In the sweet subtle wind of a Pennsylvania Dutch town, a lost woman and a man of duty will risk their lives to uncover her true identity
The foundation of Amanda Curtiss very existence cracks the moment she discovers the woman she thought was her mother has never given birth. Where she belongs is a question she cant put to rest. But when the clues lead her to a charming yet chilling small town, the threat against her begins to unfold.
Trey Addison is a fixture in Echo Falls. The town and the people are his to protect. He was born to take his place in the family legal firm, but now that a stranger desperate to unlock her past is depending on him, hes forced to make an impossible choice. If Trey doesnt protect Amanda, shell walk straight into a deadly trap. If he helps her expose the secrets that haunt her, the truth could shatter them both.
Praise for Marta Perry
Abundant details turn this Amish romantic thriller series launch into a work of art.
Publishers Weekly on Where Secrets Sleeps (starred review)
Crisp writing and distinctive characters make up Perrys latest novel. Where Secrets Sleep is a truly entertaining read.
RT Book Reviews
Perrys story hooks you immediately. Her uncanny ability to seamlessly blend the mystery element with contemporary themes makes this one intriguing read.
RT Book Reviews on Home by Dark
Perry skillfully continues her chilling, deceptively charming romantic suspense series with a dark, puzzling mystery that features a sweet romance and a nice sprinkling of Amish culture.
Library Journal on Vanish in Plain Sight
Leahs Choice, by Marta Perry, is a knowing and careful look into Amish culture and faith. A truly enjoyable reading experience.
Angela Hunt, New York Times bestselling author of Let Darkness Come
Leahs Choice is a story of grace and servitude as well as a story of difficult choices and heartbreaking realities. It touched my heart. I think the world of Amish fiction has found a new champion.
Lenora Worth, New York Times bestselling author of Code of Honor
Sound of Fear
Marta Perry
www.millsandboon.co.uk
Dear Reader,
Im so excited to introduce you to the second book in my Echo Falls series. I had such a good time visiting Echo Falls again for a new adventure, and I hope you enjoy it, as well.
Welcome to Echo Falls, Pennsylvania. This small, isolated Amish and English community seems like a haven of peace and security. But dark secrets lurk here, as elsewhere, and events are coming that will crash through the serene, pastoral landscape. All the strength and compassion the community can muster will be necessary as never before to meet these challenges.
Echo Falls is based on several small towns north of us here in central Pennsylvania, and I hope Ive captured their charm in my writing. Most of my story ideas begin with a place, and this series of stories is no exception. The falls themselves are based on the falls at Ricketts Glen State Park, and Ive actually climbed those trails and felt the spray in my face.
Please let me know if you enjoy my story. You can reach me via my website, www.martaperry.com, on my Facebook page, www.Facebook.com/martaperrybooks, and via email at marta@martaperry.com. Id be happy to reply and to send you a signed bookmark and my brochure of Pennsylvania Dutch recipes.
All the best,
This story is dedicated to my husband, Brian, with much love.
Every man must live with the man he makes of himself.
Amish proverb
Contents
Cover
Back Cover Text
Praise
Title Page
Dear Reader
Dedication
Epigraph
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 THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Extract
Copyright
CHAPTER ONE
AMANDA CURTISS HAD hoped that going back to work would distract her from the grief that threatened to drown her. It didnt work. Every person at the veterinary practice felt they had to commiserate with her on her loss.
So very, very sorry about your mothers death. So shocking to have one of Bostons most noted artists taken away by a random street crime. Alicia Farbers prominent blue eyes, so like those of her pampered Pekingese, welled with tears. Pookie is sorry, too. Arent you, Pookie?
Pookies expression exhibited its usual disdain for lesser beings. The sight of Amandas white lab coat always brought out the worst in him, and he bared his teeth.
Lets just see whats going on with Pookie, shall we? Amanda lifted the small dog to the exam table with gentle hands, careful to stay out of the way of his needle-sharp teeth.
Hes been barely eating a bite of his food. Alicia hovered anxiously. I just knew youd want to see him. Tell me the worst. I can take it.
To do her justice, Alicia was genuinely apprehensive. They all wereall the owners of the pampered pets that came through the doors of one of Bostons most successful veterinary services. Amandas job, one of the lowest rungs of the ladder, was to reassure the owners while treating their pets. And to refrain from pointing out that both pets and owners would benefit from more exercise and less rich food. No one took that kind of advice well.
By the time Amanda was ushering Alicia and her pet out of the exam room, her head was throbbing and her throat was tight, as it had been since the police officers had come to the door with their grim news.
Gracie, the receptionist, caught her as she passed. Dr. Curtiss, theres someone here to see you. Lowering her voice, she added, He said it was personal business, so I put him in an empty exam room. Number 4.
