Dark Water: Lantern Beach Blackout, Book 1 Read online

  Dark Water

  Lantern Beach Blackout, Book 1

  Christy Barritt

  Copyright © 2020 by Christy Barritt

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®

  Copyright © 1973 1978 1984 2011 by Biblica, Inc. TM

  Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

  Contents

  Complete Book List

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Deep Harbor: Lantern Beach Blackout, Book 2

  Also by Christy Barritt:

  Other Books in the Lantern Beach Series:

  You might also enjoy …

  The Worst Detective Ever:

  About the Author

  Complete Book List

  Squeaky Clean Mysteries:

  #1 Hazardous Duty

  #2 Suspicious Minds

  #2.5 It Came Upon a Midnight Crime (novella)

  #3 Organized Grime

  #4 Dirty Deeds

  #5 The Scum of All Fears

  #6 To Love, Honor and Perish

  #7 Mucky Streak

  #8 Foul Play

  #9 Broom & Gloom

  #10 Dust and Obey

  #11 Thrill Squeaker

  #11.5 Swept Away (novella)

  #12 Cunning Attractions

  #13 Cold Case: Clean Getaway

  #14 Cold Case: Clean Sweep

  #15 Cold Case: Clean Break

  #16 Cleans to an End (coming soon)

  While You Were Sweeping, A Riley Thomas Spinoff

  The Sierra Files:

  #1 Pounced

  #2 Hunted

  #3 Pranced

  #4 Rattled

  The Gabby St. Claire Diaries (a Tween Mystery series):

  The Curtain Call Caper

  The Disappearing Dog Dilemma

  The Bungled Bike Burglaries

  The Worst Detective Ever

  #1 Ready to Fumble

  #2 Reign of Error

  #3 Safety in Blunders

  #4 Join the Flub

  #5 Blooper Freak

  #6 Flaw Abiding Citizen

  #7 Gaffe Out Loud

  #8 Joke and Dagger

  #9 Wreck the Halls

  #10 Glitch and Famous (coming soon)

  Raven Remington

  Relentless 1

  Relentless 2 (coming soon)

  Holly Anna Paladin Mysteries:

  #1 Random Acts of Murder

  #2 Random Acts of Deceit

  #2.5 Random Acts of Scrooge

  #3 Random Acts of Malice

  #4 Random Acts of Greed

  #5 Random Acts of Fraud

  #6 Random Acts of Outrage

  #7 Random Acts of Iniquity

  Lantern Beach Mysteries

  #1 Hidden Currents

  #2 Flood Watch

  #3 Storm Surge

  #4 Dangerous Waters

  #5 Perilous Riptide

  #6 Deadly Undertow

  Lantern Beach Romantic Suspense

  Tides of Deception

  Shadow of Intrigue

  Storm of Doubt

  Winds of Danger

  Rains of Remorse

  Lantern Beach P.D.

  On the Lookout

  Attempt to Locate

  First Degree Murder

  Dead on Arrival

  Plan of Action

  Lantern Beach Escape

  Afterglow (a novelette)

  Lantern Beach Blackout

  Dark Water

  Safe Harbor

  Ripple Effect

  Carolina Moon Series

  Home Before Dark

  Gone By Dark

  Wait Until Dark

  Light the Dark

  Taken By Dark

  Suburban Sleuth Mysteries:

  Death of the Couch Potato’s Wife

  Fog Lake Suspense:

  Edge of Peril

  Margin of Error

  Brink of Danger

  Line of Duty

  Cape Thomas Series:

  Dubiosity

  Disillusioned

  Distorted

  Standalone Romantic Mystery:

  The Good Girl

  Suspense:

  Imperfect

  The Wrecking

  Sweet Christmas Novella:

  Home to Chestnut Grove

  Standalone Romantic-Suspense:

  Keeping Guard

  The Last Target

  Race Against Time

  Ricochet

  Key Witness

  Lifeline

  High-Stakes Holiday Reunion

  Desperate Measures

  Hidden Agenda

  Mountain Hideaway

  Dark Harbor

  Shadow of Suspicion

  The Baby Assignment

  The Cradle Conspiracy

  Trained to Defend

  Nonfiction:

  Characters in the Kitchen

  Changed: True Stories of Finding God through Christian Music (out of print)

  The Novel in Me: The Beginner’s Guide to Writing and Publishing a Novel (out of print)

  Chapter One

  Elise Oliver jolted upright in her bed, imaginary critters scrambling over her skin. What was that sound? Was someone inside her house?

