I am thrilled to be hosting a spot
on the EVERY MISSING GIRL by Leanne Kale Sparks Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out
my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!
About The Book:
Author: Leanne Kale Sparks
Pub. Date: February 7, 2023
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Formats: Hardcover, eBook, Audiobook
Pages: 272
Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/EVERY-MISSING-GIRL
Sparks takes her gift for nail-biting
drama to a new level with a cold case of a missing girl suddenly gone red-hot.
This “enthralling page-turner” (Lisa Regan) is perfect for fans of Melinda
Leigh and Lisa Gardner.
The stunning landscape of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains are among our greatest
natural treasures. But there are deadly secrets lurking in the craggy heights,
and FBI Special Agent Kendall Beck and Denver Homicide Detective Adam Taylor
team up to investigate a kidnapping. When Taylor’s niece, Frankie, suddenly
vanishes at a local hockey rink, it’s clear that there’s a predator on the
loose—and now, the case has turned personal.
One discovery after another leads Beck and Taylor closer to the truth, as they
close in on the devastating truth about the fates of the missing girls—and the
many who came before them. Will they be able to find Frankie before it’s too
late? In this thrilling story, Leanne Kale Sparks weaves the threads of
this harrowing drama and builds the intensity to a fever pitch.
1
Friday
FBI
Special Agent Kendall Black knew she’d been to one too many crime scenes when
in the midst of the bloodiest she’d walked into lately—this one in a
convenience store—she wondered who had the tedious job of washing off all
the blood smeared on the cellophane of a five-pack of Donettes. Or did
they throw all the blood-splattered items away because, well, they
were covered in blood? Maybe they put them on a clearance rack. But
did they then have to disclose they were part of a murder?
Probably
the best thing would be to send the tainted snacks back to the station
with the patrol cops currently swarming the small store—what looked to be
half the force in Denver. None of them cared if the bag of Cheetos had
some spatter on the front. Free food. No law enforcement officer would
pass up gratis chips and donuts.
Mmm . . . donuts . . . What she wouldn’t give for
a jelly right about now.
“Can
I help you?” a cop asked, sidestepping around her as she stood in the
middle of the doorway.
“Yeah.”
She flashed her badge. “Can you point me to who’s in charge of the
investigation?”
The
cop peered around the store and pointed to a man at the end of the
checkout counter. “There he is, dark suit, talking to the balding old
guy.”
Kendall
didn’t need to see the lead investigator’s face to know it was Adam
Taylor. The two had met and worked together on a case, one near and dear
to Kendall’s heart—the murder of her best friend. During the
investigation, Kendall and Adam had grown close, and she counted him
among her tight-knit posse of confidants.
“Thanks.”
She signed the crime scene log and strode toward Adam and one of his
sidekicks, Saul Chapman.
“Don’t
think for one fucking second that catching this case means you won’t be
helping me move,” she said by way of greeting as she sidled up next to
Adam.
“Oh,
goody, they sent you.” He gave her a sideways glance. “I’ve been
looking forward to your wit and charm all morning. What took you so long?
Decide on a bubble bath before coming in?”
“Full-body
massage with a hot Swede.”
“How
was it?”
“Hard.”
She tipped her head toward the body splayed on the floor in the middle of
a large pool of blood. “What’s the story here?”
“Dead
guy,” Saul said, pointing out the obvious.
Kendall
wrinkled her nose. “I don’t do dead guys. I do kids.” “Got one of those
too.”
“Dead?”
Kendall hated starting any day with a dead body, but a dead kid made it
ten times more revolting.
“No,”
Adam said. “But potentially a missing one.” “Elaborate.”
“Bad
Guy”—he pointed to the splayed body—“was trying to rob the store.
Apparently had the child with him. There was another customer at the back
of the store by the coolers, mind ing his own business. He hears a ruckus at
the front of the store. Bad Guy is demanding money from the cashier, who
grabs for a gun under the counter and aims it at Bad Guy. Things go side
ways, Bad Guy gets a shot off, cashier goes down. Bad Guy kicks cashier’s
gun out of the way and puts another round in cashier’s head.”
“Meanwhile”—Saul
picks up the story—“the kid is scream ing, so the minding-his-own-business guy
becomes a Good Samaritan, picks up the cashier’s gun while Bad Guy is
trying
EVERY
MISSING GIRL 3
to
empty the till. Bad Guy sees Good Sam, lifts his gun to shoot him, but
Good Sam shoots Bad Guy first. Decent shot—looks like it was center mass.
But Good Sam is apparently so freaked out by killing someone, he runs out
of the store with the little girl in tow.”
“Cops
found them down the alley. Some neighbor called about a guy with a little
girl hiding behind his garage,” Adam said.
“Hiding
from what?”
“Not
clear on that,” Adam said. “I don’t do lost kids. I do dead guys.”