Thanks, Gracie. Brushing any stray Peke hairs from her lab coat, Amanda headed for the exam room, her stomach clenching. Personal business had taken on an ominous meaning lately, since it invariably had to do with her mothers death.
But when she opened the door, her face relaxed into a smile. Robert McKinley was not only her mothers attorney but a longtime family friend, as well... Uncle Robert until shed felt she was too old for the term.
Robert. I didnt expect you... She stopped, her brain catching up with her tongue. Robert wouldnt come to her workplace on anything routine. Whats wrong?
Why should anything be wrong? He kissed her cheek, and she smelled the faint aroma of musk that always advertised his presence. Are you sure you should have come back to work so soon? It wasnt necessary.
Maybe not financially, but it was for her mental health. Id rather be busy. I need something to occupy my mind.
If youre sure. He didnt sound convinced, and Amanda read the uneasiness behind his warmth.
You wouldnt come here unless something had happened. Out with it. Amanda fought to keep her voice steady. Whatever it is, it cant be worse than whats already happened.
Nothing could be worse than losing her mother in such a brutal way...never again to see her forehead wrinkle in absorption over a new painting, never to feel the warmth of her hug, never to hear the laughter in her voice...
Robert frowned, taking a step away. I know. His voice wasnt entirely steady, either. Hed adored Juliet in his own staid way. It may be nothing, but one of the detectives dropped by with the coroners report. It had raised some questions in his mind.
Questions? Her mind shied away from imagining a coroners report.
Perhaps Im making too much of this. You might already know. He shook his head slightly, as if to clear it. The autopsy confirmed something that seemed...odd. He held up a hand to silence her when she would have burst out with a demand to hear it, whatever it was. It seems that Juliet Curtiss, your mother, never had a child.
Amanda froze, staring at him. The words were in English, all right, but they didnt make any sense. What do you mean? Of course she had a child. Im standing right here.
Juliet never bore a child, he repeated. There isnt any doubt, Amanda. I read the report for myself, and then I called the coroner for confirmation. Juliet never gave birth.
Her sluggish wits started to work. You mean Im adopted? But why on earth wouldnt she have told me?
Robert shrugged, seeming relieved that the worst of his news-breaking was over. I believe specialists do recommend that the child be told, but it could be that Juliet couldnt bear the idea that your feelings about her would change if you knew she wasnt your biological mother.
At some level she wanted to laugh at that, because it was so ridiculous to think of Juliet in those terms. But if she started to laugh, she wasnt sure shed be able to control her emotions.
Be serious, Robert. Juliet wasnt a clinging mama. That wasnt the sort of relationship we had.
Amanda paused to consider what shed just said. She and her mother had certainly been close, but Juliet didnt dote. It hadnt been in her nature. True, Amanda had lived at home since her practice and her life had fallen apart in Pennsylvania, but theyd lived very independent lives. Juliet had her work, and Amanda had hers.
You never thought... Robert began, stepping delicately in what no doubt seemed like a minefield to him.
Never, she said flatly.
You see the problem, he said, frowning again. She thought he held back impatience when she looked at him blankly. Legally, he explained, your mother... Juliet...must have adopted you prior to the time I met her. Youd have been about eight, I think, when she bought the brownstone. That was the first bit of business I did for her.
Obviously Robert expected her to concentrate on the problem. She tried to rein in her wandering thoughts. Focus, she ordered herself. Yes, Id have been eight when we moved uptown. Shed had her first really successful show, and our lives changed.
Not that shed minded the life theyd had before that. The tiny apartment in one of Bostons many ethnic neighborhoods had been home. But Juliet had wanted more...for herself, but certainly for her daughter.
If you dont remember any other life, Juliet must have adopted you when you were quite small. Robert wore his worried look. There surely are papers to that effect somewhere.
Arent all her legal documents at your office? She always said she didnt have the talent or the energy to deal with things like that. Her work...
She was an artist, of course. But thats no excuse for not having your affairs in order. That was as close as Amanda had ever heard him come to sounding critical of Juliet. You can see the quandary that leaves us in now. We must establish your legal position in regard to your mothers estate.
But she had a will. You showed it to me, remember?
At my insistence, she did. He sounded grim. It leaves everything she possessed at the time of her death to her daughter, Amanda Elizabeth Curtiss.
Well, then...
Come, Amanda. Concentrate. Youve always been the practical one. If youre not her biological daughter, the language becomes ambiguous.
You mean our home might not be mine? That possibility did penetrate the fog in which she groped. The brownstone was home. It might be lonely without Juliet, but every inch of it was filled with memories.