Girl Without A Past (A Tara Strong FBI Suspense Thriller—Book 6)

By Rylie Dark

The first big snowfall of the year hits the Rockies, and with it comes the gruesome discovery of a body on a mountain—and signs of a new serial killer at work. Deputy Sheriff Tara Strong must battle the elements, as the new killer outwits her at every turn and they are locked in a deadly game of cat and mouse….Will she walk right into a trap?

“A brilliant book. I couldn’t put it down and I never guessed who the murderer was!”
—Reader review for Only Murder

GIRL WITHOUT A PAST is book #6 in a new series by #1 bestselling and critically acclaimed mystery and suspense author Rylie Dark, whose books have received over 2,000 five-star reviews and ratings.

Tara Strong has risen to become her county’s Deputy Sheriff through her bravery and her brilliant capacity to enter a killer’s minds. Small-town life in the mountains, centered around their picturesque lake, should be idyllic. But Tara has already seen enough to know that there is a dark side to everything, that small towns hide secrets, that everyone has something in their past—and that a killer may just be lurking right next door.

Tara remains haunted by her own past, by her missing sister, by her guilt over the unsolved case. She must battle the demons of her own past, while trying to get ahead in a male-dominated police force.

Can Tara keep it together long enough to catch a killer?

A cat-and-mouse thriller with harrowing twists and turns and filled with heart-pounding suspense, the TARA STRONG mystery series offers a fresh twist on the genre as it introduces two brilliant protagonists who will make you fall in love and keep you turning pages late into the night.

Future books in the series will be available soon.

“I loved this thriller, read it in one sitting. Lots of twists and turns and I didn’t guess the
culprit at all… Already pre-ordered the second!”
—Reader review for Only Murder

“This book takes off with a bang… An excellent read, and I'm looking forward to the next book!”
—Reader review for SEE HER RUN

“Fantastic book! It was hard to put down. I can’t wait to see what happens next!”
—Reader review for SEE HER RUN

“The twists and turns kept coming. Can't wait to read the next book!”
—Reader review for SEE HER RUN

“A must-read if you enjoy action-packed stories with good plots!”
—Reader review for SEE HER RUN

“I really like this author and this series starts with a bang. It will keep you turning the pages till the end of the book and wanting more.”
—Reader review for SEE HER RUN

“I can't say enough about this author! How about ‘out of this world’! This author is going to go far!”
—Reader review for ONLY MURDER

“I really enjoyed this book… The characters were alive, and the twists and turns were great. It will keep you reading till the end and leave you wanting more.”
—Reader review for NO WAY OUT

“This is an author that I highly recommend. Her books will have you begging for more.”
—Reader review for NO WAY OUT

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rylie Dark
• Release date: Dec 1, 2023
• ISBN: 9781094395845

Book preview

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G I R L

W I T H O U T

A

P A S T

(A Tara Strong Mystery—Book 6)

R y l i e   D a r k

Rylie Dark

Bestselling author Rylie Dark is author of the SADIE PRICE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising six books; of the CARLY SEE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising six books; of the MIA NORTH FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising six books (and counting); of the MORGAN STARK FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising five books; of the HAILEY ROCK FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising five books (and counting); of the TARA STRONG MYSTERY series, comprising six; of the ALEX QUINN FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER series, comprising five books (and counting); of the MAEVE SHARP FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER, comprising five books (and counting); of the KELLY CRUZ FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER, comprising five books (and counting); and of the JESSIE REACH MYSTERY series, comprising five books (and counting).

An avid reader and lifelong fan of the mystery and thriller genres, Rylie loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.ryliedark.com to learn more and stay in touch.

Copyright © 2023 by Rylie Dark. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior permission of the author. 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 recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

BOOKS BY RYLIE DARK

JESSIE REACH MYSTERY

HIS OTHER SIDE (Book #1)

HIS OTHER SELF (Book #2)

HIS OTHER SECRET (Book #3)

HIS OTHER WISH (Book #4)

HIS OTHER PLAN (Book #5)

KELLY CRUZ FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

WHERE YOU GO (Book #1)

WHERE YOU HIDE (Book #2)

WHERE YOU SLEEP (Book #3)

WHERE YOU RUN (Book #4)

WHERE YOU FEAR (Book #5)

MAEVE SHARP FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

WITH MALICE (Book #1)

WITH ENVY (Book #2)

WITH VENGEANCE (Book #3)

WITH RAGE (Book #4)

WITH YOU (Book #5)

ALEX QUINN SUSPENSE THRILLER

FIRST, MURDER (Book #1)