***
Kendall
mulled over the information Adam had given her as she walked across the
parking lot of the convenience store to where police were talking to the
Good Sam. The sun was breaking through the cloud cover, beams of light
bouncing off windows and illuminating the city. This would be considered
a rough part of town. Boarded-up warehouses covered in graffiti and
store
fronts
that hadn’t been painted since they were first constructed competed with
the fast-food conglomerates that always seem to thrive in any community
regardless of the socioeconomics.
The
Good Sam, who looked to be mid-forties, possibly skirting fifty, slouched
against the back end of the police cruiser, one hand grooming his closely
trimmed gray beard. He wore jeans, a light-gray button-up shirt, and tan
canvas shoes. Seemed to be a normal guy, which always set off Kendall’s
warning bells. Most “normal” people she met in her line of work tended to
be the lowest forms of life. Shit dipped in gold. Shiny on the outside,
just don’t scratch the surface.
As
she approached the car, the officer stepped forward. She flashed her
badge; he nodded and stepped out of her way. “Hi.” She stuck her hand out for
the man, who was now standing upright in front of her, an eyebrow raised.
“I’m FBI Special Agent Kendall Beck. I was wondering if I could ask
you a few questions?”
“FBI?”
The man asked as he scanned her badge, then met her gaze while shaking
her hand. “I already told the police everything about the shooting.”
“I
understand, Mr. . . . ?”
“Craig,”
the man said. “Melvin.”
“Melvin.
I know it’s hard to keep repeating a story that’s sure to give you
nightmares, but I’m more interested in the girl who was in the store with
you.”
“She
wasn’t in the store with me,” he said, placing emphasis on the
word, most likely to ensure Kendall understood there was a difference. “She was
with that scum of the earth who shot the cashier.” “I was told she was found
with you.”
“Yes,
that’s true,” he said, drawing out the words. “But I just happened to be
in the store. And she was in the store. But she came with the other guy.
That’s all. I don’t know who she is.”
Kendall
smiled, hoping to put the man at ease. She didn’t want the man on the
defensive when it appeared he was trying to help the girl. She had
learned a long time ago to start soft. Bring out the barbed-wire-covered
bat only as a not-so-gentle means of persuasion when necessary. “Perhaps
you should start from the beginning.”
Melvin
pulled his hand down his face and stroked his beard while letting out a
long sigh. “I stopped by to get a Mountain Dew and a breakfast burrito—my
usual breakfast. I was standing at the back cooler when the guy came in with
the little girl. He looked sort of sketchy—”
“What
do you mean by that?”
The
man scratched along his jaw, his eyes squinting just slightly, and
Kendall figured this was a subconscious act. “Well, he wasn’t the kind of
guy you expected to have a little girl with him. His clothes were dirty,
his hair was long, and he looked a bit scraggly. Probably could’ve stood
to shower, you know what I mean?”
Kendall
nodded. She’d met many a sketchy dude in her line of work.
Craig
returned the nod and continued. “And the little girl looked scared. So I
kind of hung back and just watched them. Then the guy tells the cashier
to give him all the money from the register. Next thing I know, both of
those idiots had guns, and then the shooting started.”
“So,
just so I understand, both of them were shooting and you decided to get
the girl?”
Craig
looked up and away, as if trying to recall the scene in his mind. “I
don’t remember if they both were shooting—I think the guy shot the
cashier first and she dropped her gun.” “And is that when you decided to pick
it up?”
“Yeah—I
don’t know what I was thinking—the little girl was screaming and I was
afraid the guy was going to shoot her. So I just . . . acted on
instincts, I guess.” He shrugged and looked down at his feet as he rocked
from one to the other.
Kendall
gave him a moment. It was never easy to kill people. Even law enforcement
agents had a tough time dealing with taking a life. This guy might have only
ever shot a gun at a range, taking out a paper man on a target. Not even
close to the same experience. Paper men didn’t bleed. And they didn’t cry
out in agony. It was a whole different ballgame when the shooting
involved live flesh and blood. “What happened after you shot the
man?”
Craig
looked at Kendall, then swallowed, staring over her shoulder at the front
of the store. “I just took off. I knew I had to get the girl out of
there—she had already seen too much.” He ran his hand over his beard
again, and Kendall decided it was a nervous tic he probably didn’t
realize he was doing most of the time. “Truth be told, I was a little
shaken up as well. I’ve never seen anyone die. And there was
just . . . so much blood.”
There
was a great deal of truth to the statement. She had been to many violent
crime scenes during her career with the FBI, and it was still unnerving
to actually see how much blood the human body contained. “So why were you
hiding when the police started canvassing the area?”
He
inhaled through his nose and rocked back on his heels. “Honestly, I think
I was in shock or something. I truly thought they were trying to hurt
us.” He shook his head, seemingly some what disgusted at the memory. “I know it
sounds silly, but I was just really freaked out.”
