Holiday on the run...
Can they prove her innocence?
DNA technician Dani Jones canât believe sheâs being framed. But thereâs no other explanation for the illegal drugs in her trunkâor the deadly target on her back. Though former DEA agent Gideon Marshall has learned to stay guarded, he wonât let Dani go down without a fight. But can Gideon and his retired drug-sniffing dog make sure she survives long enough to clear her name?
JAYCEE BULLARD hails from Minnesota, where a thirty-degree day in January is reason to break out short-sleeved shirts. In the ten years since graduating with a degree in classical languages, Jaycee has worked as a paralegal, an office manager and a Montessori teacher. An earlier version of Framed for Christmas won the 2016 ACFW Genesis award for Romantic Suspense. Check in and say hi on Facebook at Facebook.com/jaycee.bullard.1.
ISBN: 978-1-474-08629-5
FRAMED FOR CHRISTMAS
© 2018 Jean Bullard
Published in Great Britain 2018
by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.
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âI just found twenty kilos of cocaine in the back of your van.â
Dani blinked. Twice. And then asked him to repeat the statement.
âI found ten bags of cocaine in the trunk of your vehicle.â Gideon enunciated each word with careful precision. âActually, Lou did. Iâd estimate its street value to be close to a million dollars.â
She gave a gasp of surprise. âYour dog found cocaine in our van?â This had to be a joke. âIs he some sort of supersecret agent canine trained to sniff out drugs?â
The muscle flexing along Gideonâs jaw and the firm set of his mouth showed that this was no laughing matter.
âHe is. And heâs got the medals to prove it. It took him less than five minutes to locate the stash of drugs hidden with the Bibles. Ironic, donât you think?â
Her mind scrambled to make sense of this information. She supposed that, if true, it was rather ironic, but at the moment, that was the least of her concern. âWho put them there?â
âI was hoping you could tell me.â
Dear Reader,
It was 1985 when forensic scientists first tapped into the evidence encoded in our genesâDNA. Unique as fingerprints, samples of blood, hair, bone and tissue discovered at a crime scene could be analyzed, and a match to a likely suspect could be made. Over the past thirty years, DNA testing has become standard procedure in cases like the one involving Daniâs sister. It was this evidence that enabled police to find her murderer and bring closure to her grieving family. No wonder Dani dedicated her life to unlocking the mysteries of DNA.
Although I am not a scientist, I have always been fascinated by DNA. How incredible to consider these intricate details of Godâs creation, which were once hidden and are now evident for all to see. We have only to look to Genesis 4:10 to find a hint about the information God has concealed in our genes. âAnd He said, âWhat hast thou done? the voice of thy brotherâs blood crieth unto me from the ground.ââ
Thank you for joining Gideon and Dani on their winter adventure. Iâd be honored to hear from you. You can email me at [email protected], or friend me at Facebook.com/Jaycee.Bullard.1