Searching for Faith - A gripping psychological thriller Read online

  Searching for Faith

  Kristen Middleton

  Copyright ©2017 by Kristen Middleton

  Cover Design – Book Cover By Design

  All rights reserved.

  Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of this copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

  The characters and events portrayed in these books are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. The author acknowledges the trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which has been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owner

  Contents

  Prologue

  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

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  www.cassiealexandrabooks.com

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  Dedicated to my insightful, psychic friend Ruth Lordan, who saw something in my future that I certainly didn’t see coming. I truly believe that she has an amazing gift and had we never met, I’d still be selling furniture.

  Thank you, Ruth. ♥

  http://www.ruthlordan.com/

  Prologue

  Sunday

  November 12th

  2:52 pm

  Moon Lake Park

  Duluth, MN

  TODAY WAS THE day.

  He would finally get his daughter back and nobody would ever come between them again.

  Nobody.

  Especially not Barbara.

  He tightened his grip on the steering wheel. Thinking of his wife made him want to smash something. The cow had thought she was so smart by sneaking away with Faith, in the middle of the night. But, he’d finally located his princess and now the joke would be on her. He’d take Faith back and they’d move to Alaska. Barbara would never find them.

  Take that, bitch.

  Grinning to himself, he pulled into a parking spot, far from everyone else, and was pleased to see that he’d arrived at the soccer fields just in time. Several youth teams were about to finish up their games and Faith was among the players.

  Turning off the engine, he put on a Twins baseball cap and checked his reflection in the rearview mirror. With the eyeglasses, gray wig, and fake moustache, he’d purchased over the internet, nobody would recognize him. Not that there was anything to worry about - he was an hour away from his own neck-of-the-woods.

  Whistling, he climbed out, went around to the back of the van, and opened the door. Inside was a white and brown, five-month-old Beagle, sitting inside of her kennel and chewing on a rawhide bone.

  “You ready to get out?” he asked, smiling.

  She wagged her tail and barked.

  “I know you’re anxious, Maisie. So am I,” he said, leaning forward to unlock the cage. As soon as he pulled the door open, the excited puppy barreled out and began attacking his face with joyful licks.

  Laughing and petting her, he managed to hook the leash onto Maisie’s collar and lower the puppy to the ground. Immediately, the she tried wandering off.

  “Sit,” he ordered, pulling back gently on the leash.

  Maisie sat down and stared up at him.

  Leaning back into the van, he grabbed an oak, Derby walking cane and then checked his pockets to make sure he was well prepared. Satisfied, he closed the door and looked back down at the dog. “Okay, let’s go and get our girl.”

  Sniffing the ground, the puppy relieved herself in the grass and then tried charging forward, wanting to get closer to the excitement. One thing for certain - Maisie loved children and they loved her. She was a good pup and he knew that when his daughter saw her, it would be love at first sight.

  Steering the animal toward the playground, which was in front of the soccer fields, the man scanned the perimeter, looking for her. It wasn’t easy spotting his daughter, however, most of the kids looked the same with their soccer gear on. But, then… there she was.

  He grinned.

  Faith.

  Yes. This child was definitely his; he was certain of it this time. The last girl he’d taken had been a regrettable mistake. Same with the one before that. Unfortunately, he’d been forced to kill the girls, to avoid prison. He couldn’t take any risks that might land him behind bars. Faith needed him to find her. To rescue her from Barbara. The sneaky, conniving bitch.

  His blood boiled once again as he thought about the woman. What he really wanted was to kill her. But, it was too risky, especially since he’d be the first suspect. As for the other two little girls, he’d been forced to deal with, he blamed Barbara. She should be the one going to prison, for stealing Faith from him like a thief in the night and making him hunt for his own child.

  “Go, Amy!” hollered one of the coaches.

  He looked back toward the far field. Faith’s blonde ponytail bounced in the wind as she dribbled the ball toward the other team’s net. She missed, by a long shot, but his heart filled with pride at her assertiveness.

  “That’s my girl,” he murmured, watching her charge back toward the ball again. “A chip off of the old block.”

