an evocative look at the complexities of Amish life—Dark Angel is simply riveting!”

—Tess Gerritsen, New York Times bestselling author

“A compelling story...intricate and fascinating details of Amish life.”

—Tami Hoag, #1 New York Times bestselling author,

on Dark Road Home

“Harper, a master of suspense, keeps readers guessing about crime and love until the very end...of this thrilling tale.”

—Booklist on Fall From Pride (starred review)

“A tale guaranteed to bring shivers to the spine,

Down River will delight Harper’s current fans and earn her many more.”

—Booklist (starred review)

“Well-researched and rich in detail... With its tantalizing buildup and well-developed characters, this offering is certain to earn Harper high marks.”

—Publishers Weekly on Dark Angel, winner of

the Mary Higgins Clark Award

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Dedication

Praise

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Author’s Note

Writers Helping Writers

1

Naples, Florida

Claire had never been more content.

“I’m glad we don’t have to be scared anymore,” her daughter, Lexi, said on their usual night walk around their neighborhood. “’Specially now that I’m almost five. Even in the dark ’cause it’s October now.”

She was holding hands between Claire and her stepfather, Nick, skipping along on the cul-de-sac circled by their large, new house and four others. It was just after 6:30 in the evening. Nick carried a flashlight but hadn’t turned it on since the houses and pole lights, as well as the sharp slice of moon in the sky, made it light enough to see.

Nick, a criminal lawyer and senior partner of a big law firm, had told Claire he’d been at his desk and conference table all day and needed to clear his head before a late dinner for adults only. Claire had fed Lexi already.

She thought the night was so lovely with its soft air and welcome low humidity when they’d been living in air-conditioning for months. She was glad for a walk, because she was almost five months pregnant with their first child, and mild exercise also helped with her narcolepsy. She was fighting to keep the disease under control with the addition of herbal remedies instead of relying only on hard-hitting meds. Although her ob-gyn had assured her the prescriptions would do no harm, she was worried about having a healthy baby.

All they’d been through over the past number of months had made her anxious about things somehow going wrong. Still, she had no intention of putting up walls around herself or her family. As ever, she’d found reaching out to help others helped her. To that end, she was still tending her website Clear Path, using her forensic psychology training as a consultant for companies hiring staff or even consumer fraud issues—all by laptop or phone, since she was planning to stay home for the foreseeable future. Her only in-person outreach was with her sister to help a group of at-risk youngsters.