Wildflower Graves (Detective Ellie Reeves #2) - Rita Herron Page 0,114
forgive Vera just yet. But Burton’s comment taunted her. She could show her some grace. That, she could do.
The chair her father kept by her mother’s hospital bed still felt warm from where he’d been sitting vigil day and night. Her mother lay still and pale, her eyes fluttering open as Ellie sank into the chair. Licking her dry lips, Ellie cradled her hand in hers and stroked it. “Mom?”
Vera’s chest rose and fell but she didn’t speak.
A memory surfaced in Ellie’s mind—she was five years old and had one of her many nightmares. Vera had come in and wrapped her in the quilt her grammy had made for her, rocking her and singing to her until she fell asleep. When she’d woken up the next morning, her mother was still there, holding her.
Tears blinded her, and she stroked Vera’s hair from her face.
“Mama, please don’t die,” she whispered.
Slowly, her mother opened her eyes and looked at Ellie. Tears swam in the deep brown depths, making Ellie’s chest clench.
“I want you to have the surgery,” Ellie murmured. “When you get better, I’ll take you to lunch and to get your hair done.”
Then she realized she must look a frightening mess––something her mother couldn’t stand. She probably should have gone home and showered.
Maybe she’d even get a trim herself. They could have a girls’ day.
Or maybe not.
“Ellie?”
“Yes, I’m here.” She squeezed her mother’s frail hand.
“I’m s-so sorry,” Vera whispered.
“I know,” Ellie said, her voice cracking. “We can work on things when you get better.”
Her mother squeezed her hand. “I’d like that, sweetheart.”
A sound behind her indicated her father was back. “El,” he said as he approached.
“I need to go home and clean up, but I’ll be back.” Ellie turned to leave, but her mother called for her to wait.
“Don’t go yet, Ellie.”
Ellie clamped her teeth over her bottom lip, returning to her mother’s bedside.
Her mother tugged her closer, then spoke in a low whisper. “An envelope, for you, in a safety deposit box.”
Ellie narrowed her eyes. “What?”
“There’s an envelope. In it, there’s the name of the social worker at the adoption agency we used.”
Ellie went still.
“Randall has the key.”
Stunned, she turned and faced her father. The key lay in the palm of his hand.
“It’s up to you if you want to pursue it.”
Ellie’s throat thickened, and she reached for the key with a shaky hand. Looking for her birth parents would be like opening Pandora’s box.
But could she go on without knowing?
If you were glued to the pages of Wildflower Graves, shocked by the twists and are longing for more gripping and thrilling action, sign up here to Rita’s newsletter and you won’t miss a thing! What happens next for Ellie Reeves? You won’t have to wait long to find out…
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The Silent Dolls
Silent tears trickle down her cheeks as she curls inside the tiny cave-like space. She lies on her side, darkness all around her, rubbing her fingers over the little wooden doll he’d carved. He told her to be quiet, not to cry or scream. Not to be a baby. Her throat was raw, her eyes swollen shut. She wanted her mommy and daddy. She wanted to go home.
When Penny Matthews, a seven-year-old girl with blonde curls and a gap-toothed smile, goes missing in the Appalachian mountains, Detective Ellie Reeves is called straight to the scene. According to Penny’s parents, their daughter vanished after a picnic by the creek. All that’s left behind is a pink friendship bracelet etched with “Penny”.
Ellie knows all too well that the mountains’ endless miles of dark forest and winding rivers are the perfect place for a criminal to hide. Racing against the rapidly setting sun and a brutal winter storm on the horizon, she searches desperately for Penny. And when she discovers the remains of a small body buried with a carved wooden doll, it’s clear she’s up against a deadly serial killer preying on innocent little girls.
As the temperature plunges, Penny’s life hangs in the balance. Most people who get lost in the woods never make it out alive. Can Ellie defy the odds and find out the truth about all the stolen girls? Or will the mountain, and its twisted killer, claim another victim?
A totally gripping and utterly addictive new crime-thriller series for readers who love Lisa Regan, Kendra Elliot and Melinda Leigh. Prepare to stay up way past your bedtime – but be warned: you’ll be scared to turn the lights off after you’ve raced through the pages.
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Books by Rita Herron
Detective Ellie Reeves
1. The Silent Dolls
2. Wildflower Graves
Available in audio
The Silent Dolls (available in the UK and the US)
A Letter from Rita
Thank you so much for diving back into the world I’ve created with Detective Ellie Reeves in Wildflower Graves! If you enjoyed Wildflower Graves and would like to keep up with my latest releases, you can sign up at the following link. Your email address will never be shared, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
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As a child, I grew up in the country with no library close by, but the Bookmobile, a mobile unit, brought books to our street, and I devoured as many as I could get my hands on. Fast forward to adulthood and my favorite pastime became browsing bookstores. I’m obsessed with the endless stories, authors, and settings that offer an escape into another world.
One day I stumbled upon a book about customs, stones, statues and symbolism associated with burial rituals. From there, the idea for Wildflower Graves was born!
Coupled with the raw wilderness of the Appalachian Trail and the folklore associated with the mountains (some of which is research-based and some totally my imagination!) the setting seemed ripe for a new serial killer.
I hope you enjoyed the second installment of Ellie’s journey and submerging yourself in her world as much as I did! If you liked Wildflower Graves, I’d appreciate it if you left a short review. As a writer, it means the world to me that you share your feedback with other readers who might be interested in Ellie’s adventures.
I love to hear from readers, so you can find me on Facebook, my website and Twitter.
Thanks so much for your support.
Happy Reading!
Rita
Acknowledgments
A huge thanks to Christina Demonsthenous and the entire Bookouture team for their support for the series. My mind often races in a dozen different directions and Christina has a way of tapping into the good that’s there and cutting the fat!
Again to my agent Jenny Bent and my fabulous critique partner Stephanie Bond for their unfailing support.
Another thanks to my sister, Reba Bales, licensed mental health counselor, for answering numerous questions regarding details of psychiatric therapy and treatment.
And I can’t forget my adorable husband Lee, who has always stood beside and behind me in whatever I wanted to do, even when he thinks I’m scary and strange. Love you to the moon and back!
Published by Bookouture in 2020
An imprint of Storyfire Ltd.
Carmelite House
50 Victoria Embankment
London EC4Y 0DZ
Copyright © Rita Herron, 2020
Rita Herron has asserted her right to be identified
as the author of this work.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers.
eBook ISBN: 978-1-83888-986-9
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places and events other than those clearly in the public domain, are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.