Following the Evidence

Bringing a tracking dog to town
put her in a killer’s sights
Inheriting a ranch is a fresh start for Emma Pierce, her baby and her search-and-rescue dog—until someone tries to kill her. But Sheriff Reed Atkinson won’t let anyone hurt his first love...especially when they uncover a connection to his vanished sister. Can Reed solve both cases before he loses his sister and the woman he’s falling for all over again?


The sound of a loud crash turned his blood cold. Emma!
The front door was wooden, old, with a flimsy dead bolt. Thunder boomed, and Reed took advantage. He rammed the door with a well-placed kick.
It shuddered and gave way.
He entered the house, his flashlight moving over everything. His breathing was ragged, but the hand holding his weapon was steady.
Which way? Upstairs or toward the back of the house?
He paused, straining to listen. There. A noise coming from the kitchen. He raced down the hallway. Someone was coughing.
His flashlight caught a dark figure bolting out the back door. Reed swung to his left. Emma sat on the tile floor, one hand holding her neck. Her face was red and her long hair stuck out in all directions. Relief replaced the terror in her expression when she caught sight of him.


Lynn Shannon writes novels that combine intriguing mysteries with heartfelt romance. Raised in Texas, she believes pecans and Blue Bell ice cream are must-haves for every household. Lynn lives with her husband, two children, an extremely spoiled dog and a turtle who hibernates half the year. You can find her online at www.lynnshannon.com.
Books by Lynn Shannon
Love Inspired Suspense
Following the Evidence


Following the Evidence
Lynn Shannon


For we walk by faith, not by sight.
—2 Corinthians 5:7


To my husband. I’m thankful to be walking through life with you by my side.


Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thireen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Epilogue
Dear Reader
Excerpt from Rocky Mountain Revenge by Rhonda Starnes


ONE
Emma jerked awake.
She automatically reached for the baby monitor on her nightstand. No cry or whimper came through the speaker, only the slight shushing sound of Lily’s steady breathing. Her muscles relaxed. The baby was fine.
A bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, followed by a loud clap of thunder. The storm must have woken her.
Before Lily came along, there was nothing Emma couldn’t sleep through. Now every creak of the house disturbed her, a side effect of motherhood. Of course, recent events also had her on edge. The threats...
Emma squeezed her eyes shut and forced the thoughts away. If she started pondering her new troubles, she’d never get back to sleep.
Texas storms could be fierce, and this one was no exception. Rain pounded against the roof. Wind whistled around the corner of the old house, a hollow, mourning sound.
A shiver raced down Emma’s spine. She tried to snuggle back into her pillow but something felt off. Wrong somehow. She extended her leg, parting the covers near the foot of her bed. Warmth caressed her toes but no solid form interrupted her progress.
Where was Sadie?
A low growl came from the bedroom door.
Emma sat up. Her eyes hadn’t quite adjusted to the dark, but she could make out the large blot of her dog near the doorway.
“What is it, girl?” Emma whispered.
Sadie didn’t turn her head. Her body was rigid, the hair standing up on the back of her neck.
Fear, sharp and instinctive, coursed through Emma. The Labrador wouldn’t behave that way if it was just Vivian, her sister-in-law, moving around.
Lightning momentarily lit up her bedroom and the corresponding hallway. No one was there.
Emma strained to listen beyond the sounds of the storm. It was impossible. The rain was coming down in curtains, the thunder as loud as a sonic boom. Sadie’s ears twitched, and another warning growl rumbled through her chest. This one was sharper and more urgent.
Emma needed no further convincing. She threw off the covers and grabbed her cell phone. She hit the first number on Speed Dial.
A woman answered. “Heyworth Sheriff’s Department.”
“My name is Emma Pierce.” She ran to her closet. “I live at 125 Old Hickory Lane. I think someone has broken into my home.”
“Did you hear someone break in?”
Emma cocked the phone between her ear and her shoulder. Her hands shook as she pulled a small box from the top shelf. She ignored the dispatcher’s question. It would be too complicated to explain Sadie had alerted her. “I need deputies sent to my home immediately. 125 Old Hickory Lane.”
“I’m sending them now.”
It brought Emma little relief. She lived in a rural area. On a good day, she was twenty minutes from the sheriff’s department. With the storm raging outside, it might take twice that long for deputies to arrive.
“Do you know who is breaking into your home?” the dispatcher asked.
“I can’t talk right now,” she said. “I’ll call you back in a moment.”
“Ma’am, stay—”
Emma hung up and fished a Taser out of the box. Her late husband had bought it as a security measure, an extra precaution when she left vet school late at night. She’d almost gotten rid of it when she moved to the countryside, but Mark’s warning had stopped her.
You never know, sweetheart. You might need it.
She gripped the Taser with a shaking hand, simultaneously rising from her crouch and tucking her cell into the pocket of her pajama pants. Sadie followed her into the hall.
Emma had spent sleepless nights running this scenario through her mind. The threats from her cousin Owen were escalating.
When Uncle Jeb unexpectedly died and left Emma almost his entire estate, she’d been flabbergasted. Her mother’s brother had been one of the last living blood relations she had. They’d talked on the phone regularly, had been as close as two people living on opposite sides of the country could be, but never did she imagine he would pass over his only child, Owen, and give her the