  As her heart thumped in her ears, silence stretched around her. She was certain she’d heard something. The noise had jostled her from her slumber and electrified her senses.

  She waited. Breathed in and out. In and out. In and out. For the past week, she’d feared this very moment. Yet, shock still coursed through her.

  Dear Lord, give me strength right now.

  She reached into her dresser and grabbed her gun. She checked the magazine. The bullets lined up like an army.

  Elise thought that would comfort her more, but it didn’t.

  What would Daniel tell her right now? Elise knew. He’d tell her she couldn’t sit here helplessly and wait for this to play out on someone else’s terms. Being proactive could save her life.

  That was when she heard it again. Somewhere from within the depths of her house, a creak whispered warning of approaching danger.

  Someone was here, and Elise knew exactly what they were coming for.

  She lowered her legs to the floor and rushed to the corner behind her bedroom door.

  Just
in time. The creaks moved closer. The intruder was almost to her second-story room.

  She gripped her gun and crouched behind the door. This wasn’t the best hiding place, but finding another spot was off the table. This would have to work.

  Elise squeezed her eyes shut. How was this nightmare even real?

  But she already knew that answer also. She just wasn’t ready to accept it.

  The floor moaned outside her door. The wooden boards in this old house had always been like a blabbermouthed friend. Right now, however, Elise was thankful for their spilled secrets.

  Elise’s lungs tightened as she saw the shadow under her doorway. This was it, the make-or-break moment. The instant where she would either prevail or where the bad guy would win.

  For Daniel’s sake, Elise couldn’t let the bad guy win. She had to fight with everything in her.

  The silver handle turned, and, in slow motion, the door opened.

  Elise’s gaze shot to her bed. She must have instinctively pulled the blankets back across the mattress. In the dark, it almost appeared she still lay there.

  Good. That would buy her some time.

  She grasped the gun tighter, praying that she wouldn’t have to use it. She’d never pulled the trigger on an actual person before, only on a target at the shooting range. She’d dedicated her entire life to helping people heal. She hated the thought of causing someone harm instead.

  But this intruder, though he was faceless, was not a good person. He was dangerous. Deadly. He needed to be stopped.

  A man dressed in black slipped into her room.

  Elise knew the man could overpower her. She had a gun. So did he, probably. Not only that, but this intruder was most likely better at using his weapon and wouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger . . . whereas Elise would. That put her at a disadvantage.

  Sweat trickled down her forehead and back. Elise wished she could disappear. That she somehow wouldn’t be found in her hiding spot. But wishful thinking would get her nowhere.

  The man stepped closer to the bed. Something about the way he moved made Elise think he was a professional. This was a man who knew what he was doing, who knew how to be stealthy, sneaky.

  That made him even more dangerous.

  He paced to her bed and reached forward.

  He was about to find out Elise wasn’t there.

  Elise held her breath.

  She had to make her move.

  Now.

  She skulked from around the door, careful not to hit the creaky spots on the floor. Slowly, carefully, Elise slipped into the hallway. She gave one last glance over her shoulder.

  The man in black hadn’t looked back yet.

  Still gripping the gun, Elise tiptoed forward. She just needed to make it to the stairs. If she could get out the front door, she could run to her car.

  She could do this. She had to do this. Ever since Daniel had died, she’d felt like she was in a daze. But the past week had reignited something in her. She now had a mission. A reason to continue forward.

  She slipped farther down the hallway. She still didn’t hear the man behind her. Certainly, he’d realized she wasn’t in bed now and would begin searching.

  Her foot hit the stair. As it did, Elise looked back.

  The black shadow appeared in the doorway.

  She swallowed a scream as a jolt of panic rushed through her.

  Run!

  She scrambled down the steps, desperation fueling her actions.

  Behind her, the man grunted as he sprinted after her.

  Elise reached the first floor. Only a few feet, and she’d be at the front door. If she could just run outside . . .

  As she lunged for the handle, the man tackled her. Her head hit the wood floor, and the gun skittered from her grasp.

  “Where is it?” The man straddled her, his weight pressing on her lungs.

  Elise glanced across the floor and saw her gun lying a few feet away. Just out of reach. What was she going to do?

  Think, Elise. Think.

  The man leaned down until she felt his moist, rancid breath on her cheek. “Where . . . is . . . it?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Elise forced the words out through gritted teeth.

  He would know that was a lie. Elise knew it was a lie, but she needed to buy herself more time.

