Contents
Title Page
Copyright
Endorsements
Dedication
Coming to the Light
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
Epilogue
A Note from Janet Sketchley
Dear Reader: what’s next?
Secrets and Lies: excerpt
Acknowledgements
Discussion Questions
Redemption's Edge Series
Copyright-1
Heaven’s Prey
Redemption’s Edge
Book One
Janet Sketchley
janetsketchley.ca
Heaven’s Prey, A Redemption’s Edge Novel
First edition: Choose NOW Publishing, 2013.
Second edition: Janet Sketchley, 2014.
© 2013, 2014 by Janet Sketchley www.janetsketchley.ca
ISBN (epub) 978-0-9938743-1-4
ISBN (mobi) 978-0-9938743-6-9
ISBN (print) 978-0-9938743-0-7
All rights reserved, in all media. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted for commercial purposes, except for brief quotations in printed or electronic reviews, without written permission of the author.
Permissions requests may be directed to the author via the contact page on her website: janetsketchley.ca/contact/
This book is a work of fiction. Opinions expressed by the characters do not necessarily reflect those of the author. No character or event in this book is intended to represent any individual, living or deceased. The author has taken artistic liberties with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police detachment in Chester, Nova Scotia, and Kingston Penitentiary in Ontario.
All Scripture references are taken from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Edited by Angela Breidenbach.
Cover design by Christina Fuselli; front-cover photograph by Christine Kidd.
Published in Canada by Janet Sketchley.
Endorsements
“Readers are safe in the hands of this skillful writer as Janet Sketchley leads them, and her characters, through the heart of darkness and into the Light. A powerful debut novel.”
~Jayne E. Self, author of two award-winning Seaglass Mysteries www.jayneself.com
“Heaven’s Prey tells a story of intense emotion and trial. It pulls in elements of life that are hard and can’t always be explained. Yet, it offers the one thing that the world desperately needs to face those trials—a hope in a God who carries us through. This story is fast-paced, heart pounding and inspiring.”
~Donna Fawcett, award-winning author of Vengeance and Rescued, author of Duke the Chihuahua Writes! www.donnafawcett.com
Dedication
This novel is dedicated to God as a first-fruit offering, with much love and gratitude and in acknowledgement of His sense of humour. I pray He will find a use for something within these pages.
About this Second Edition
Choose NOW Publishing has closed its fiction line, and I've reacquired my publication rights to Heaven’s Prey. I miss working with such a fine team, but I’m excited to move ahead with the Redemption’s Edge series.
In this edition, I’ve corrected a few mistakes, adjusted the formatting, and since I’m now my own publisher, I’ve chosen to use Canadian spelling.
“It makes no difference to God’s grace what an abomination I am, if I will only come to the light. But ‘Woe is me’ if I refuse the light (see John 3:19-21).”
~Oswald Chambers
(Taken from My Utmost for His Highest® by Oswald Chambers, edited by James Reimann, © 1992 by Oswald Chambers Publications Assn., Ltd., and used by permission of Discovery House, Grand Rapids MI 4950l. All rights reserved.)
Chapter 1
Another gust of wind pelted rain against the kitchen window. Ruth Warner sopped up the last of her homemade chili with a thick slice of sourdough bread. Too bad she didn’t have time for a little more.
The kitchen lights flickered, and her husband, Tony, groaned. “I hope the power holds. There’s a ball game on later.” He carried their cutlery and bowls to the sink and rinsed them more carefully than Ruth would have done. She’d wiped hers clean enough with the bread. It could have gone straight into the dishwasher.
Tony turned from the sink, bowl in hand. “Why don’t you stay home tonight? It’s nasty out there.”
Halifax didn’t often get storms this bad. If only she could avoid going back out in it. But since Harry Silver had escaped from prison, her weekly prayer meeting was more important than ever. Ruth grinned at her husband. “It’s prayer, not baseball—they don’t call rain delays. Don’t worry, I won’t melt.” She tucked a pocket-sized Bible and notebook into her purse.
Tony walked away from the sink, dripping water on the floor from the bowl he’d been rinsing. He blocked Ruth’s way out of the kitchen, feet wide, other hand planted on his hip. His stare pushed her back a step. “This is about Silver’s escape. Isn’t it?”
The flat accusation in Tony’s voice twisted Ruth’s stomach into knots. She looked past him to the front entranceway. “I told Norma I’d pick her up. She’s nervous driving when it’s windy.” Ruth sidestepped around him but he caught her arm and drew her back toward the counter.
“The truth, babe.” His frown pulled his eyebrows into one, his mouth a thin line. The look his secretary said was so effective with troublemakers at school.
Ruth sighed. He wasn’t supposed to use that look on her. “Tony, Pastor Linton said praying for Harry would be part of my healing. You know I didn’t want to, but he was right.”
“Harry? This is the filth that murdered our niece, and you’re calling him by his first name as if he’s a buddy? Listen to yourself!”
