Shirlee McCoy: When Silence Falls

“What? It shouldn’t be. I locked it before I left this morning.” Piper’s pulse sped up as she watched as Cade pushed with one finger and the door creaked inward.

“Go get in the car.”

“But–”

“Go. If I’m not out in ten minutes, call for backup.” The hard tone of his voice had her hurrying back to her car, watching as Cade disappeared inside her house.

Seconds ticked by. Then minutes. Should she call for help? Before she could decide, a figure rounded the corner of the house, and Piper’s heart lurched, then settled back into place as she recognized Cade.

“Did you see anyone?”

“Nothing. It doesn’t look like anything was touched, either. Want to come in and see?”

Cade was right. Everything looked just the way she’d left it. Nothing out of place, nothing missing.

“So what do you think?”

“It could be someone was here, but doesn’t want you to know it.”

“Why? That doesn’t make sense.”

“Things don’t always make sense, Piper.”

has always loved making up stories. As a child, she daydreamed elaborate tales in which she was the heroine—gutsy, strong and invincible. Though she soon grew out of her superhero fantasies, her love for storytelling never diminished. She knew early that she wanted to write inspirational fiction, and began writing her first novel when she was a teenager. Still, it wasn’t until her third son was born that she truly began pursuing her dream of being published. Three years later she sold her first book. Now a busy mother of four, Shirlee is a homeschool mom by day and an inspirational author by night. She and her husband and children live in Maryland and share their house with a dog and a guinea pig. You can visit her Web site at www.shirleemccoy.com.

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My soul waits in silence for God only; from Him is my salvation. He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be greatly shaken.

—Psalms 62:1–2

To Kitty, Melissa and Lynde McCoy.

Good friends are hard to come by.

I’m glad to count you among mine.

To every mother who has ever longed for a

few moments of precious silence—may you find

joy in the music of your children’s laughter and

pleasure in the symphony of their voices.

And to Caleb whose world is like mine—

filled with dragons, princesses, danger and

intrigue—and who is never afraid to be

the person God made him to be.

Dear Reader,

Life is noisy kids, spouses, friends, jobs, all vying for our attention. Add to that the roar of traffic, the lilting music from the radio, the dramatic overtones of the television, and the noise becomes almost deafening. With our modern lives so filled with demands, it’s easy to be swept along on the waves of sound, carried here and there in ever more frantic motion.

A few years ago, during one of the most hectic times in my life, I visited Smith Mountain Lake with my husband and kids. Early one morning, before the rest of my clan woke, I stepped outside. Water rippled against the shore and fish splashed in the lake, but other than that the world was silent. During those few moments of precious solitude I realized I’d been so busy, so caught up in the noisy demands of life, I’d forgotten how important it is to sit in silence and to listen.

Piper Sinclair is like that, so caught up in her busy life she’s forgotten that talking to God requires tuning in and waiting for the quiet stirring of the soul that says—“Yes, you’re on the right track” or “Come on, kid, get it together.” When Piper’s life is threatened and her busy world becomes chaotic and unpredictable, she must learn that taking the time to wait for God’s answer is as important as rushing to meet life’s demands.

Join Piper and photographer Cade Macalister as they work to stop a person bent on destruction, and when you’re finished, drop me a line. I can be reached by mail at 1121 Annapolis Road, PMB 244, Odenton, Maryland, 21113–1633. Or by e-mail at shirlee@shirleemccoy.com.

Blessings,

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

EPILOGUE

Piper Sinclair knew a bad thing when she saw it, and right now she was seeing it. A dozen ladies, all in various colors and styles of spandex, sat on bamboo mats staring with undisguised adoration at a woman whose banal smile set Piper’s teeth on edge. A whiteboard at the front of the room stated the purpose of the meeting—“Love Yourself to Weight Loss.” On either side of the whiteboard, long candle-laden tables sent up a steady stream of vanilla-scented air.

“Forget it. I’ve changed my mind.” Piper did a U-turn and tried to exit the room, but Gabriella Webber blocked her retreat, her sweet, wouldn’t-hurt-a-fly face set in mutinous lines.

“You can’t change your mind. You promised.”

“I wouldn’t have if you’d told me what this seminar was about.”

“I did tell you what it was about.”

“You said a weight-loss meeting. You didn’t say New Age mumbo jumbo.” The words were a quiet hiss, but from the look on Gabby’s face, Piper might as well have shouted.

“Shhhhh! Dr. Lillian will hear you.”

“I’m barely whispering.”

But the slim, smiling woman was hurrying across the room as if she had heard the exchange. “Welcome, ladies. I’m Dr. Sydney Lillian. Please, have a seat. We’ll be ready to begin in just a few minutes.”

Piper wanted to tell the doctor she wouldn’t be staying, but Gabby was staring at her with such hopeful pleading she didn’t have the heart to walk out.

“Thank you, Dr. Lillian. Come on, Gabby. Let’s find a seat.” Piper chose a mat close to the back of the room and sat down.

Gabby lowered herself onto a mat a few feet away, then leaned over and grabbed Piper’s arm, her dark eyes brimming with excitement. “I can’t believe we’re really doing this. If this class works as well as it’s supposed to, I’ll be slim and trim by Christmas. Just in time to find a New Year’s date.”

“Gabby…” But what could Piper say? That losing weight wouldn’t help Gabby find Mr. Right? That Mr. Right didn’t exist? That all Piper had ever found were a lot of Mr. Wrongs, all gussied up to look like what they weren’t? “You’ll have a New Year’s date whether you lose the weight or not. You always do.”