Fatal Secrets
For my baby's safety, I must give her up…An old letter is all Kristin Perry has of her birth mother. When the Witness Protection Program couldn't keep mother or daughter safe, the woman fled "underground." With the help of private investigator Zane Black, Kristin tries to track her down. Instead, though, she finds herself the target of a series of deadly "accidents." Zane's still searching for her missing mother–but now Kristin's starting to wonder if her family reunion will be the death of them all….
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Kristinâs heart swelled in sympathy for Zane.
They were both searching for their family. In a way, sheâd found a kindred spirit. âIâm sorry, Zane.â
âItâs all right. Iâve built a good business here in Montana, and searching for my brother is something I do when I have the time. I have even less information on him than you have on your mother so I always knew I might never find him.â
âSo youâre back to square one now?â
âI have one much weaker lead out there, but Iâm not expecting anything to come of it. Like I said, I may never find him.â
He watched her as if he was also looking for understanding. Her heart lurched. He was hurt, too. He was struggling to find a connection with his past. And like her, he might never find his family.
PROTECTING THE WITNESSES:
New identities, looming danger and forever love in the Witness Protection Program.
Fatal SecretsâBarbara Phinney, May 2010
BARBARA PHINNEY
was born in England and raised in Canada. She has traveled throughout her life, loving to explore the various countries and cultures of the world. After she retired from the Canadian Armed Forces, Barbara turned her hand to romance writing. The thrill of adventure and the love of happy endings, coupled with a too-active imagination, have merged to help her create this and other wonderful stories. Barbara spends her days writing, building her dream home with her husband and enjoying their fast-growing children.
With God we will gain the victory,
and he will trample down our enemies.
âPsalms 60:12
CONTENTS
PROLOGUE
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
LETTER TO READER
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
PROLOGUE
MEMO: Top Secret
TO: FBI Organized Crime Division; U.S. Marshalâs Office
FROM: Jackson McGraw, Special Agent in Charge, Chicago Field Office, Federal Bureau of Investigation
DATE: May 10, 2010
RE: Operation Black Veil
Vincent Martino has escaped custody. We have received new information from our âMartino Mystery Witness.â Vincent Martino has discovered Eloise Hillâs daughter lives in Montana. He knows her first name only and he is now believed to be in Montana searching for both mother and daughter. Salvatore Martino is dying and the family is stepping up efforts to find both women.
All police services have been informed.
The Marshalâs Office is requested to ensure all women in the Witness Protection Program in Montana who fit Eloiseâs description are protected. The investigation is continuing on all fronts, including previous deaths, and the daughter (location on a need-to-know basis only) will be informed and told to stay vigilant. Protective custody not required at this time.
Contact SAC McGraw with any information that could assist the FBI in its case against the Martino crime family.
ONE
Nothing is harder than leaving my precious baby girl.
For the past five months, Kristin Perry had hung on to the words her birth mother wrote to FBI agent Jackson McGraw all those years ago. Written just before sheâd left.
Eloise Hill was out there somewhere, and in her note to Jackson, sheâd said she loved Kristin enough to give her up to keep her safe, something in which Kristin should find comfort.
Comfort didnât come easily, though, Kristin decided as she sat in the café and fought back the first sign of tears. Her new identity, as both orphan and adoptee, was still sinking in, displacing any comfort. Sheâd lost both her adopted parents five months ago, and the ache inside had yet to ease. Only after discovering the contents of her fatherâs safe did she learn of her adopted status. Sheâd found her real birth certificate, and a note from her birth mother.
But visiting Jackson McGraw, the man to whom her mother had written, had done nothing to solve the mystery of where the woman might be. His last contact with her had been the note Kristin had since memorized.
Dear Jackson:
Nothing Iâve done, from testifying against a Mafia kingpin, to starting over in the Witness Protection Program, is harder than leaving my precious baby girl. Kristin almost died because of the path Iâve needed to take. I love her too much to risk her life. For her safety, I must give her up, though it breaks my heart. Please see to it sheâs placed in a loving, Christian home.
Yours,
Eloise.
Kristin lingered over and over such parts as ânothing is harderâ and âbreaks my heart.â And each time, the ache increased. She needed to find her mother. Her only family now. Or did she now have brothers, sisters?
The mere thought of a big family gripped Kristin. Sheâd been an only child, with grandparents that were now just a faint memory to her. When her aging parents, Anna and Barton Perry, had died in that terrible car crash last January, she felt so alone.
