One Final Breath (Dive Team Investigations Book #3)

H. Blackburn Lynn

Description

When investigator Gabriel Chavez had his cover blown by an aggressive reporter, the silver lining was being able to rejoin the dive team. The downside? Dive team captain Anissa Bell--a woman who both fascinates and frustrates him.Anissa grew up as a missionary kid on the Micronesian island of Yap and always planned to return after college. But she remained stateside, determined to solve the case that haunts her--the murder of her best friend and the disappearance of a three-year-old child.When Anissa's fractured past collides with Gabe's investigation into the tragic shooting death of a teenage boy in Lake Porter, they'll have to put their complicated history with each other aside in order to uncover the identity of a killer. What they'll discover is that revenge has no statute of limitations.Award-winning author Lynn H. Blackburn closes out her nail-biting Dive Team Investigations series with a story that will have you wondering how long you can hold your breath.

Sujets

• Romance
• Thriller

Informations

• Publié par: Baker Publishing Group
• Date de parution: 03 septembre 2019
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781493419326
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 3 Mo

Extrait

Cover
Endorsements
Praise for In Too Deep
“A deftly crafted and inherently riveting read throughout, In Too Deep by Lynn Blackburn is a genuinely extraordinary novel by an author who is an established master of the genre.”
Midwest Book Reviews
Praise for Beneath the Surface
“This vivid start of Blackburn’s Dive Team Investigations series [is] a real page-turner.”
Booklist
“Award-winning author Lynn H. Blackburn grabs readers by the throat and doesn’t let go until the final heart-pounding page.”
Fresh Fiction
“Lynn H. Blackburn is an amazing new voice in romantic suspense—don’t miss her!”
Lynette Eason , bestselling and award-winning author of the Hidden Identity series
“[Blackburn’s] exceptional storytelling skills shine as she weaves an intricate plot, populated with characters we care deeply about. Another up-all-night-because-I-can’t-put-down-the-book read.”
Edie Melson , award-winning author, blogger, and director of the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference
“Beneath the Surface is a swoon-worthy romantic suspense that packs a punch from page one. The nonstop action will keep you guessing until the end.”
Rachel Dylan , author of the Atlanta Justice series
“Just when you think you can relax, Blackburn brings you back to the edge of your seat in this riveting, high-tension suspense story.”
Patricia Bradley , author of Justice Delayed
Half Title Page
Books by Lynn H. Blackburn
D IVE T EAM I NVESTIGATIONS
Beneath the Surface
In Too Deep
One Final Breath
Title Page
Copyright Page
© 2019 by Lynn Huggins Blackburn
Published by Revell
a division of Baker Publishing Group
PO Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www.revellbooks.com
Ebook edition created 2019
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4934-1932-6
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2011
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
Dedication
To my parents, Ken and Susan Huggins, for teaching me to love Jesus and to love stories, and for showing me how stories are often the best way to convey truth. Every book I have written has pieces of you—your sacrifices, your struggles, your joys, your myriad examples of forgiveness and grace—threaded throughout. Thank you for your unwavering love and support . . . and for pretending not to notice when I kept reading for an hour after I’d asked for “just one more chapter.” I love you!
Contents
Cover
Endorsements
Half Title Page
Books by Lynn H. Blackburn
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Acknowledgments
Epigraph
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
About the Author
Back Ads
Back Cover
Acknowledgments
Endless gratitude to . . .
Mecina Hapthey and Angelina Zimmer—thank you for letting me pick your brains about Yapese culture and missionary families!
Shawn and Bridget Clarke—for being enthusiastic and creative brainstorming friends from the very first book. Your insights into the ways to contaminate the water supply were invaluable. And to Bella and Cayla for being some of my favorite readers and for being active participants in our crazy conversation!
Jennifer Huggins Bayne—my sister and favorite nurse practitioner for not being concerned by my questions about drugs and how to stab someone without killing them. You’re the best! I love you!
Sergeant Chris Hammett—your willingness to talk to me and answer my endless questions gave all of my homicide investigators, including Gabe and Anissa, a depth they wouldn’t have had without your input. Thank you!
Mike Berry, Master Underwater Criminal Investigator (UCIDiver.com)—for giving me direction on my diving scenes. All mistakes related to diving and underwater criminal investigation procedures are mine.
My sisters of the Light Brigade—for once again praying me through another book I didn’t think I could write.
My critique group—for helping me brainstorm and for talking me off the ledge on a regular basis.
Lynette Eason—for letting me borrow Brady St. John and, you know, for everything else.
Tamela Hancock Murray—Agent Extraordinaire. Thank you for your continual encouragement.
Andrea Doering—It has been a true privilege to work with you to bring this series to life.
Amy Ballor—for once again editing this manuscript and blowing me away with your ability to catch my mistakes.
Sandra Blackburn—for continuing to hold the title of “Best Mother-in-Law” in the world. And for doing a lot of laundry and dishes at my house when I’m on a deadline.
Ken and Susan Huggins—I couldn’t do it without you.
Emma, James, and Drew—for being so patient when Mommy goes to her office to work, and for being excited every time a new book releases. You three make the real world my favorite place to be.
Brian—for so many things, but specifically for this book for saying, “Why don’t you go to the beach to write?” I’m beyond blessed to have your support and encouragement and love.
My Savior—the Ultimate Storyteller—for allowing me to write stories for you.
Epigraph
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O L ORD , my rock and my redeemer.
~ Psalm 19:14
1

