My First Book Teaser

A sneak peek at The Vicar's Wife, an inspirational romantic suspense novel

So… I wrote a book. I’ve just finished it, and I am still learning about the ins and outs of queries and proposals and how to find an agent and a publisher… so many things to learn. But, I wanted to give you all a sneak peek at the opening of…

THE VICAR’S WIFE

CHAPTER 1

November 2022, Chesterfield, WI

Leann pedaled slowly through the woods, paying attention to every detail. She barely looked at the trail. Her body remembered every crook and dip, she’d rode this way so many times before. Her eyes were on the autumn leaves, the twist of the branches, and the sparkles of morning light just beginning to shine between them. When she did look down, it was to study a rock or a stick that had caught her attention.

She stopped at the edge of the woods to take it all in one more moment before riding into the city. The fallen leaves lay flat on the ground in a smooth bed, except for a small hump. She put her kickstand down and got off her bicycle to take a closer look. It hadn’t been there yesterday, perhaps a bird had died. She would collect it in her backpack to study the lines of its feathers if that was the case.

It might be a squirrel, she thought as she got closer, but the shape was not right for either. The leaves had not fallen naturally at this spot, she realized. They’d been disturbed somehow, like someone had covered the object intentionally. Pink neon flashed between the edges of the leaves and she quickly brushed them aside and drew back just as fast. The bright nail polish shone against the pale white skin of a small hand, a human hand.

Leann fumbled in her coat pocket for her phone and dialed 911.

A dead body.

Just off the Chesterfield trail.

Just below the interstate.

Just behind Legg’s Strip Club.

Just before Metro Stop 29 on Crandall Road.

She told the dispatcher every landmark she recognized.

She desperately wanted to uncover the rest of the body to see and study the details so she could use them in a drawing later.

But, she’d watched enough crime dramas to know that she shouldn’t touch a thing.

But, she really, really wanted to.

But, she wouldn’t.

But, then she heard a sound. A sound unlike the usual cars buzzing by on the nearby highway, unlike the sounds of the woods. A human sound. She looked around and then she heard it again. A small, quiet voice, saying “Help.”

Then, the hand moved. Only slightly, but Leann was sure. There was no hesitation now. She pushed aside the leaves, uncovering the rest of the arm and then the body, searching for the face it belonged to.

A girl.

Leann thought she couldn’t be older than twenty, not that Leann was so much older at her mature age of twenty-two, but the girl’s face seemed to her that of a child.

“Are you ok?” she asked. The first question she’d learned in the emergency response portion of Babysitting 101. She didn’t remember much else from the class, but she knew she had to get permission to help someone unless they were unresponsive. They’d drilled over and over again, yelling “Are you Ok?” at each other before practicing their skills.

She knew the answer, and then she wondered if she had imagined the voice. She tried to find a pulse, but all she found was ice cold flesh.

“Oh, you’re freezing.”

Leann took off her coat and laid it over the girl tucking in the sides to try to keep her warm. The leather jacket had a fleece lining and down filling. It held in body heat really well. Leann sat beside the girl, shivering without it.

NOTE: The Vicar’s Wife is the story of a woman falling in love, coming to faith, and escaping a murderer all at once, with a distinctly Lutheran flavor.