  Soccer had once been everything to him. He’d played goalie all through high school and into college, until the injuries. First, he’d gotten kicked in the head by another player, during a tournament, rendering him unconscious. He woke up in an ambulance and fortunately, there’d been no severe damage to his brain, just some temporary memory loss. That put him out of commission for six weeks. Making matters worse, two weeks after he returned to the field, he blew out his knee cap. Things were never the same, thus ending his dreams of becoming a paid, professional soccer player. It had been quite a blow and for months, he’d wallowed in self-pity, despair, and finally… rage. When he wasn’t depressed about his life, he was screaming and hollering at the people around him. He lost a lot of friends and soon, nobody wanted to have anything to do with him. It became so bad that his mother talked him into seeing a therapist and that’s when he was diagnosed with Intermittent Explosive Disorder, possibly brought on by the injury to his head. He was put on medication and even he had to admit, the pills seemed to help him get his life back in order. Eventually, he found a job making decent money, moved out of his mother’s place, and started online dating. That’s when he met Barbara, the love of his life. At least
that’s what he’d thought… until she’d turned on him and took his daughter away.

  He sensed that his anger was starting to get the best of him and realized he’d forgotten to take his medication again. He closed his eyes and counted backward from twenty, trying to imagine things that made him happy. Like reuniting with his daughter. Picturing the wonderful life they’d have together, he smiled, and opened his eyes.

  See, you don’t need them anymore.

  Getting Faith back would be better than any medication. Besides, his life wasn’t all that bad to begin with and he couldn’t wait to share it with her. It was obvious that he, and the girl on the field, were related – they had so many things in common. Especially soccer, which was perfect, because he was now one of the assistant coaches in the traveling youth squad, at the local elementary school. It was how he’d found Faith. Three weeks before, his team had played against theirs and that’s when he’d noticed her. Surprisingly, she hadn’t recognized him. Neither had her mother, thank goodness.

  As he walked with the cane, he glanced back over to the field, where the parents were sitting. None of them looked like his ex, but that didn’t mean anything. More than likely, she changed both of their identities and was in disguise. His eyes rested on a heavy-set woman with sunglasses and blonde hair that was pulled back into a ponytail. She was talking to another woman, not even paying attention to the game.

  He grunted.

  That definitely could be her.

  Barbara had no interest in soccer, or any sport. But she always had a passion for food, which would explain the extra pounds.

  He squinted.

  Yes, the woman did resemble her slightly. He just couldn’t be certain. Faith looked the same, however. He’d know the beautiful profile of his daughter anywhere. The problem was - she wouldn’t recognize him, which was why he’d brought the chloroform and the puppy. There wouldn’t be any resistance and once she woke up, he’d explain everything. Faith would understand, too. She was just that special.

  Anticipating their reunion, he smiled as he sat down at a nearby bench, facing the park. He was taking a gamble that after the game, Faith would rush over and play at the park. He’d watched her do it the last couple of weekends, after taking time off from coaching his school’s games, to study her habits.

  Claps and cheers from the soccer field erupted and he knew it was almost time to take action. Shortly after, he saw Faith running toward the swings with another girl.

  “There she is, Maisie,” he murmured, sitting up straighter. “Our princess.”

  “Oh, Jamie! Look at the puppy!” cried Faith, looking his way.

  “He’s so cute!” gushed the other girl, a short redhead with curly hair and pale, freckled skin.

  Hiding a smile, he let go of Maisie’s leash and she took off in their direction. The children squealed with delight as the pup raced over to them. Soon, both were petting Maisie and giggling as she licked their hands and barked happily.

  He stood up slowly, as if in pain. “Excuse me, girls, could you help me with my dog?” he called, raising his hand in the air. “I have arthritis and my knees are killing me today. I don’t want to have to chase her all over the park.”

  Faith grabbed the leash and they walked Maisie back over to where he was leaning on the cane. “Here you go.” She handed him the leash.

  “Thank you,” he replied, glancing over their heads. There were no parents yet. Only a couple of boys on the monkey-bars and they weren’t paying much attention. Still, he had to make a move quickly.

  “You’re welcome,” said Faith.

  He rubbed his knee and moaned.

  “Are you okay?” asked Jamie, looking concerned.

  He grinned sadly. She was a cute kid. He didn’t want to have to hurt her and hoped it wouldn’t come to that. “Just old.”

  “My grandmother is older than you and she still jogs,” said Jamie.

  His smile fell. “How nice for her. You want a treat, Maisie?” he asked the dog.

  Hearing the signal, she started barking excitedly and he grinned again. He’d been training her for the last few weeks. All he had to do was mention the word “treat”, let go of the leash, and she’d run toward the back of the van.

  “Her name is Maisie? That’s cute,” said Faith.

  He took a long look at Faith’s face. Standing this close to the girl, he thought she looked a little older than seven.

  It’s her. You’re being paranoid, he told himself.

  “We should go and play on the swings before our parents come,” said the red-head, taking a step back. She looked down at the dog. “Goodbye, Maisie.”

  “Goodbye,” said Faith, bending down to pet the Beagle again.