SECOND, DEATH (Book #2)

THIRD, ENVY (Book #3)

FOURTH, LUST (Book #4)

FIFTH, WRATH (Book #5)

TARA STRONG MYSTERY

GIRL WITHOUT A CHANCE (Book #1)

GIRL WITHOUT A HOME (Book #2)

GIRL WITHOUT A TRACE (Book #3)

GIRL WITHOUT A NAME (Book #4)

GIRL WITHOUT A PRAYER (Book #5)

GIRL WITHOUT A PAST (Book #6)

HAILEY ROCK FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

BEHIND YOU (Book #1)

BESIDE YOU (Book #2)

AFTER YOU (Book #3)

WATCHING YOU (Book #4)

JUDGING YOU (Book #5)

SADIE PRICE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

ONLY MURDER (Book #1)

ONLY RAGE (Book #2)

ONLY HIS (Book #3)

ONLY ONCE (Book #4)

ONLY SPITE (Book #5)

ONLY MADNESS (Book #6)

MIA NORTH FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

SEE HER RUN (Book #1)

SEE HER HIDE (Book #2)

SEE HER SCREAM (Book #3)

SEE HER VANISH (Book #4)

SEE HER GONE (Book #5)

SEE HER DEAD (Book #6)

CARLY SEE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

NO WAY OUT (Book #1)

NO WAY BACK (Book #2)

NO WAY HOME (Book #3)

NO WAY LEFT (Book #4)

NO WAY UP (Book #5)

NO WAY TO DIE (Book #6)

MORGAN STARK FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

TOO LATE (Book #1)

TOO CLOSE (Book #2)

TOO FAR GONE (Book #3)

TOO LOST (Book #4)

TOO BROKEN (Book #5)

CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWLEVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

CHAPTER ONE

It was a curious kind of snowman. Out here all the way in the middle of nowhere, at the foot of the mountain, and such a strange expression that had been put on its face. A large, gaping hole for a mouth, round and dark, almost as if the snowman was caught in a perpetual scream.

A scrap of colorful fabric had caught Antonia’s eye almost immediately as she walked, her viewpoint clearing a few tall pines and allowing her to see beyond. It gave her a start, making her think that she wasn’t alone out here after all, but it only took a second for her rapidly beating heart to cool on realizing she was only seeing a snowman.

She tapped her hiking stick against the ground, hearing the satisfying crunch as it broke down the underlying snow. On a day like today, with no one around and the whole world blanketed in deep white, it felt like she was the only person left alive.

Far from being a terrifying sentiment, it comforted her. A world where she didn’t have to worry about anyone else. Where appearances no longer mattered at all. A lifetime of peace and solitude, quite the opposite from the busy office where she worked on weekdays.

They may have controlled her life from Monday to Friday, but as soon as Saturday morning hit, Antonia’s time was her own – and she’d been waiting to come out here as soon as the first snow had fallen. She took a deep breath of the ice-cold air, inhaling the sweet freshness that could only come right after a snowfall.

She had started out this morning on the hike that would take her to the top of the mountain – the smallest of the range, but all the same, a nice vantage point from which to admire the world of white. But now, there was this curious snowman, and she felt like she couldn’t simply walk by without looking a little closer.

Why was it screaming like that?

Antonia glanced around. There was no one close by in her periphery, and the light flakes that had fallen overnight had settled on top of the colorful scarf wrapped around the snowman's neck. She could see almost indentations in the snow around it that might have been the footprints of whoever made it, but they had been mostly filled in already.

Antonia took one last glance around and then forged towards it, tapping her hiking step ahead of her with each movement to ensure the snow was firm enough to hold her.

The scarf was patterned yellow, pink, and red – quite a summery color palette, which was strange in itself, and Antonia was sure it was a woman’s scarf. Maybe, then, it wasn’t a snowman, but a snowwoman, though there was nothing to indicate that other than the one scrap of clothing. The eyes, once she got close enough to check them out properly, were just two dark stones pushed into the round ball of the head. Antonia glanced around and saw an area of shallower snowfall at the foot of a nearby tree; maybe someone had gone digging there for the last elements they needed to create their work of art.

It was such an ugly creation, though, and so strange for it to be here with nothing else around. Antonia stood in front of it, staring, finding herself unable to look away. Again and again, her eye was drawn to that big, gaping hole of a mouth, open in a silent scream that would remain forever until the snowman melted.

And the scarf…

There was something odd about the red patches.

It was such a dark shade of red. It simply didn’t match with the rest of the print. Antonia leaned closer…

Was that… dried blood?

