PRAISE FOR TERRI BLACKSTOCK
“Crisp dialogue and unexpected twists make this compulsive reading, and a final chapter cliffhanger leaves things poised for a sequel.”
—Publishers Weekly on If I Run
“A fast-paced, thoroughly mesmerizing thriller, If I Run offers distinct Christian undertones. Though not preachy, this layering adds to the complexity of this suspenseful novel. An enthralling read with an entirely unexpected conclusion makes the reader question if a sequel could be in the works.”
—NY Journal of Books
“Few writers do mystery/suspense better than Terri Blackstock, so I leaped at the opportunity to read her latest If I Run . . . Needless to say, when Book Two comes out, there will be no ‘if’ about it. I’ll run to get in line.”
—Love & Faith in Fiction
“If I Run is a gripping suspense novel. Both of the central characters are very appealing, engaging the reader . . . The tension is palpable throughout and doesn’t let up until the very end . . . highly recommended.”
—Mysterious Reviews
“Blackstock’s newest novel, If I Run, is the best suspense novel I’ve read in decades. Boiling with secrets, nail-biting suspense, and exquisitely developed characters, it’s a story that grabs hold and never lets go. Read this one. Run to get it! It’s that good.”
—Colleen Coble, USA Today bestselling author of Mermaid Moon and the Hope Beach series
“The exciting and heart-pounding conclusion to Blackstock’s Moonlighters trilogy is quite a thrill ride. The intrigue and danger come to a dramatic culmination as the villain gets backed into a corner.”
—Romantic Times on Twisted Innocence
“Blackstock fans will be drawn to this third novel in the Moonlighters series with its themes of forgiveness and second chances. While being able to be read as standalone fiction, readers will enjoy a richer character understanding having read the previous books.”
—CBA Retailers + Resources on Twisted Innocence
“The second book in Blackstock’s Moonlighters series starts off with a frightening incident and is filled with action from that point forward. A multilayered story of deception, greed, and secrets unravels at a perfect pace to keep readers interested and entertained.”
—RT Book Reviews, 4-star review of Distortion
“Blackstock has such a way with characters that they can get away with almost anything—like being part of a family with an unreasonably high body count—and still manage to be believable. Distortion is a good suspense novel but more than that it brings up a number of attitudes and actions that will have readers examining their own thought patterns and values.”
—Crosswalk.com
“Crisp prose, an engaging story, and brisk pacing make this thriller another home run for Blackstock. Recommend it to readers who enjoy material by Lynette Eason and Erin Healy.”
—Library Journal, starred review of Downfall
“A story rich with texture and suspense, this family murder mystery unfolds with fast pacing, a creepy clown murder suspect, and threatening blog visitor to boot.”
—Publishers Weekly on Truth Stained Lies
“The Restoration series comes to a dramatic end. Blackstock is absolutely masterful at bringing spiritual dilemmas to the surface and allowing readers to wrestle with them alongside her characters. This is a fitting conclusion to this unique series.”
—RT Book Reviews, 41/2-star review of Dawn’s Light
“Good writing, well-honed descriptive details, compelling characters, and a conclusion that doesn’t succumb to pat answers keep the pages turning, making this an engaging novel for fans of Christian nail-biters.”
—Publishers Weekly on Cape Refuge
“Blackstock’s superior writing will keep readers turning pages late into the night to discover the identity of the culprit in this amazing mystery. The unique setting and peek into the Nashville music scene are fascinating. Suspense lovers are in for a delightful treat.”
—RT Book Reviews, 4½-star review, TOP PICK! on Double Minds, 2009 Nomination for Best Inspirational Novel
“Drawn in from the first line, my heart ached for Kara, Lizzie, and their moving story. The satisfying end didn’t stop the lingering sadness, as there’s so much more to this novel than just the life of two little girls and the wounds that should never have been. Ms. Blackstock tactfully and skillfully deals with the undesirable traits of her characters (promiscuity and subsequent abortion, which are briefly mentioned). The book is so well written it is hard to believe it’s just fiction!”
—RT Book Reviews, 4-star review of Covenant Child
“In a departure from her usual heart-stopping mysteries, Blackstock delves into the world of a con man who meets his match. This fast-paced novel doesn’t provide any astounding twists, but the story is incredibly well told and will keep the reader fascinated until the last page.”
