Synopsis

Criminalist Ellie Matthews has turned over a new leaf.  For the first time in her life, she’s working on herself and putting the past behind her with the encouragement of the new man she’s seeing, FBI Agent Vic Manetti.

Her first attempt at competitive running is cut short when a woman is found dead along the trail.  At first, the case seems to be open and shut.  But when a gruesome photo of the victim goes viral, tagged with a chilling caption threatening more violence, Ellie must delve into the mind of a deranged killer to get to the truth.

Though Ellie’s relationship with Detective Nick Baxter has been strained to its breaking point, the two find themselves teaming up once again in a race to bring down the killer before he takes another life.

Amazon * B&N * Kobo * iBooks

Excerpt

To set up this scene, you’ll need to know that it’s a conversation between the heroine of DEAD SPRINT, Ellie Matthews, a crime scene investigator trying to keep her alcoholism in check, and her partner, Detective Nick Baxter.  As you can probably tell, they have a bit more of a connection brewing than just being work colleagues.

Baxter pulled into the parking lot of the church where my AA meeting was about to start.

I said, “Thanks for dropping me off.”

He replied, “Well, I don’t know if you’ve heard, but there’s a killer on the loose, preying on women running around alone at night.”

I laughed.  “Is that so?”

He parked his vehicle and turned off the engine.  “That aside, do you think I’d just dump you here by yourself after what you went through tonight?”

I stared at him.  “Well, you’re not coming in with me.”

He smiled.  “I’d like to see you try to stop me.”

I had a feeling I’d end up breaking down during this meeting, and I didn’t want him to see that.  I tried another tactic.  “You know all anyone does here is complain about their lives, right?  These meetings can be a real downer.”

“That’s not true.  I’ve been to AA meetings with friends and family members before.  I know exactly what I’m walking into.  I think they can be uplifting.”

“Don’t you have a report to file or something?”

“Quit trying to get rid of me, Ellie.  I’m not going anywhere.”

“Not even if I ask nicely?”

He turned to face me.  “I get it—you’re embarrassed.  Don’t be.”

I bowed my head, my cheeks flaming.  “How can I not be?  The moment I walk through that door, I’m nothing more than another sad drunk,” I muttered, my tone bitter.

Baxter grasped my hand.  “That is absolutely not true.  The mere fact that you’re here proves you’re not a sad drunk.  I never want to cause you to feel embarrassed in front of me.  All I want to do is support you.”  His hand tightened around mine.  “I’m in awe of the amazing turnaround you’ve made.  Don’t you know that by now?”

I didn’t have enough restraint to keep my emotions in check if he held my hand much longer.  I pulled away.  “I guess you have a better marker than anyone to measure my progress.  You’re the one who saw me at my worst.”

“And even that didn’t scare me away.”

“I know.  And I appreciate that.  Um…”  I shook my head.  “Okay, I’m just going to say it.  A big part of the reason I don’t drink anymore is…you.”  When his eyebrows shot up, I held up my hands.  “Don’t worry—it’s not because I’m trying to please you.”

“Good.”

“It’s because…”  I sighed.  “The look on your face when you realized I was an alcoholic absolutely killed me.  I never want to see you look at me that way again.”  Tears stung my eyes as I recalled the evening when Baxter had given me a one-man intervention.

His face fell.  “Did you think I was disappointed in you?”

“You were disappointed in me.  And you weren’t wrong.”

“Ellie, I wasn’t disappointed.  I was terrified.  Terrified something would happen to you and…I’d lose you forever.”

No man had ever cared about me the way Nick Baxter did.  I didn’t have enough control left to keep the tears from leaking out.  I brushed them away quickly, but not before he noticed.

He sighed.  “Sorry.  Did I get a little deep for tonight?”

“Not any more than I did.”

We locked eyes, but after a moment we both looked away.

Clearing his throat, he said, “We should probably go on in.”

Baxter sat by my side throughout the meeting.  When my turn to share came around and I hesitated, he whispered words of encouragement in my ear.  While I opened up to the group about my struggles tonight, he listened to my every word as if he were hearing the story for the first time.  When I choked up, he put his arm around me for support.  I was thankful he was too stubborn—too caring—to allow me to push him away.

Once the meeting was over, we didn’t speak until we got into his vehicle.  We were both a little overcome with emotion, but in a good way.

I said, “Thanks for staying.  It means more than you could ever know.”

He smiled.  “Thanks for letting me.”

About the Author

CAROLINE FARDIG is the USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR of over a dozen mystery novels. Fardig’s BAD MEDICINE was named one of the “Best Books of 2015” by Suspense Magazine. She worked as a schoolteacher, church organist, insurance agent, funeral parlor associate, and stay-at-home mom before she realized that she wanted to be a writer when she grew up. Born and raised in a small town in Indiana, Fardig still lives in that same town with an understanding husband, two sweet kids, two energetic dogs, and one malevolent cat.

Website * Facebook * Instagram * Goodreads

Newsletter Signup * Blog