His face darkened, and his grip on Ruth’s forearm shook. He flung his other arm back as if to set the chili bowl in the sink, but the bowl shattered against the faucet. Ceramic shards skittered across the countertop and dropped onto the floor.
Tony went still. He barely glanced at the mess before his eyes held Ruth’s again. He let go of her arm.
Ruth didn’t move. The wall clock ticked louder and louder.
She counted out a full minute. Guilt wormed in her stomach. Why had she called Harry by name? She couldn’t pray for him as “Silver” because it felt disrespectful, but Tony wouldn’t get that. Men called one another by their last names and thought nothing of it.
Ruth pressed her lips together. What Tony really didn’t get was his wife praying for the man who’d raped and murdered their niece. A niece they loved like the daughter they couldn’t have.
Memories flickered. Susan at age ten, flour on her nose, making Christmas cookies and giggling. At fourteen, clinging to her mother, then to Ruth, during her father’s cancer treatments.
Ruth’s hands clenched until her nails dug into her palms. Alden had lived, th
ank God. But Susan—such a tragic, brutal, horrible death. How could Ruth make her husband understand the healing she’d found in forgiveness? The concern she’d developed for Harry’s soul?
Did Tony think she’d betrayed Susan by praying for her killer?
Ruth stepped nearer. “Tony, he’s out there somewhere tonight. I can’t help search, but I can pray for the ones hunting him. I don’t want any more young women to die.”
Tony folded his arms across his chest. “Then pray here. Don’t sneak out and do it behind my back.”
Ruth squeezed her Bible through the soft leather of her purse. “That makes it sound like I’m cheating on you. I do pray here. But there’s power in group prayer, and this is too big for me to carry alone.”
“I see.”
She locked his gaze. “Tell you what—I’ll stay home if you’ll pray with me.”
Tony’s eyes narrowed even more, focused to burn. “This has gone far enough. Your faith made a good support to get over the grief. Fine. Now forget about Silver. I don’t want you praying for him. I don’t want you talking about him. This obsession stops now.”
“It’s not—”
“It’s him or me, Ruth. You choose.”
Tony spun on his heel and kicked a piece of ceramic out of his path. Without another word, he yanked the basement door open, slammed it shut behind him and stomped down the stairs.
Ruth pressed a hand against her trembling lips and stared at the closed door. What just happened? God, don’t make me choose. After a minute she grabbed the broom and dustpan from the closet and swept up the pieces of the bowl.
Going after Tony now would only make things worse. Better if they both cooled down first. She checked the time. Norma would be waiting.
~~~
Ruth sat with a handful of others around the table. On a stormy night like this, Pastor Linton could have cancelled. Nobody would have complained. Ruth’s spirit drew comfort from the chance to be here, though. She’d meant what she told Tony. This burden was too much to carry alone.
She glanced at the list in her notebook. Mary’s surgery, Al’s daughter, the upcoming youth mission tour. Listening to the rain beating against the windows, she spoke her own request. “Harry Silver.”
Someone sighed. Her friend Norma gave a reassuring nod. George, the elderly man opposite her, twitched his lips in a flash smile. He’d lost his daughter to a drunk driver, and he’d confided to Ruth that he prayed for the man every morning.
Ruth sat straighter in her chair. Each week she mentioned Harry’s name the undercurrent of tension increased, but she couldn’t keep silent. Especially now that he’d escaped from prison.
Pastor Linton tapped his pen against his chin. “If we were honest, we’d have to admit this is one soul we don’t particularly want to see saved. Harry Silver deserves to end up in hell.”
The atmosphere thickened. One or two heads nodded slowly. Few people met his eyes. Ruth waited.
A smile softened the pastor’s pockmarked face. “That’s natural, but remember God is supernatural. In Second Peter, it says He is not willing for anyone to perish. That includes this man, whether we like it or not. Silver has to make his own choice, but God can work in his heart. Our job is to join Ruth in this prayer and leave the results up to the Lord.”
He surveyed the group. “Are there other requests? No? Then let’s come before our Father.”
Ruth bowed her head with the rest. Eyes closed, hands clasped, she let the silence seep into her soul. God is here. Creator, King, Father.
Soft voices spoke in turn, addressing needs, affirming God’s sovereign ability to make a difference. More than one offered a sentence or two for Harry.
Finally Pastor Linton said, “Bless us now, and see each one safely home. Amen.”
“Amen.”
The word echoed in the hush around the meeting room table. Ruth opened her eyes. Only seven of them had braved the storm tonight, but the room carried an almost tangible charge from the intensity of their prayers. Her spirit held a peace, a strength she needed to take home with her.
Beside her, Norma stood and stretched. Like a chain reaction, the rest of them started to move. A few drifted toward the coffee carafe, talking in low tones. The wind howled louder and the rain rapped harder against the window.
Ruth poured herself a fresh cup of coffee, postponing the inevitable drenching... and the rematch with her husband. She should have asked for prayer for that, for the words to help him understand, and for a persuasive way to say them.