—RT Book Reviews, 4-star review of Shadow in Serenity
BOOKS BY TERRI BLACKSTOCK
IF I RUN SERIES
1 If I Run
2 If I’m Found
3 If I Live (coming March 2018)
THE MOONLIGHTERS SERIES
1 Truth Stained Lies
2 Distortion
3 Twisted Innocence
THE RESTORATION SERIES
1 Last Light
2 Night Light
3 True Light
4 Dawn’s Light
THE INTERVENTION SERIES
1 Intervention
2 Vicious Cycle
3 Downfall
THE CAPE REFUGE SERIES
1 Cape Refuge
2 Southern Storm
3 River’s Edge
4 Breaker’s Reef
NEWPOINTE 911
1 Private Justice
2 Shadow of Doubt
3 Word of Honor
4 Trial by Fire
5 Line of Duty
THE SUN COAST CHRONICLES
1 Evidence of Mercy
2 Justifiable Means
3 Ulterior Motives
4 Presumption of Guilt
SECOND CHANCES
1 Never Again Good-bye
2 When Dreams Cross
3 Blind Trust
4 Broken Wings
WITH BEVERLY LAHAYE
1 Seasons Under Heaven
2 Showers in Season
3 Times and Seasons
4 Season of Blessing
NOVELLAS
Seaside
The Listener (formerly The Heart Reader)
The Heart Reader of Franklin High
The Gifted
The Gifted Sophomores
OTHER BOOKS
Shadow in Serenity
Predator
Double Minds
Soul Restoration: Hope for the Weary
Emerald Windows
Miracles (The Listener / The Gifted)
Covenant Child
Sweet Delights
Chance of Loving You
ZONDERVAN
If I’m Found
Copyright © 2017 by Terri Blackstock
Requests for information should be addressed to:
Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
* * *
Names: Blackstock, Terri, 1957- author.
Title: If I’m found / Terri Blackstock.
Description: Grand Rapids, Michigan : Zondervan, [2017] | Series: If I run; 2
Epub Edition February 2017 ISBN 9780310332510
Identifiers: LCCN 2016042867 | ISBN 9780310332497 (hardback)
Subjects: | GSAFD: Suspense fiction. | Mystery fiction.
Classification: LCC PS3552.L34285 I35 2017 | DDC 813/.54--dc23 LC record available at
https://lccn.loc.gov/2016042867.
* * *
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New American Standard Bible®. Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)
Any Internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers in this book are offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement by Zondervan, nor does Zondervan vouch for the content of these sites and numbers for the life of this book.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.
Publisher’s Note: This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. All characters are fictional, and any similarity to people living or dead is purely coincidental.
Interior design: Lori Lynch
Printed in the United States of America
* * *
17 18 19 20 21 22 / RRD / 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
This book is lovingly dedicated to the Nazarene.
CONTENTS
Praise for Terri Blackstock
Books by Terri Blackstock
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
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
A Note from the Author
Discussion Questions
Acknowledgments
About the Author
1
CASEY
The police lights in my rearview mirror almost destroy me. Only ten miles out of Shady Grove, police race through traffic behind me, sirens cycling and blaring, those blue bulbs painting terror inside my rain-drenched car. There’s no place to pull over—the traffic ahead is jammed and the sides of the road drop off into ditches.
My heart fists and slams, and I break out in sweat.
But there’s also the tiniest relief. Soon it will all be over—this running and hiding, this pretending to be someone else, this detachment from real life, because relationships can be so painful when you have to rip them off like wax. But as quickly as that relief comes, reality banishes it. It’s my life that will be over, as soon as they turn me over to my tormentor. And then they’ll start on my family.
I glance at myself in the rearview mirror. They’ll identify me right away because of my injuries. My jaw is bruising and swollen, and my hand is sticky with blood. Under my torn jeans, my legs feel bruised and bloody. They won’t care that I fought for my life tonight, and for someone else’s. It won’t matter what good I’ve done, because my best friend’s murder scene was covered with my DNA. In their minds, I’m a cold-blooded killer. They’ll say I deserve whatever happens.
As the police cars weave through traffic and move up behind me, I pull into a movie theater parking lot, knowing they’ll fly in behind me and surround me, weapons drawn.
Instead, they stay on the slick road and hurry past the parking lot. Holding my breath, I turn around in my seat, staring out the wet back window, amazed, watching as they reach their destination a half mile up the road. It’s a two-car wreck, and the team of police cruisers barricade it, stopping traffic.
I let out my breath as tears overtake me. So it’s not over. It goes on. I’ll keep running.