She looked up again into the mouth, which itself was strangely dark for something made out of light, white snow. It seemed to have been stained with something, too. Was it…

Was it possible someone had brought along some dye or fake blood for the snowman, and then spilled it on their scarf, deciding to leave the item behind since it was ruined now?

Antonia had a gnawing feeling in the pit of her stomach, a prickling on the back of her neck that told her to get far away from here as quickly as possible.

But this was the mountains, a remote area of wilderness, and that instinct was natural, wasn’t it?

Still, she’d never ignored it before.

Maybe it would be better to get out of here, call the police from her car and tell them that there was something suspicious to be checked out. Maybe it would be nothing, but she’d feel better if she knew that there was at least someone coming out here to have a look.

Skin crawling, Antonia stepped backward, glancing around herself – and her foot sank off her old trail and down into a deeper patch of snow unexpectedly, catching her off-guard and sending her to her knees with a whoosh.

She gasped with the shock, taking a moment to recover her senses. She knew from experience that reacting mindlessly was not a good thing out here. Another couple of deep, driving breaths of cold snowy air and she was clear again, shaking her head at herself, sunk on her knees in the snow. Rule one of hiking after a snowstorm: never assume the ground is solid. She’d broken that rule and paid for it, and things could have gone a lot worse.

She looked up, searching for a good footing to move to, and hesitated.

What was that on the ground…? Another scrap of fabric? But this one was white, not at all like the scarf. It had blended in with the snow on the ground so well at first that she hadn’t even noticed it. What was it doing down there?

Antonia reached out to touch it with her gloved hands, then tugged to see if it would come loose. Why would a piece of fabric like this be buried in the snow under the snowman? Had it originally been wearing something else that had fallen off?

The fabric was stuck – really stuck. It was some kind of wool blend, so perhaps the moisture of the snow made it heavier than it should have been, but Antonia was surprised at how difficult it was to grasp hold of. She tugged again, harder –

And something came up out of the ground with a rush.

The rest of the fabric, or at least as much of it that wasn’t directly under the heavy weight of the snowman’s body.

And attached to it…

Something cold, and hard, and mottled blue with the cold.

A sleeve.

The piece of white wool had been the sleeve of a sweater.

And what was inside it was an arm.

Antonia screamed and dropped it, rolling back without thinking about pushing herself further into the deep snow. It took a mad scramble to get herself back onto solid ground – and once she did, she ran without a glance back, following her own tracks back to her car at a pace that sent her breath ragged and her heart pounding loudly in her own ears.

Hello? she screamed into her phone, her voice shrill and bracketed by heavy heaving breaths, her lungs straining in agony against the frigid air. I need the police – you’ve got to send someone – you’ve got to hurry! She’s dead!

CHAPTER TWO

Deputy Sheriff Tara Strong tapped at the screen of her tablet, as if that would clear the connection up at all. The momentarily frozen screen sprang back into life, and she sat back, satisfied. She knew in the back of her mind that tapping it or yelling at the damn thing to work didn’t really make any difference – it was just the signal coming and going in this bad weather – but she still felt like she’d played a more definitive part by simply asking it to stop playing up.

Oh, there you are, the tinny voice came through the speakers. I thought we’d lost connection again.

I can see you now, Tara grinned. You got cut off halfway through what you were saying. Say it again?

So, I was saying the trail goes cold in Utah, Jessy, Tara’s older sister, replied. The two of them were sitting in very similar locations: both in their respective counties’ Sheriff’s department offices. They both even had the trademark Strong blonde hair. The only difference was that Jessy was in the private setting of the Sheriff’s personal office, while Tara had to make do with sitting in the bullpen along with everyone else.

He must have switched to another alias, Tara said. We already know he’s changed his name at least twice before.

Jessy hummed in agreement, though it didn’t exactly get them anywhere.

Temple Tigerlake. That was the name of the man they were looking for. Except he’d also been known before that as Dogtooth, when he came into Tara’s small town of Wyatt ten years ago. Before that, it was anyone’s guess.

Ten years ago, Jessy had still lived here with her in Edgar County, before she’d gone off to serve as Canto Rodado County Sheriff. They had been teenagers, both of them – and so had their younger sister. Fifteen-year-old Cassie Strong had vanished one night in the fall without a single trace, or so they had thought.

But Tara had gotten into law enforcement for a reason – as had Jessy – and she had been the one to find the clothes bearing Cassie’s DNA in a long-forgotten cave up at the summit of one of the local mountains. She had been the one to track down another woman whose DNA was also on the rotted scraps of fabric.

And Jessy had been the one to go with her to get a name out of that