A touch on her arm made her jump. Pastor Linton spoke in her ear. “You’re quiet tonight. Don’t give up. God will work it out.”
“I hope so.” It wasn’t until he turned to say goodnight to one of the others that she realized he hadn’t been talking about her marriage.
Norma stood near the coat rack, zipping up an almost floor-length black plastic raincoat. Next would come the bright yellow Sou’wester rain hat. Ruth didn’t know where the older woman found these treasures, but she couldn’t argue with their usefulness.
Ruth downed the rest of her coffee and shrugged into her own rain gear. She’d brought a tie-on plastic hat herself tonight, even though she hated them. She hated wet curls plastered to her scalp even more. “I’ll bring the car around for you, Norma. It’s like the wind’s dumping the whole Atlantic Ocean down on us. At this rate, half of Nova Scotia will be under water before morning.”
After Norma had slowly and carefully folded her arthritic joints into the passenger seat, Ruth eased out of the parking lot with the others. At least the streets were empty. A gust of wind broadsided the car. Ruth narrowly missed hitting the curb. Norma squeaked and grabbed the dashboard.
Ruth clung to the steering wheel, peering ahead through the rain. She wasn’t a nervous driver, but anything could happen in conditions like this. Concentrating so hard on the road should have kept her from thinking about facing Tony when she got home, but anxiety and caffeine—and tonight’s prayer time—had her thoughts buzzing.
“Norma, when Pastor John suggested I pray for Harry Silver, I refused. But God told me to do this. How can I make Tony see when he doesn’t think God’s real?”
“Did you tell him about the nightmares?”
“He’d say it was all in my head. He thinks the healing is, too. Prayer brought me back from a dark, angry place. I worked hard to get here. Every time the hatred came back, I had to choose to forgive Harry again. To keep praying for him.”
Ruth stopped at a red light. “Tony thinks it’s about me, but it’s not anymore. It’s about redemption for Harry Silver. I don’t know how God will do it, or if Harry will let Him, but I know He wants to. God loves him, in spite of what he’s done.”
Rain pinged off the car roof, poured down the windshield. Ruth flicked the wipers onto high. Prayer was supposed to build up, to heal. But her intercession for Harry lodged between her and Tony like a rusty axe-head, widening the grief-crack in their marriage.
She eyed the convenience store on the far side of the intersection. When the traffic light turned green, she pulled into the lot. “I should get some chips for Tony. His ball game won’t be over yet. This’ll only take a minute.”
Not much of a peace offering, but at least he’d know she was thinking about him. She squinted to locate the lines of the parking grid on the rain-slick pavement then decided it wasn’t worth the eyestrain. The only other vehicle in the lot was a mid-sized car angled just outside the store entrance.
“If they can park that way on a night like this, so can I.” She eased to a stop alongside. “Do you need anything, Norma?”
“I might as well get some milk. It’ll save me going out tomorrow.”
“I’ll get it. You stay here and keep dry. This is my crazy idea, remember? What kind do you want?”
Norma’s seatbelt clicked open. “I can’t stay out here alone. Harry Silver’s not the only criminal on the loose.”
Ruth held back a sigh. Did Norma think she’d be attacked by s
omeone roaming around in the pouring rain? Kidnapped? “Not even if I lock the doors?”
“Don’t fret, Ruth. I’m dressed for it. And Tony will appreciate your thoughtfulness.”
“Okay. Let’s run for it, then.”
The wind sloshed buckets of rain against their backs and pushed them toward the building. Ruth grabbed the door handle with both hands and strained to pull it open against the gale. This was crazy. They should just go home. The blast of wind shifted, and Ruth stumbled backward. Fingers sliding on the wet metal bar, she held it until Norma scurried through then ducked inside. Another gust slammed them in.
The other customer stood with his back to them at the cash. Ruth snatched a bag of sea salt potato chips from the display rack while Norma headed for the dairy case.
“You two get over here. Now!” A man’s voice. Loud. Dangerous.
Ruth clutched the bag of chips to her chest. Her heart rate quickened. A robbery? These things were usually for money. As long as the cashier gave the guy what he wanted, they’d be fine.
Don’t make eye contact with him and don’t resist. Ruth willed the teen girl at the cash register to remember her safety training for a hold-up situation.
The door beckoned from maybe three paces behind her, but she couldn’t abandon her friend. Why couldn’t Norma have waited in the car? Ruth darted into the nearest aisle and scooted toward the rear of the store.
“Come out now. Or do you want me to put a bullet in our beautiful cashier?”
Heart pounding, Ruth ventured out the other end of the short aisle. Where was Norma? To her right, the ashen-faced cashier gaped at the man with the gun. The girl pressed against the displays behind the counter as if they were the only things holding her up.
The burglar wasn’t a young kid, but Ruth had guessed as much from his voice. Hopefully that meant he was less inclined to panic. More likely to leave them unhurt? He turned his head in Ruth’s direction, and she looked away. No eye contact.
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