I wipe my eyes on my wet shirtsleeve and gather myself enough to pull my car around to the dark side of the theater. I reach for my purse and the duffel bag I stashed on the floor-board behind my seat days ago. I dig into my purse and find a concealer stick and a lipstick. I wish I had shadow and base, but they’re in the apartment I can never return to.
I turn on my mirror light, smear concealer over my bruising cheek and just above my lip. I use lipstick to color my cheekbones, to try to make them look more normal.
It’s not perfect, but at least it isn’t immediately apparent that I’ve been beaten up tonight. I zip open my duffel bag and pull out my plain black baseball cap, tie up my hair in a ponytail, and pull it through the back of the cap.
I dig into my car’s ashtray and find a nickel that I hope will work as a screwdriver. I slip out and walk back to the front parking lot. It’s late and the last movie is over, but a handful of cars are scattered around. A rusty Buick with two flat tires is closest, so I kneel behind it—rain soaking me—and unscrew the license plate.
Then I hurry back to my car and switch mine out. Soon they’ll be broadening the search for my Kia. I’ll have to ditch it somewhere, but until I can get far enough out of town, this will have to do.
I find a side street and pull onto it, heading away from the traffic and the wreck. I follow the back roads, trying to head west. After an hour or so, I no longer expect to hear sirens every minute. I don’t know where I am, but when you have no destination, it doesn’t really matter if you get lost.
Hours later, I pass the Mississippi line, putting Alabama and Georgia behind me. I have to get rid of this car soon.
My jaw aches, along with my knee and my bloody shin, and fatigue pulls at me like elastic tethers. I have to get somewhere and clean myself up.
An hour or so later, I enter a seedy little town where men loiter on the corners. I detour to a different street, but nothing looks any safer. Up ahead is a motel that would struggle to get a one-star rating, but they’re more likely to accept cash and not demand to see my driver’s license.
The office behind a dirty glass window is thick with smoke. A man with piercings in his lip greets me.
“I need a room,” I say. “I’m paying cash.”
His hair hangs greasy over his sleepy eyes. He doesn’t ask me anything else, just takes my money and gives me a room key.
“Are the sheets clean?” I ask.
His eyes flash to life. “Changed them this morning,” he says, clearly insulted that I would ask such a thing.
I want to ask how many hourly tenants have checked in since then, but I sigh and take the key down to the room he’s given me. At least it’s the last room at the end, so I don’t have anyone on one side of me. Maybe the other side is vacant. My car is at the other end of the parking lot, and that’s where I leave it.
The room smells of cigarettes and an array of rank scents I can’t name. I go in and pul
l back the thin bedspread. The sheets look rumpled, but they do seem clean. I slip into bed, fully clothed, trying not to think about bedbugs or mice . . . or a SWAT team with rifles.
I find the sticky remote and turn on the TV. It just has basic cable, so I flip to a news channel and watch for an hour or so to see if the national news has picked up anything about me. I don’t see anything. Maybe it’ll only make the news in Shady Grove.
I imagine what the media will say about me tomorrow. Will they focus on the girl who was missing and is now reunited with her family?
“Fugitive Rescues Kidnapped Girl”—that’s the sensational headline Brent would have given it, to make AP and Reuters pick it up. It heralds a story no one could resist reading.
I wonder if the Shreveport police will hold Dylan accountable for my escape. He was hired to find me. Why would he let me walk away like that?
There’s no other explanation but God, whom I called out to more than once in the last few days. I barely know him, but I think he must know me. As I close my eyes, I whisper, “Thank you,” before I drift off to sleep.
2
DYLAN
I don’t mind admitting that Casey Cox is the bravest person I’ve ever met, and I’ve known guys who’ve thrown themselves over grenades to protect their brothers. But I can’t say that to Gordon Keegan or Sy Rollins, the police detectives who have a bull’s-eye on Casey’s back. To them she’s a ticking bomb that has to be defused, before she blows their illegally padded lives to kingdom come.
Detective Keegan sits in my passenger seat as I drive him back to his plane—the one he probably bought with blood money—and I can feel the tension pulsing through the car. “I can’t believe you let her walk away,” he says.
My jaws ache as I lock down on my molars. “I was distracted by the screaming girl Cox was trying to rescue and the violent man trying to kill her and her baby. It was simple triage. I tended to the most dangerous situation first.”
“But you knew it was Casey.” His lips are tight, compressed, and his words are clipped. “It wasn’t one or the other. You could have gotten the girl and baby out and still arrested Casey.”