The Betrayed

Sleepy Hollow Isn’t So Sleepy Anymore...

One night, New York FBI agent Aidan Mahoney receives a visitor in a dream—an old friend named Richard Highsmith. The very next day he’s sent to Sleepy Hollow because Richard’s gone missing there.

Maureen—Mo—Deauville now lives in the historic town and works with her dog, Rollo, to search for missing people. She’s actually the one to find Richard…or more precisely his head, stuck on a statue of the legendary Headless Horseman.

Mo and Aidan, a new member of the Krewe of Hunters, the FBI’s unit of paranormal investigators, explore both past and present events to figure out who betrayed Richard, who killed him and now wants to kill them, too. As they work together, they discover that they share an unusual trait—the ability to communicate with the dead. They also share an attraction that’s as intense as it is unexpected…if they live long enough to enjoy it!

Praise for the novels of New York Times bestselling author Heather Graham

“Murder, intrigue, and some hot-and-heavy magnetism between Quinn and Cafferty make for a fast-paced read. You may never know in advance what harrowing situations Graham will place her characters in, but…rest assured that the end result will be satisfying.”

—Suspense magazine on Let the Dead Sleep

“Graham does an amazing job of bringing real-life elements into her fiction worlds… [The] messages are subtle, expertly woven through a story that focuses on solving mysterious crimes using the Krewe members’ unique talents. Graham also brings the surrounding areas of Nashville alive, with vivid details and lush descriptions—so authentic you can practically see history happening.”

—RT Book Reviews on The Night Is Forever (Top Pick)

“Bestseller Graham launches the third arc in her paranormal romantic suspense Krewe of Hunters series (The Unseen, etc.) with a rousing tale of the intriguing haunted town of Lily, Arizona…. Readers will enjoy Sloan and Jane’s interactions as romantic partners and competent professionals, aided by Lily’s ghosts.”

—Publishers Weekly on The Night Is Watching

“Graham deftly weaves elements of mystery, the paranormal and romance into a tight plot that will keep the reader guessing at the true nature of the killer’s evil.”

—Publishers Weekly on The Unseen

“I’ve long admired Heather Graham’s storytelling ability and this book hit the mark. I couldn’t put The Unholy down.”

—Fresh Fiction

“The very prolific and best-selling Graham has crafted a fine paranormal romance with a strong mystery plot

and a vibrant setting.” —Booklist on Haunted

“The paranormal elements are integral to the unrelentingly suspenseful plot, the characters are likable, the romance convincing.”

—Booklist on Ghost Walk

Also by Heather Graham

THE HEXED THE CURSED WAKING THE DEAD THE NIGHT IS FOREVER THE NIGHT IS ALIVE THE NIGHT IS WATCHING LET THE DEAD SLEEP THE UNSEEN THE UNHOLY THE UNSPOKEN THE UNINVITED AN ANGEL FOR CHRISTMAS THE EVIL INSIDE SACRED EVIL HEART OF EVIL PHANTOM EVIL NIGHT OF THE VAMPIRES THE KEEPERS GHOST MOON GHOST NIGHT GHOST SHADOW THE KILLING EDGE NIGHT OF THE WOLVES HOME IN TIME FOR CHRISTMAS UNHALLOWED GROUND DUST TO DUST NIGHTWALKER DEADLY GIFT DEADLY HARVEST DEADLY NIGHT THE DEATH DEALER THE LAST NOEL THE SÉANCE BLOOD RED THE DEAD ROOM KISS OF DARKNESS THE VISION THE ISLAND GHOST WALK KILLING KELLY THE PRESENCE DEAD ON THE DANCE FLOOR PICTURE ME DEAD HAUNTED HURRICANE BAY A SEASON OF MIRACLES NIGHT OF THE BLACKBIRD NEVER SLEEP WITH STRANGERS EYES OF FIRE SLOW BURN NIGHT HEAT

Look for Heather Graham’s next novel AND THE DEAD PLAY ON available soon from Harlequin MIRA

The Betrayed

Heather Graham

www.mirabooks.co.uk

For Washington Irving

I wish I could have known him!

And to the beautiful state of New York.

To Al, Mystery Mike and all those at Bouchercon, 2013.

To Connie Perry and Shayne Pozzessere for a wonderful trip into the shadows and forests of the Hollow and the mind—Irving’s cottage, the church, the cemetery…and all those places where wonder exists and the imagination can fly.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Praise

Booklist

Title Page

Dedication

Prologue

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

Epilogue

Extract

Copyright

Prologue

“They got me, my old friend. They got me.”

Aidan Mahoney woke with a start.

His room was dark; instinct made him reach for the Glock at his bedside and then remain dead still.

Listening.

He’d heard the words as clearly as if they’d been spoken directly in front of him. And when he’d first opened his eyes, he could have sworn that there’d been a form—the form of a man. A man beseeching him—for help. Tall, nicely dressed in a suit, leaning toward him.

But he’d blinked.

And now...

Now there was no one.

He tensed, searching the darkness, listening carefully. He heard the hum of the heater, the noise of a car in the street below and, distantly, the blaring of a horn.

Nothing else. The usual sounds of New York City at night.

But something teased at the back of his mind. Something he should have realized, something he should have recognized about that whisper. His eyes adjusted to the shadows. No, there was nothing in his room. No one stood by his bed. He glanced to the side, but he knew he’d slept alone the night before. He occasionally brought a woman home, but there hadn’t been anyone regular in his life since his crush on Tina Hastings in high school and his passionate college romance with Kathy Flanders.