Line of Duty
Fog Lake Suspense, Book 4
Christy Barritt
Copyright © 2020 by Christy Barritt
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Created with Vellum
Contents
Complete Book List
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
Also by Christy Barritt:
Other Books in the Fog Lake Suspense Series:
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The Squeaky Clean Mystery Series
Holly Anna Paladin Mysteries:
The Worst Detective Ever:
About the Author
Complete Book List
Squeaky Clean Mysteries:
#1 Hazardous Duty
#2 Suspicious Minds
#2.5 It Came Upon a Midnight Crime (novella)
#3 Organized Grime
#4 Dirty Deeds
#5 The Scum of All Fears
#6 To Love, Honor and Perish
#7 Mucky Streak
#8 Foul Play
#9 Broom & Gloom
#10 Dust and Obey
#11 Thrill Squeaker
#11.5 Swept Away (novella)
#12 Cunning Attractions
#13 Cold Case: Clean Getaway
#14 Cold Case: Clean Sweep
#15 Cold Case: Clean Break
#16 Cleans to an End (coming soon)
While You Were Sweeping, A Riley Thomas Spinoff
The Sierra Files:
#1 Pounced
#2 Hunted
#3 Pranced
#4 Rattled
The Gabby St. Claire Diaries (a Tween Mystery series):
The Curtain Call Caper
The Disappearing Dog Dilemma
The Bungled Bike Burglaries
The Worst Detective Ever
#1 Ready to Fumble
#2 Reign of Error
#3 Safety in Blunders
#4 Join the Flub
#5 Blooper Freak
#6 Flaw Abiding Citizen
#7 Gaffe Out Loud
#8 Joke and Dagger
#9 Wreck the Halls
#10 Glitch and Famous (coming soon)
Raven Remington
Relentless 1
Relentless 2 (coming soon)
Holly Anna Paladin Mysteries:
#1 Random Acts of Murder
#2 Random Acts of Deceit
#2.5 Random Acts of Scrooge
#3 Random Acts of Malice
#4 Random Acts of Greed
#5 Random Acts of Fraud
#6 Random Acts of Outrage
#7 Random Acts of Iniquity
Lantern Beach Mysteries
#1 Hidden Currents
#2 Flood Watch
#3 Storm Surge
#4 Dangerous Waters
#5 Perilous Riptide
#6 Deadly Undertow
Lantern Beach Romantic Suspense
Tides of Deception
Shadow of Intrigue
Storm of Doubt
Winds of Danger
Lantern Beach P.D.
On the Lookout
Attempt to Locate
First Degree Murder
Dead on Arrival
Plan of Action
Lantern Beach Escape
Afterglow (a novelette)
Lantern Beach Blackout
coming soon
Carolina Moon Series
Home Before Dark
Gone By Dark
Wait Until Dark
Light the Dark
Taken By Dark
Suburban Sleuth Mysteries:
Death of the Couch Potato’s Wife
Fog Lake Suspense:
Edge of Peril
Margin of Error
Brink of Danger
Line of Duty
Cape Thomas Series:
Dubiosity
Disillusioned
Distorted
Standalone Romantic Mystery:
The Good Girl
Suspense:
Imperfect
The Wrecking
Sweet Christmas Novella:
Home to Chestnut Grove
Standalone Romantic-Suspense:
Keeping Guard
The Last Target
Race Against Time
Ricochet
Key Witness
Lifeline
High-Stakes Holiday Reunion
Desperate Measures
Hidden Agenda
Mountain Hideaway
Dark Harbor
Shadow of Suspicion
The Baby Assignment
The Cradle Conspiracy
Trained to Defend
Nonfiction:
Characters in the Kitchen
Changed: True Stories of Finding God through Christian Music (out of print)
The Novel in Me: The Beginner’s Guide to Writing and Publishing a Novel (out of print)
Chapter One
As I ambled between the trees on the mountainside, nature parted at my entrance and practically rolled out a red carpet.
My psychologist had once told me I had delusions of grandeur.
He didn’t know what he was talking about. He simply couldn’t see what I could. He didn’t know my importance.
Not yet.
“Abigail!” I called, making sure my voice was singsongy. “Or maybe I should call you Abi-fail? Abi-jail?”
Abi-jail. I liked that. This woman should be in prison. Instead, I’d serve her my own kind of justice.