  “You’re going to give it to me. Now.” He grabbed her hair and yanked it until Elise yelped.

  “Get off me.” Elise tried to thrash but couldn’t. He’d rendered her immobile.

  “You’re not the one calling the shots here.” His low voice seemed to slither from his lips as his scorching breath flooded over her ear and face. Elise held back her tears as she felt her hair being ripped from her scalp.

  She yelped again.

  This man enjoyed seeing people suffer. It went against everything Elise believed in. The reality of what he might do sent a shockwave through her system.

  She had to think of a way out of this. Unless she gave him that information, this was only the beginning of her pain.

  “Okay.” Elise gasped, her scalp burning. “I’ll give it to you.”

  He loosened his grip on her hair. Silence stretched, as if he contemplated his next step. Finally, he shifted, and the pressure on her chest eased.

  Elise sucked in a deep breath, grateful for relief.

  The next instant, the man jerked her to her feet. His strong grasp dug into her arm until she cried out in pain, and a metallic taste flooded her mouth. She must have bitten her cheek.

  She dared to look at the man again. All she saw was his massive size. The rest of his features were concealed.

  “Where is it?” The man bared his teeth like a dog threatening to fight to the death.

  Elise had to think quickly. To think about survival. “It’s in the kitchen.”

  “I looked there.”

  This must be the guy who’d ransacked her house two days ago.

  “I hid it somewhere people wouldn’t find it.” Elise’s voice trembled as she said the words, as she questioned her choice. He’d kill her when he discovered the truth. Her mind raced.

  “I looked everywhere.”

  “Not everywhere. My husband taught me a few things.”

  “Show me.” The man dragged Elise into the kitchen, her feet unable to keep up as she stumbled forward.

  Her muscles quivered under the weight of what she was about to do. If Elise gave this information to the man, the intel would be destroyed. The bad guys would never be brought to justice. Her husband would continue to look like a traitor.

  Elise couldn’t let that happen. Too much was on the line.

  “It’s in there.” She pointed to the cabinet beneath the sink. “There’s a false bottom.”

  “Show me.” He released her arm and shoved her forward.

  Swallowing hard, Elise bent down and opened the door. It squeaked in protest. The sound caused a chill to wash through her.

  Elise posed her hand as if she were going to pull the wood from the bottom. Instead, she grabbed a spray bottle of cleaner. She swung around and squeezed the lever.

  Bleach hit the man’s eyes.

  He grabbed his face, muttering obscenities beneath his breath.

  His grip loosened. Elise lunged away, desperately clawing the floor as she tried to escape.

  It worked. Her attacker still held his face, still yelled with pain.

  Rising to her feet, Elise darted toward the door. She grabbed her purse, thankful it had been left on a table near the entry, before stumbling outside.

  Her head swam, but she couldn’t slow down. If she did, she wouldn’t live to see the light of morning.

  Only one person could help her.

  Colton Locke.

  She had to find him if she wanted to survive.

  * * *

  Colton Locke bristled as he observed the crowd in front of him. The sight reminded him of waves lapping the shore. Almost as if one entity, they pushed forward before
inching back over and over again. This had been going on for the past forty minutes.

  This was American democracy at work. The right to free speech. These were the very freedoms Colton and his men had fought for—that they’d put their lives on the line for.

  As he stood guard, a man lunged toward the yellow line that had been strung around the property. “You can’t stop me!”

  Colton shifted to the left. The man rammed into Colton’s chest before bouncing back. Colton didn’t budge.

  The man slowly drew his dazed eyes up. All it took was one look from Colton, and the protester stepped back. The man opened his mouth, as if tempted to apologize for touching Colton.

  Colton had been told he had that effect on people.

  “You’re on their side?” the man muttered.

  “I’m on no one’s side,” Colton said. “I’m just here to do a job.”

  “I doubt that.” The man shook his head and backed away. “You’re going to regret this.”

  Colton doubted that. People’s emotions about the sale of this land were frantic and passionate—almost to an extreme.

  “You doing okay over here?” Police Chief Cassidy Chambers paced over to him, one hand on her radio and the other near her waistband—her gun—as if prepared for trouble.

  Nearly one hundred people had come out to voice their opposition to a new hotel that had been proposed on this property at Lantern Beach. The land had been foreclosed on, and now a bank in Raleigh owned it. All they cared about was selling it to the highest bidder. All the residents here today cared about was preserving their way of life.