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Who’s to blame when tragedy strikes?
Teetering on the verge of depression while trying to keep her past mistakes a secret, Jamie Walker discovers a glimmer of hope when she interviews an older widowed pastor for an article she’s writing. But when her family cooperates with a police detective threatening to dig up what happened on the night Jamie’s life changed forever, she must learn that God’s forgiveness is the only balm that can heal the wounds she caused everyone—including herself.
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Prologue
June 30
Twelve Years Ago
WHIZZING DOWN the highway at top speed, Jamie ignored her speedometer and the night’s heavy rainfall. The doors of her ’97 Chevy Cavalier rattled in the wind.
Find her. Now.
Jamming the pedal closer to the floor, she curled her body around the steering wheel, putting as much distance between herself and the beach as she could.
Through the windshield she stared, gaze ping-ponging back and forth, back and forth, never blinking. Every thunk thunk of the wiper blades cranked up her heart rate.
She has to be somewhere. She’s walking home. Wet and scared and ticked off.
Five minutes passed without any signs of life but her headlights glinting off the raindrops.
They’re going to kill me.
Alyssa’s silver charm bracelet stung her palm as she crushed it against the steering wheel.
Where are you?
Images flashed before her eyes. Disgusting. Horrifying. Insane. Picturing the only logical conclusion—if I can’t find her out here, that means … She rolled down her window and shrieked her cousin’s name for the thousandth time. Again. And again. Until she was soaking wet and hoarse.
I did this.
Everything around her ground to a halt, though she hadn’t removed her sneaker from the accelerator.
She’s gone. She’s really gone.
The road came into view again, just in time for her to swerve toward her exit.
This is all my fault.
Squealing into an empty Walmart parking lot, Jamie threw the car into a space at an awkward angle and zipped up her window. Though the night was hot and muggy, she shivered. Thunder rolled in the distance.
Think. Think. What should I do?
Trees swayed in the breeze as she pondered her dilemma. She had no choice. She had to return home empty-handed. The bracelet bit into her flesh. Or at least they needed to think she’d come home empty-handed. If they saw this bracelet, and if they knew where she’d found it, they’d put two and two together and come to realize that Alyssa was gone forever. Her parents were already livid that she’d left this late at night. They’d be worried if she didn’t return soon. And they’d grow suspicious if she stayed out much longer.
If she kept her mouth shut, no one would know what really happened today except the two of them.
Correction—except her.
And no one can find out.
Ever.