I t didn’t get much better than this. At least not on this side of the world, anyway.
A light breeze flirted with her hair as homicide investigator and dive team captain Anissa Bell popped a peanut butter M&M into her mouth and gazed over the deep blue that was Lake Porter, the crown jewel of Carrington County. Even as midnight crept closer, the July air held much of the day’s warmth and she considered going for a quick dip before driving home.
Or maybe she’d ask Leigh and Ryan if she could crash on the large porch swing under the deck. The crescent moon could be her night-light, the water lapping the shore her lullaby.
Maybe she’d get a good night’s sleep.
Or not.
She shook off the gloomy thought. Tonight was a night for celebrating.
Most of the investigators in the Carrington County Sheriff’s Office were on call every sixth weekend, but members of the dive team could be called in at any time to perform an underwater search. With the summer tourism season in full swing in central North Carolina, the dive team had been called out six weekends in a row to look for everything from suspected drugs to stolen merchandise. But miracle of miracles, there’d been no calls today—not even for Investigator Gabe Chavez, who was on call for the homicide unit—and they’d been able to enjoy a Saturday on the water.
The home Leigh had inherited from her parents, which she now shared with her husband, Ryan Parker, sat on a beautiful lakefront lot. Perched on a small point, the house was positioned so that depending on where you stood, you had views of the open water or of a cozy cove, some of which remained undeveloped.
Ryan had recently created an outdoor patio space, complete with a fire pit, on the very edge of the point. The views were fabulous.
Anissa turned to Ryan, her second-in-comma nd on the dive team and a fellow homicide investigator. “You may regret doing such an amazing job on this patio. If you thought it was hard to get rid of us before, you’ll never succeed now.”
The others around the fire pit chuckled in obvious agreement.
“She’s right.” Dive team member Adam Campbell l eaned forward in his Adirondack chair but kept his arm around his fiancée and the department’s resident computer expert, Dr. Sabrina Fleming. “And thanks a lot for setting such a high standard. Leigh says she’d like to have a patio and a fire pit by the lake, and one month later here we are. How am I supposed to compete with that?”
“There’s no competition.” Sabrina smiled at Adam. The professor had loosened up a lot since she started hanging out with this crew, but public displays of affection weren’t her style. Adam had no such issues. He kissed her temple and whispered something in her ear that sent a flush over her cheeks.
Ryan pecked his bride of three months, nurse practitioner Leigh Weston, on the tip of her nose. “Whatever she wants, she gets.”
A loud groan came from the opposite side of the fire pit. Gabe put his hands over his eyes. “Make it stop. Please.”
Leigh batted her eyes at Ryan for a few seconds before dissolving in laughter. “Sorry, Gabe. But you make it sound like I’m the only one who thought this was a good idea. As I recall”—she glanced around the circle—“all of you were in agreement with this plan.”
“Of course we were.” Gabe poked the dwindling coals in the fire pit. “Partly because you’re very difficult to argue with but mostly because it was a great suggestion.” He waved the poker toward the pavers that lined the ground in a large swath near the shore of Lake Porter. “Although if I’d known how heavy these things were—and how many of them you planned to use—I might have rescinded my offer of assistance.”
Ryan tipped his Coke can in Gabe’s direction. “Couldn’t have done it without you, bro. You were crucial to the success of this mission.”
Gabe narrowed his eyes at Ryan. “You’re buttering me up. Why?”
“Can’t I say a simple thank-you? What makes you think I have an ulterior motive?” Ryan almost sold it, but right at the end his eyes widened a bit too much and the game was up.
Gabe turned on Leigh. “Don’t tell me you have a new project brewing.”
Leigh