Colder Than Death Page 4

  Dead.

  Miranda’s mind reeled. This was the missing girl everyone was talking about. This was Madison. Had to be. But how did she get here?

  Her whole body shuddering, she put her hands to her head. She had seen death before, knew the look of a body in a casket. An uncle she barely knew who’d passed away when she was a child, a fallen officer who’d been a buddy of Leon’s, her own mother lying so still in her coffin with her hard, stony face. But she’d never seen death like this.

  So close, so stark, so…undeniable.

  The air had a dank smell. Long, dark hair lay damp and matted on the ground. Gnats and flies buzzed around the swollen face, glistening with the raindrops that fell on it. Instead of a childlike expression of innocence, there was the whisper of a smile. An air of superiority, as if she had felt far above whoever had left her this way.

  It was the eyes that got her. Open, staring, lifeless. Looking at them, Miranda felt as though a fist had reached inside her chest and yanked out her heart.

  She forced her gaze away from the eyes. Her breath caught, as her mind cleared. The girl’s neck. She had to take a look at the girl’s neck.

  She crept closer and saw that a wide, white ribbon had been tied around the young girl’s neck. What was that for? She didn’t know, but she had to look under it. She shouldn’t touch it. It was evidence. But she had to know.

  Slowly, she reached out with trembling fingers and lifted the soft cloth, moist with the rainwater. Her hands shivered so hard, she could barely slip it down, but somehow she managed.

  And then she saw it. The mark on her neck. Dark, round, distinct.

  She put the soaking ribbon back in place. Her hands shook violently, shot to her mouth, her head. Her chest felt like it would burst. Tears streamed down her cheeks, mingled with the rain, dropped onto the forest floor.

  This was Amy. This was her baby.

  Someone Else’s Daughter is available on Amazon.

  ###

  Thank you for reading The Unexpected Guest A Wade Parker story. If you enjoyed this story I would appreciate it if you would help others enjoy it, too.

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  I love my readers and am truly grateful for all your support!

  Romantic Suspense Books by Linsey Lanier

  THE MIRANDA’S RIGHTS MYSTERY SERIES

  Someone Else’s Daughter – Book I

  Delicious Torment – Book II

  Forever Mine – Book III

  Fire Dancer – Book IV

  Thin Ice – Book V

  THE MIRANDA AND PARKER MYSTERIES

  All Eyes on Me

  More Miranda and Parker mysteries coming in 2014!

  OTHER BOOKS BY LINSEY LANIER:

  Chicago Cop (A cop family thriller) – Don’t let them take what you love, baby girl. A police thriller featuring GUTS team lead Lieutenant Maggie Delaney, a tough multi-generational cop hunting down a crazed mafia hit man bent on revenge.

  Steal My Heart (A Romantic Suspense) – Get me what I want or you’ll never see your daughter again. New York newspaper columnist, Paige Dunbar, can hardly breathe when she learns her precious three-year-old daughter has been kidnapped. She’ll do anything to get her back, including steal the famous Fantasia necklace the kidnapper wants. No one can stop her. Not even her sexy ex-jewel-thief-ex-husband.

  HUMOROUS BOOKS BY LINSEY LANIER

  THE DANDY FROST—NINJA ASSASSIN STORIES

  A New Adult, futuristic romantic fantasy series.

  A lowly, powerless factory worker is sent half-way around the world by her boss to fight an evil spy organization, but she really just wants to be a fashion designer.

  You Want Me to Kill Who? — Book One

  You Want Me to Go Where? — Book Two

  The Clever Detective Boxed Set 2 (A Fairy Tale Romance): Stories 1-5

  From the Hollow Tree to Stacey’s home town to the mountains of Sweden to the high seas, follow PI Stacey Alexander and Prince Chad’s adventures and romance.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Linsey Lanier has been writing fiction for over fifteen years and is the author of a dozen novels and short stories, including the best selling Miranda’s Rights Mystery series. She writes romantic suspense, mystery, and humorous romantic fantasy - all with a dash of sass. She is also a member of Romance Writers of America, the Kiss of Death chapter, and Private Eye Writers of America. Her books have placed in several RWA-sponsored contests.

  Connect with Linsey Online

  Visit Linsey on Amazon

  Linsey’s website: http://www.linseylanier.com

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  Twitter: @LinseyLanier

  A Final Word:

  My thanks to the Petit Fours and Hot Tamales blog and to all my writing friends.

  Most of all, thank you, dear reader, for choosing my book. You make it all worthwhile.

  Copyright © 2014 Linsey Lanier

  All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.