Redemption

By Debra Lee

Kay Diggs thought selling her novel would make her life easier. She soon learns she couldn't have been more wrong when she is kidnapped, interrogated, and given a subtle threat about her daughter's life. All she has to do to keep her daughter safe is uncover what happened to the missing young girl during the President’s college days in the town where Kay lives.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Debra Lee
• Release date: Feb 24, 2011
• ISBN: 9781458122230

Debra Lee

If Debra's in a murderous mood, she might write a murder mystery or a chilling thriller. When there's romance in the air, Debra's been known to pen a love story.On a personal note, Debra was once a stay-at-home mom, real estate agent and owner of a pizza delivery business. Now she writes full-time. Debra’s the mother of two grown sons and grandmother to one grandson. She shares her home in Pennsylvania with her husband and five felines.Debra loves to hear from readers and invites all to visit her Web site.http://www.debralee.net

Book preview

Redemption

by Debra Lee

SMASHWORDS EDITION

* * * * *

PUBLISHED BY:

Debra Lee on Smashwords

Redemption

Copyright © 2011 by Debra Lee

Originally Published by SynergEbooks

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.

Smashwords Edition License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the author's work.

Also by Debra Lee

Featuring Fay Cunningham

A Dangerous Woman

Deadly Arrows

Other Novels

Taken

Heartbeat

Dangerous Bedfellows

Visit the author online at

http://www.debralee.net

Over the years, that horrible vision of her, staring up at him from the freshly dug grave had faded. But in recent months, every time he closed his eyes to try and sleep, all he would see were those blue-green eyes of hers, staring up at him, like when he last saw her that night . . .

CHAPTER ONE

They had been watching her for eight days. They were meticulously discreet in their comings and goings, so as not to draw attention to themselves. After today, the cloak-and-dagger part of the surveillance would end.

They had one lens focused on the front door of the two story brick house. Another gave a wider view of the outside perimeter. Yet another angled toward her first floor office window. They had watched her fingers peck at the computer keyboard the biggest part of the day, every day, except the day before, when after her daily morning walk, she had spent the rest of the morning pacing near the telephone and popping M & Ms into her mouth.

They had known the outcome of the call she was expecting before they had listened to her caller give her the incredible news.

They knew everything of importance about Kay Diggs’ past. They did not know how or from whom she had acquired the catastrophic information. But they would know that too before the morning ended.

On this Wednesday in late June, the rich little college community in central Pennsylvania would become dimly lit within the hour. The weather forecast called for rain by midmorning. After Kay’s walk . . . after they snatched her.

* * *

Ouch!

You told me to pinch you.

Kay Diggs rolled over in bed and went nose to nose with her husband. I’m not dreaming, am I? She giggled. I really pulled it off this time, didn’t I?

You did. And probably broke the record for advances on a first book.

Kay flung herself onto her back and closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of another rush of adrenaline that made her tingle from head to toe.

Once the exhilarating sensation settled down, she flipped back toward her husband. Just how many zeroes are behind that five?

Bill Diggs chuckled. Then he wrapped his powerful arms around his wife and eased her close to him.

They cuddled and kissed for the next thirty seconds before the alarm clock buzzed and Bill reached over to the night stand and tapped the button to shut off the annoying sound.

We can play hooky today, Kay suggested.

Sky blue eyes looked down into darker ones. You can. You deserve to. But this old man has a house to get under roof.

A short kiss and Bill tossed back the sheet with the intention of getting up. That is until Kay’s fingers tiptoed along his firm, tanned chest, then downward, getting the response twenty-five years of marriage had taught her to expect.

This round of lovemaking was without the foreplay the earlier one had, but the result was just as sweet.

Kay lingered in bed, watching and admiring her husband as he pulled on faded jeans and a tee shirt. When he sat on the edge of the bed to pull on his work boots, she ran her hand up and down his spine.

Bill twisted around and gave her a quick kiss. Gotta go, babe. We’ll celebrate some more tonight.

Kay waited until he was through the bedroom doorway to call out to him. One more thing.

Bill poked his head inside. I’m listening.

You’re not an old man, lover boy. She winked and sent him off with a smile.

Once Kay heard Bill’s pickup engine groan before kicking on, she flung off the sheet and got to her feet.

If she was going to cram everything she wanted to accomplish into the day, there wasn’t time to lie around thinking about what she was going to do with all that money.

