Hot tears burned down her cold wet cheeks. “No . . . no, I’m not okay.” She dropped to her knees next to her friend.
Carissa coughed up water and rolled onto her side. When she’d finished expelling the seawater, she sat up and looked around.
Erin hugged her and spoke against her short, wet hair. “I thought you were done for.”
Carissa held on to Erin tightly, then released her to cough more. Erin took in the group standing around them, their watchful eyes filled with concern.
“I’m Vince. And this is my wife, Jessie.” The man with the Seahawks cap gestured to the redhead, then made introductions. John, his son, and Terry, John’s friend, and Mavis, John’s girlfriend. A family affair.
“I’m Erin, and this is Carissa.”
Jessie placed a blanket around Carissa. “Why don’t you have a seat? I’ll get you something warm to drink.”
“Thank you.” Erin sat with Carissa on the cushioned bench and took in her friend. She looked shell-shocked, and why shouldn’t she? Was she going to be okay?
Carissa closed her eyes. Was she in pain or thinking back to what happened? Jessie had disappeared below deck to grab warm drinks. Mavis, Terry, and John were trying to recover Erin’s and Carissa’s kayaks and bring them onto the trawler.
Vince remained standing there, his arms crossed as if he were a sentinel to protect them. And at this moment Erin needed that reassurance.
“If you hadn’t come when you did,” she said, “I don’t know what would have happened. I can’t thank you enough.” She searched the waters around them. “Is that boat . . . Is it gone?”
“What boat?” Mavis approached and glanced at Vince.
“You didn’t see that?” Erin got to her feet and pulled Carissa with her. She searched the waters. “A boat came right for us. Ran over our kayaks and almost killed us. They must have lost control. Maybe they were drunk or something.”
“I saw a boat heading west,” Vince said, “but I didn’t connect that to seeing you in the water swimming to shore. Kayaks and canoes are hard to spot sometimes. I’m sorry that happened. But I’ll contact the Seattle Police Harbor Patrol and let them know. In the meantime, is there somewhere we can take you?”
“Back to the marina at Port of Edmonds. We could talk to the police there and tell them what happened.”
“I’ll let SPHP know we’re on the way and to meet us there. Should we get you to the hospital?” Vince eyed Carissa.
Erin shared a look with her friend. “She sustained a hit to the head. Maybe an ambulance could be waiting for us when we get to the harbor.”
Carissa nodded but said nothing. Erin ached inside. She’d almost lost Carissa. She was grateful that her friend had survived. They had both survived.
Erin replayed the events in her mind. Had the boat deliberately veered toward them or had she imagined it? These boaters who’d helped them had simply been out enjoying the day when they spotted Erin and Carissa in the water, their kayaks floating, Carissa’s in two pieces.
I can’t believe this happened.
The water had been her place of peace and tranquility.
But no more.
Erin pulled her ringing cell from the protective plastic. She didn’t recognize the number, but it was a Montana prefix. Her heart jackhammered as she answered. “Erin.”
“Dr. Larson . . . Erin.” The familiar male voice hesitated. “This is Detective Nathan Campbell.”
Dread crawled up her spine. Nathan would never call her without a good reason. “Nathan . . . what’s going on?”
“It’s . . . your mom. She’s okay. But she tried to commit suicide. I’m so sorry.”
A few heartbeats passed before she could answer. “Wha . . . what?”
Nathan apologized again and repeated the words.
The air rushed from Erin. She couldn’t breathe. She headed for the rail and hung her head over the water, gasping for breath.
“Erin! Erin, are you there?” Nathan’s concerned voice shouted over the cell loud enough she could hear it over the boat’s engine and rushing water.
Carissa joined her at the rail. “Erin, what’s happened?”
The darkness closed in on her all over again, but this was different than before. Why hadn’t she seen the warning signs? She had to fix this.
Squeezing her eyes shut, she lifted the cell to her ear again. “I need details.”
Nathan relayed that her mother was in the hospital but in stable condition.
Ending the call, Erin stared at the cell. Mom was in trouble. The fact that the awful news had come from the man she’d left behind compounded the pain in her chest. This, after she and Carissa had barely survived a boating accident.
Evil wouldn’t let her forget that it existed, even for a few hours.