The woman looked back at me, her dark hair flying out in a circle around her head. The action only intensified the look of terror in her eyes. It was like every part of her body knew the danger she was in and tried to flee in desperation.
She released a muffled cry and continued sprinting through the skeletal forest. The girl was an accident waiting to happen, running like that on this steep, rocky mountain. She couldn’t be familiar with the terrain. No, she’d always been an inside girl.
I made a clucking sound with my tongue. Some people had to learn these lessons the hard way. Abi-jail had a long list of lessons she needed to learn.
I was going to teach her as many as I could. Unfortunately, some of the lessons would be painful . . . and ultimately deadly.
I began whistling my favorite song, “Little Red Riding Hood” by Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs. I liked thinking of myself as the Big Bad Wolf. Except, in my story, I’d b
e the one with the happy ending.
Abi-jail cried out and ran faster. Her arms flailed beside her. Any time now, she was going to trip. I just needed to be patient.
Nature continued to make a way for me as I paced through the pine and oak forest. The whole world was on my side, welcoming me to do the task it couldn’t—to bring justice to the guilty. Not a namby-pamby kind of justice the US legal system tried to use. I preferred a more primal type. I practically drooled at the thought of it.
As the ground sloped, I took note of the leaves beneath my feet. They were slick and thick, hiding rocks beneath them, and reminding me of what was so wrong with this world today. This planet was full of morons who tried to sugarcoat the danger of a dark world littered with the trappings of the flesh.
My whistling faded.
Abi-jail still sprinted away from me. I knew she saw me. Occasionally, she cried out and fear invaded the sound, strangling it.
Pleasure curled through me. She should be scared.
She hadn’t expected to see me. Not yet. Truth be told, it had taken me a long time to track her down in her hiding place. All the stars had aligned for me to find her, just as the path cleared for me to chase her now.
I didn’t bother to quicken my steps. I’d take my time. Delight filled me every time I saw how frightened she was. I began to whistle again . . .
Soon, this would all be over.
My smile widened, and a burst of bliss shot through me.
I would be Abby’s judge, jury . . . and executioner.
And it was going to be so much fun.
Chapter Two
Abby Brennan glanced over her shoulder, panic racing through her.
He was still there. Still following her.
“No!” The word escaped before she could stop it.
How had this man found her?
She had no idea. But she couldn’t let him catch her. Her life depended on it.
Please, Lord . . . she lifted the silent prayer as dry branches scraped her arms. As rocks cut into her feet. As fear tightened her lungs.
“Abigail,” he taunted, his deep, calm voice carrying through the air. “Abi-fail. Abi-jail.”
The sick feeling in her gut bubbled up until she thought she might hurl.
Why couldn’t he leave her alone? Why couldn’t he realize her guilt was enough punishment? She didn’t need to be on this vigilante’s Most Wanted list.
Abby gasped as another rock cut her foot. She wanted to stop. Wanted to check her skin for any blood or visible injury.
But she couldn’t afford that luxury. She had to get as far away from him as possible. Every second counted.
She nearly limped now. Was she leaving a trail of blood for him to follow?
Another cry lodged in her throat, the sound offset by the man’s creepy whistle. What was that song? Why did it sound so haunting?
The man seemed too happy, like a psychopath who got pleasure—and strength—from other people’s fear. He moved so calmly behind her, almost as if he knew what the outcome of the situation would be.
All Abby could see was his blue hat, pulled down low. A blue jacket. White skin. A salt-and-pepper-colored beard.
Her heart thumped into her chest as he continued to whistle.
“Abby . . .” He drew out the word.
She heard the leaves being crushed under his weight. Heard the branches snapping in obedience. Even the birds had quieted, almost as if they were terrified also.
How would Abby ever outrun him? How could she escape? Even worse—what if she couldn’t?
Another cry escaped from her at the thought.
She glanced back at him once more, desperate to see how close he was.
As she did, the ground disappeared beneath her.
And she was falling . . . falling . . .
Then a terrible pain ripped through her, and everything went black.
Abby jerked her eyes open. As scorching sunlight burned into her pupils, she pressed them shut again. A cold wind swept over her skin, and she moaned.
At once, everything rushed back to her.
The man had found her.
Her hideout had been discovered.
But how?
With a jerk, she sat up. Pain ripped through her skull. Abby reached for the spot on the back of her head. When she pulled her hand in front of her, she saw blood.
