Kimberly Belle - The Ones We Trust

A moving and evocative exploration of grief and guilt in the wake of one family’s devastating loss

When former DC journalist Abigail Wolff attempts to rehabilitate her career, she finds herself at the heart of a US army cover-up involving the death of a soldier in Afghanistan—with unspeakable emotional consequences for one family. As the story of what happened comes to light, Abigail will do anything to write it.

The more evidence she stumbles upon in the case, the fewer people it seems she can trust, including her own father, a retired army general. And she certainly never expected to fall in love with the slain soldier’s brother, Gabe, a bitter man struggling to hold his family together. The investigation eventually leads her to an impossible choice, one of unrelenting sacrifice to protect those she loves.

Beyond the buried truths and betrayals, questions of family loyalty and redemption, Abigail’s search is, most of all, a desperate grasp at carrying on and coping—and seeking hope in the impossible.

Praise for Kimberly Belle and The Last Breath Praise Also by Kimberly Belle Title Page Dedication Part One: Murky Truths 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Part Two: Wicked Lies 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Part Three: The Space Between 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Acknowledgments Reader’s Guide Questions for Discussion A Conversation with the Author Copyright

“Painstakingly emotional…will surprise readers to the very end...it’s so worth it!”

—RT Book Reviews

“Belle’s engaging debut brings the reader into [an] emotionally tangled world.”

—Booklist

“Belle’s a smooth writer whose characters are vibrant and truly reflect the area where the novel is set.”

—Kirkus Reviews

“The Last Breath will leave you breathless. This edgy and emotional thriller will keep you guessing until the very end.”

—New York Times bestselling author Heather Gudenkauf

“Powerful and complex with an intensity drawn out through each page, The Last Breath is a story of forgiveness and betrayal and one I couldn’t put down!”

—New York Times bestselling author Steena Holmes

Also by Kimberly Belle Also by Kimberly Belle Title Page Dedication Part One: Murky Truths 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Part Two: Wicked Lies 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Part Three: The Space Between 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Acknowledgments Reader’s Guide Questions for Discussion A Conversation with the Author Copyright

The Last Breath

The Ones

We

Trust

Kimberly Belle

To the women and men who risk their lives every day for our country,

and for the people who love them.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text A moving and evocative exploration of grief and guilt in the wake of one family’s devastating loss When former DC journalist Abigail Wolff attempts to rehabilitate her career, she finds herself at the heart of a US army cover-up involving the death of a soldier in Afghanistan—with unspeakable emotional consequences for one family. As the story of what happened comes to light, Abigail will do anything to write it. The more evidence she stumbles upon in the case, the fewer people it seems she can trust, including her own father, a retired army general. And she certainly never expected to fall in love with the slain soldier’s brother, Gabe, a bitter man struggling to hold his family together. The investigation eventually leads her to an impossible choice, one of unrelenting sacrifice to protect those she loves. Beyond the buried truths and betrayals, questions of family loyalty and redemption, Abigail’s search is, most of all, a desperate grasp at carrying on and coping—and seeking hope in the impossible.

Praise Praise for Kimberly Belle and The Last Breath Praise Also by Kimberly Belle Title Page Dedication Part One: Murky Truths 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Part Two: Wicked Lies 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Part Three: The Space Between 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Acknowledgments Reader’s Guide Questions for Discussion A Conversation with the Author Copyright “Painstakingly emotional…will surprise readers to the very end...it’s so worth it!” —RT Book Reviews “Belle’s engaging debut brings the reader into [an] emotionally tangled world.” —Booklist “Belle’s a smooth writer whose characters are vibrant and truly reflect the area where the novel is set.” —Kirkus Reviews “The Last Breath will leave you breathless. This edgy and emotional thriller will keep you guessing until the very end.” —New York Times bestselling author Heather Gudenkauf “Powerful and complex with an intensity drawn out through each page, The Last Breath is a story of forgiveness and betrayal and one I couldn’t put down!” —New York Times bestselling author Steena Holmes

Also by Kimberly Belle Also by Kimberly Belle Also by Kimberly Belle Title Page Dedication Part One: Murky Truths 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Part Two: Wicked Lies 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Part Three: The Space Between 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Acknowledgments Reader’s Guide Questions for Discussion A Conversation with the Author Copyright The Last Breath

Title Page The Ones We Trust Kimberly Belle

Dedication To the women and men who risk their lives every day for our country, and for the people who love them.

Part One: Murky Truths Part One: Murky Truths

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Part Two: Wicked Lies

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

Part Three: The Space Between

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

Acknowledgments

Reader’s Guide

Questions for Discussion

A Conversation with the Author

Copyright

Part One: Murky Truths

1

There’s a thin, fragile line that separates us all from misfortune. A place where life teeters on a razor’s edge, and everything boils down to one single, solitary second. Where either you will whiz past the Mack truck blissfully unaware, or you will slam into it head-on. Where there’s a before, and then, without warning or apology, there’s an after.

For the past three years, I’ve rewound to those last before moments, moments I was still blissfully unaware I was about to be blindsided. I’ve tried to pinpoint the very spot when tragedy struck. It wasn’t when Chelsea took her last breath, though that was certainly a tragedy. No, the tipping point was somewhere in the days leading up to her death, when her story was barreling like a deadly virus across the internet, snowballing and mutating and infecting everyone it touched. Infecting her with words I wrote and sent out into the world. I guess you could say I poisoned her with them.

To the rest of the world, Chelsea Vogel looked like any other white, American, middle-class mother in her early thirties. On the dowdy side of forgettable, one of those women you acknowledge with a bland smile as she pushes her cart by yours in the grocery store, or idles patiently in her car while you hang up the gas pump and climb back behind the wheel of yours. You see her but, for the life of you, couldn’t pick her out of a lineup five minutes later.

But underneath all that dull suburban facade burned a big, bright secret.

I had no idea of any of this, of course, that rainy Tuesday afternoon I walked into her slightly shabby offices south of Baltimore to interview her for iWoman.com, the online news magazine I was reporting for at the time. I only knew that as the founder and CEO of American Society for Truth, Chelsea was an outspoken opponent of gay rights, one who preached about God-ordained sexuality and the natural family to anyone who would listen. And people seemed to be listening, especially once she became a regular contributor on conservative news senders.