Author’s Note
As with all my novels, I take truth—some interesting story that snagged my attention—and create a fictional tale based in reality. I’ve always been fascinated with artifacts trafficking and have read several books on the topic over the years. Like all my stories, I begin with a premise, then develop and grow the idea as I write. My USFS special agent would investigate archaeological crimes, and in this scenario that would mean crimes against Native American cultural items. Within this context, I realized I wanted the story to reflect a global issue, one of many that happens behind the scenes and in the cover of darkness—places like the dark web or even online and right “in our face,” as it were. The artifacts-trafficking world requires many players, starting with those who dig and loot from recorded archaeological sites or previously unknown sites, to museums, private collectors, and even antique road shows. Most of us go about our lives unaware of such happenings.
Still, we can relate on some level. We all grew up watching and loving Indiana Jones, but in truth (ask any archaeologist), he is a tomb raider. Hey—I still watch those movies over and over. I love them!
As I continued to research for my story, I again came across the Iraq Museum looting that happened during the US military invasion in 2003. In fact, I’ve always wanted to write a story that would somehow convey to a bigger audience the historical and cultural pilfering that happened to the museum. In the region as a whole, it continues to happen, even though governments have joined together to crack down on those who would steal cultural items. Museums and countries have since been required to return items to the countries of origin (and yes, the United States is included in countries returning illegally acquired artifacts). And as you might assume, some countries are more cooperative than others.
But back to my story and the Iraq Museum—the facility held and displayed tens of thousands of relics from Mesopotamian, Babylonian, and Persian cultures. As of this writing, according to the FBI government site, up to ten thousand items remain missing, though elsewhere I read that nearly fifteen thousand are still missing, but obviously items continue to be found and returned. The FBI still lists the “Iraqi Looted and Stolen Artifacts” under the FBI Top Ten Art Crimes.
In my research, I learned how the Iraq invasion opened the doors for opportunists around the globe, including some within our armed forces, to take these items and sell them to the highest bidders, private collectors, and willing museums. My character, Chance Carter, was born to carry the burdens of these crimes from the past during his service in the Army to the present in modern-day Montana—and the deeper, sinister layers of my fictional story based in truth were born.
Acknowledgments
Special thanks to John Byas, US Forest Service Special Agent in Charge, for numerous phone calls and emails to answer my many questions and provide opportunities for my character to proceed as planned within the novel I had plotted! That said, mistakes are all on me along with taking a little artistic license.
Big thanks to Roxanne Henke and her small-plane pilot husband who prefers flying to acknowledgment. I appreciate learning everything that could go wrong in a small plane and also how to crash-land on a forest road! My deepest gratitud
e to my writing buddies who persevered with me through those years before we were published and now through the even more grueling years of keeping up with writing deadlines! You encourage and support me, and you’re there every day via our virtual world as if sitting in the cubicle right next to me—Shannon McNear, Lisa Harris, Susan Sleeman, Sharon Hinck, and so many more. You know who you are.
A very special thank-you to Janet Langell for taking in the strays and sharing your story about the dog who lost his boy. I loved that precious tale, and I’m so glad you allowed me to share it here (though Aunt Nadine was a complete figment of my imagination, and you are quite different and amazing!). And thank you, too, for watching out for my “lost boy” who stayed behind in Michigan to finish his degree when we moved to Washington.
I’m so grateful for the most amazing publishing team at Revell! Lonnie Hull DuPont, you ushered me into the trade publishing world. You will always be near and dear to my heart. Rachel McRae, I’m so grateful that God brought you to this place and that you chose me and this Rocky Mountain Courage story as your first acquisition. Amy Ballor, you keep my stories and facts straight! Karen Steele and Michele Misiak, you always have my back, and for that I’m eternally grateful.
Steve Laube, you took me in and guided me through—what, this is going on over ten years now? I can hardly believe it. But you helped me to make my dreams come true.
Most of all, I appreciate you, Dan, for rooting for me all these years before I was even published, and your support when I was lost in my writing world for hours at a time. All my love to my amazing, creative, and dedicated children, Rachel, Christopher, Jonathan, and Andrew.
Jesus, you really are the Way Maker.
Elizabeth Goddard has sold over one million books and is the award-winning author of more than forty romance novels and counting, including the romantic mystery The Camera Never Lies—a 2011 Carol Award winner. She is a Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Mystery and Suspense finalist for her Mountain Cove series—Buried, Backfire, and Deception—and a Carol Award finalist for Submerged. When she’s not writing, she loves spending time with her family, traveling to find inspiration for her next book, and serving with her husband in ministry. For more information about her books, visit her website at www.ElizabethGoddard.com.
ElizabethGoddard.com
Table of Contents
Cover
Endorsements
Books by Elizabeth Goddard
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
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A Preview of Book 2 in the ROCKY MOUNTAIN COURAGE Series
Author’s Note
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Back Ads
Back Cover
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