* * *

They were listening for the truck to start too, and watching. It wouldn’t be long now. After they saw the beat-up truck back out of the driveway and rattle down the street, they made contact.

* * *

Approximately ten miles northeast of their stake out, inside an unoccupied barn, their boss was getting things ready for her arrival when his cellular phone rang.

He waited for the third ring before unfolding the pocket-sized portable.

She should be leaving the house in twenty minutes.

Bring her to me.

* * *

Kay stood in her bathroom, stark naked, looking at herself in the full-length mirror attached to the back of the door. She decided she looked pretty darn good for a woman approaching forty-five, who’d given birth twice.

Her schedule for the day was so full she decided to pass on her routine morning walk. But when her fingers pinched more than an inch of flab from the spot above her right hip bone, she changed her mind.

In the bedroom, she pulled on a pair of spandex shorts and one of Bill’s extra large tee shirts. Slipping on a pair of worn sneakers, she tied them and was ready to roll.

On her way down the stairs, she nearly missed a step, as she remembered something she’d forgotten.

Her glasses were on the night stand beside her bed, right where she’d left them the night before. She put them on and wished she had waited until she was outside. At least then she wouldn’t have noticed the layer of dust covering the dresser on her way out the bedroom door. There was no way she had time to squeeze cleaning into her day. Even if it meant just a swipe here and there with the dust rag. On second thought, she didn’t have to worry about keeping the house clean anymore. That would be up to the cleaning lady she could finally afford to hire.

This time Kay made it all the way down the stairs before she was stopped again. It was by the sound of the telephone ringing this time.

She hesitated just long enough to hear the answering machine in her office click on before going out the front door.

* * *

The President and First Lady were having breakfast together on one of those rare occasions when their schedules had them at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue at the same time.

Virginia Clark sipped sweetened hot tea as she read her favorite morning newspaper.

Paul opted to enjoy his breakfast before taking a look at what the journalists were saying about him today. He quickly polished off the bowl of fresh fruit and was about to dig into the good stuff spread out on the table in front of him, when his wife’s comment killed his appetite.

It must be true what the Speaker has been quoted saying about Asa.

Paul Clark would have preferred being thrown in front of the press corps without any preparation than to get into a conversation with his wife about the legendary book publisher, Asa King. He didn’t mind chatting with her about Cole Anderson, the conservative black man who was Speaker of the House and second in line for the Presidency. But Paul knew the discussion would then end up including Dane Williams, Paul’s vice-president, the man poised to take over his job as President. And Paul especially didn’t want to go there today. But Virginia was waiting for a response from him.

Just what is it Cole was to have said about old Asa?

Virginia gave Paul one of her mean looks she had used on their two daughters when they were small and had misbehaved. It had been difficult for Paul to keep a straight face back then when he saw the way his wife’s forehead wrinkled up and her pretty green eyes narrowed. But it was simply impossible now, after living with the woman all these years and seeing she didn’t have a mean bone in her petite body.

Asa must have more money than brains, Virginia said. Then her eyes returned to the newspaper, a signal to Paul she was letting him off the hook this time for playing dumb with her.

I mean, why else would he give an unknown author an estimated five million dollars for a first book?

Her first published book after writing ten. Before Paul finished his sentence, he realized the terrible mistake he had made.

How do you know how many books she wrote? For that matter, how do you know anything about her when the paper only refers to her as the anonymous author?

Did I mention that Dane’s playing golf with Asa this afternoon?

This time when Paul dared a glance across the table, he saw something in his wife’s eyes, in her entire expression, he had never seen before.

What does their playing golf together have to do with this author, Paul?

Paul had no idea where to begin. But he knew the time had come to tell Virginia. She deserved to know before the rest of the world. He just hoped he hadn’t misread her all these years in believing she didn’t have a nasty streak in her. If he had, her reaction could very well mean the end.

* * *

Mike Quick believed it was just the beginning for him. He had been on the brink of closing up shop and looking for another profession as far away from Hollywood as he could get when Lady Luck came calling.

Mike knew the day he read the query letter and synopsis from Kay Diggs that his life was about to make a change for the better. His belief that the tables had finally turned in his favor was reaffirmed six days later when he read Kay’s completed manuscript. All he had to do was figure out what to do with it.

A dozen years before, after graduating from high school, Mike headed for tinsel town, confident he could charm his way onto the studio lots and land a leading role with his pretty boy looks.

He was right on