Red stained her fingers, congealed in her hair. Her head wobbled at the thought, and consciousness threatened to slip away again. She couldn’t let that happen.
Snippets of her terror replayed in her mind.
That was right. She’d been running when suddenly the ground had disappeared beneath her. It wasn’t exactly a cliff, but the drop was steep, probably twenty or thirty feet.
She’d landed here and must’ve hit her head.
She swung her gaze around as panic snaked around her lungs. Was the Executioner still here? Was he watching her? Waiting to finish the job? He’d been sending her threats for months.
Not just any threats either. They were detailed notes about how he would like to make her pay. Details had included mutilation, torture . . . and finally—mercifully—death.
Abby’s lungs tightened more until she could hardly breathe. Her head continued to pound, to pound, and pound, pound, pound.
She scanned her surroundings. Mountains trapped her like a razor-topped fence. A trickling river whispered secrets a few feet away. Rocky boulders scattered the area, as if nature had decided to stone the landscape as punishment and leave the remnants of the horrible act behind.
Abby saw no one, but that didn’t mean the man wasn’t nearby. That he wasn’t watching and planning her demise.
How had he even found her here? She’d been so secluded.
It didn’t matter. All that mattered right now was surviving. If the Executioner didn’t kill her, this wilderness would. Abby was miles from any civilization. She didn’t even know which direction to head in order to get back to her cabin, to her car. What was she going to do?
Hold yourself together, Abby. That’s the most important thing you can do right now.
Her dad had taught her some basic survival skills, and right now Abby wished she’d paid more attention.
She needed to get moving. The temperature in this area would drop into the twenties this evening. All she was wearing was a flannel shirt and jeans. She hadn’t planned on running when she did, or she would’ve grabbed a jacket, hat, and shoes. But fleeing for your life didn’t come with a five-minute warning.
As she shifted to stand, more pain shot through her skull. Her hip ached as she forced her body upright. Her shoulder felt sore and tender.
She was going to feel like death tomorrow. To say the least.
If she survived until tomorrow.
Her heartbeat quickened.
“Please, God,” she whispered. “Help me.”
Pushing aside her pain, Abby glanced around. If she followed the stream, would it eventually lead to civilization?
She knew that the tourist town of Fog Lake, Tennessee, was about fifteen miles from the cabin where she’d been staying. The river probably flowed into the lake, right? The logic made sense to her.
Abby shivered. The wilderness had seemed so tranquil and serene at one time. Now, the area seemed like a graveyard and each of the barren trees tombstones.
Just move, Abby. She couldn’t waste any time. If Fog Lake was fifteen miles away, it was going to take her a good portion of the day to walk there. And that was provided that this path was even passable. She prayed her injury didn’t slow her down.
Her heart pounded.
She could do this. She could find help. Then she’d decide her next step in handling this situation.
But as Abby stared at nature all around her, despair tried to bite deep. Right now, the miles of desolation felt more like solitary confinement.
Chapter Three
“So Jaxon, you catching anything yet?”
Jaxon glanced over at his bro
ther Boone and gave him a dirty look when he saw the smug expression on his face. “No luck yet. Stop bragging.”
“I’m just saying . . . if this was a competition—which it isn’t—but if it was, I’d totally be winning right now.” Boone flashed him a rakish grin.
Jaxon had missed his brothers and sister. But he’d be lying if he said that coming back to Fog Lake had been easy. No, leaving had been the easy part. Coming home was like trying to return to the past, only to find everything had changed.
That familiar tension pulled across his chest.
He reeled his line in, knowing there was nothing on the other end except maybe some bait.
He and his brothers had gone away for a weekend camping trip. It wasn’t the most ideal time to go camping. Not in Fog Lake in February. But the Wilder brothers had been taught all things outdoors by their father, who had passed away a few years ago.
Jaxon knew his brothers had hoped this trip might bond them. They probably hoped that he might open up about the real reasons he’d returned home from the military. But he still wasn’t ready.
Jaxon put his fishing pole down. “I think I’m going to take a breather and go for a walk.”
“You need company?” His oldest brother, Luke, set his fishing pole on one of the huge rocks lining the river. He looked so relaxed as he lounged back in his camping chair, staring at the water. The man needed to relax. As sheriff in Fog Lake, his job had been surprisingly busy lately.
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