  “Maisie, you want a treat?” he asked firmly, this time, letting go of the leash.

  The dog took off, heading straight for the van.

  “Oh no,” he said, pretending to panic. “Someone needs to catch her before she gets hit by a car.”

  “I’ll go!” cried Faith, taking off after the dog.

  “Me, too!” hollered the other girl, chasing after her friend.

  He looked toward the fields and noticed that the parents had packed up their lawn chairs and were about to start toward the parking lot. Knowing that there was no more time to lose, he turned around and rushed after the girls. He found them exactly where he knew they’d be - standing behind the van, petting the dog again, and laughing.

  “You two young ladies have been such a great help today,” he said, opening up the back door while keeping an eye out for witnesses. Thankfully, there was a good distance between the soccer fields and the parking lot. Plus, he’d parked in the very back row and away from the other cars. He just hoped that nobody had noticed the two girls running after the dog. “Can you lift her inside?”

  “Sure,” said the red-head, picking up Maisie.

  He opened up the kennel.

  “Okay, let me get her a treat before you release her, or she might run off,” he said, moving behind the girl so he could block Faith’s view. He tossed a biscuit into the cage. “Now you can let her go.”

  She did what he told her to do and the dog bolted into the kennel after the treat.

  “Great job.” He quickly took the chloroformed-infused rag out of his pocket and before she knew what was happening, covered the red-head’s mouth with it. He released the girl and she sunk down to the pavement.

  “Oh my God, what’s wrong with Jamie?” cried Faith.

  He turned around and gave Faith a wide-eyed stare. “I… I don’t know. I think your friend may have fainted. Is she allergic to dogs? We should call an ambulance.”

  Confused and frightened, Faith’s eyes began to fill with tears. “I don’t know. Jamie?!” She leaned down and tried shaking the other girl. “Wake up!”

  Anxious, the dog began to bark.

  “Maisie, shush,” he said, throwing her another treat.

  “She’s not waking up,” cried Faith.

  With her attention still diverted, he quickly reached around Faith’s head and put the rag over her mouth.

  “I’m so sorry, sweetheart,” he murmured into her hair as she tried to struggle. Within seconds, Faith also went limp. He kissed the top of her head.

  Damn you, Barbara. This is your fault…

  “Jaimie! Where are you?” hollered one of the parents.

  “Amy!” cried another parent.

  Trying not to panic, he quickly shoved both girls into the van, slammed the door shut, and walked around the van. As he got in, he avoided eye contact with some of the parents now heading into the lot.

  “That was a close one, Maisie,” he said, wiping the beads of sweat from his forehead. “Now… what to do with the red-head?”

  He thought about killing her, but he knew that Faith would never forgive him. Instead, he decided to take a chance and let Jamie go. She hadn’t seen his “real” face and by the time the police questioned her, the van would have different license plates and be back i
n to Two Harbors. So, he drove to a secluded park, near the edge of town, and left the girl on a bench near a jungle gym.

  Getting back into the vehicle, he let out a sigh of relief. It was finished. Someone would find the girl or she’d regain consciousness and seek help. Feeling good about what he’d done, he looked over his shoulder. Maisie was lying next to Faith, who was still unconscious. “It’s just Maisie, you, and me now, Pumpkin. Just like it was meant to be. I’m going to be the best daddy, too. The very best. You just wait and see.”

  Chapter 1

  Gooseberry Falls State Park, MN

  Friday, November 17th

  3:39 pm

  “BACK AGAIN, HUH?”

  Startled, Carissa turned away from the falls and glanced at the stranger. He was tall, with jet-black hair, a five-o’clock shadow, and warm, rich brown eyes. Although the man wasn’t wearing a badge or uniform, her first impression was that he was either a police officer or park ranger.

  “Uh, yeah,” she replied, shoving her hands into the pockets of her black, wool jacket. She’d been so caught up in her thoughts, that she hadn’t noticed how cold it had gotten throughout the course of the day. “I’m sorry, have we met?”

  The man stepped closer and smiled. “No. I work for the DNR and just remembered seeing you. My name is Alex. Alex Richardson,” he said, holding out his hand.

  Carissa quickly looked away, pretending that she didn’t see him offer it. Skin-to-skin contact might throw her off course. She needed to focus on why she was there. “Carissa Jones.”

  His smile falling, Alex looked down toward the falls. They were standing over the top and the view of the forest below was breathtaking. “It’s incredible, huh?”

  “Yes. It’s beautiful up here. Especially now that the leaves have changed over,” she said, stepping out of the way as four hikers moved past them on the path.