“It
doesn’t sound silly at all,” Kendall reassured him. “Even the most
seasoned veteran on the force gets shaken up in a gun fight. You did just
fine.” She glanced back at the store. “You said it’s your routine to come
here every morning, is that right?”
“Not
exactly,” he said. “I am not usually in this part of town. I live in
Arvada and go to the store there.”
“Where
is that store? Do you know the cross streets?” “Yeah, it’s off Kipling and
Ridge.”
Kendall
made a note. “So why were you on this side of town this morning?”
“I
had a meeting with a client, but he didn’t show up. So I decided to go
into the store and grab breakfast before heading back to my
office.”
“What
do you do for a living?”
“I’m
a small business owner. Sort of a courier. I do all the running around
for businesses who still deal in documents and stuff. Mostly lawyers, but
today I was supposed to pick up some paperwork for a general
contractor.”
Kendall
hadn’t really considered there were still businesses out there that
didn’t do everything electronically. Didn’t seem as if there would be
enough work to make a living out of it. But then again, if he was one of
only a few who did that type of work, he might be highly sought after by
businesses who needed that service.
“And
you’re certain you don’t know either of the people in the store?”
The
man shook his head and dropped his gaze. “No. Like I said, I’m not
usually on this side of town.”
“And
you don’t know the little girl—at least you didn’t before this
morning?”
“Don’t
know anything about her,” he said quickly and firmly, looking Kendall in
the eye.
“Okay,
thank you,” Kendall said, fishing a business card out of her pocket and
handing it to him. “If you think of anything else, please give me a
call.”
“Am
I free to go now?” There was a slight edge of irritation to his voice.
Weird, but perhaps the day’s events were starting to catch up with him.
There were many instances where a person went through stages—killing a
man was one of them. Craig was probably going through the stage where he
was getting pissed at everyone associated with this event, especially the
person he shot. But it was difficult to get angry at a dead guy, so he
was going to turn it on the next available living human.
Kendall
was not up for being in his line of fire. It was too early in the day.
“Best
to check with the officer,” she said, and turned away. She wasn’t going
to get into a pissing match with Melvin Craig, and she had no idea
whether Adam still needed to talk to him. Let the uniform deal with Craig
and his attitude. It was good for young pups to learn how to overcome
adversity.
As
Kendall walked back to the c-store to find Adam, she hit the speed dial
for her partner, Jake, and listened to her phone ring until he answered.
Loud chatter and children’s squeals nearly covered his “Hello.”
“Where
the hell are you?” she asked.
“I
had to drop the kid at day care.”
“They
let you in with a gun?”
“They’re
not happy about it. I get lots of dirty looks.” “That’s not necessarily because
you have a gun.”
“Did
you call for a reason beyond damaging my fragile male ego?”
“Yeah,
I’m at a crime scene. Looks like we found a possible missing girl.”
“Alive?”
His voice was tentative. It sucked having to start the day finding a dead
kid.
“Yes,
but I haven’t had a chance to question her. Apparently, she’s not
talking. Adam had her taken to the PD, so I’m heading over to see if I
can at least get a name and inform her parents.” “What do you need from
me?”
“I’m
going to send you some info on the guy she was with. It appears he’s the
reason we’re not investigating her murder. I need you to do some
background on the guy, see if the info he gave me checks out.”
She heard the sound of a car door closing and a vehicle engine starting. “Heading to the office now.”
About Leanne Kale Sparks:
After a
short career in law, Leanne Kale Sparks is returning to her first love—writing
about murder, mayhem, and crime. Currently, she is an author with Crooked Lane
Books and is working on a new series featuring an FBI agent hunting down her
best friend’s murderer. The backdrop is the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, the
playground of her youth, and the place that will always be home. She currently
resides in Texas with her husband and German Shepherd, Zoe.
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Giveaway Details:
1 winner
will receive a finished copy of EVERY MISSING GIRL, US Only.
Ends February 21st, midnight EST.
a Rafflecopter giveawayTour Schedule:
Week One:
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1/23/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
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1/23/2023 |
Excerpt/IG Post |
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1/24/2023 |
IG Review |
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1/24/2023 |
Excerpt |
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1/25/2023 |
IG Review |
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1/25/2023 |
Excerpt/IG Post |
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1/26/2023 |
Review |
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1/26/2023 |
Excerpt |
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1/27/2023 |
IG Review/TikTok Post |
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1/28/2023 |
IG Review |
Week Two:
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1/29/2023 |
IG Review |
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1/30/2023 |
IG Review |
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1/31/2023 |
IG Review |
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2/1/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
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2/2/2023 |
IG Review |
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2/3/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
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2/4/2023 |
TikTok Review/IG Post |
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2/4/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
Week Three:
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2/5/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
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2/5/2023 |
IG Review |
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2/6/2023 |
IG Review |
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2/6/2023 |
IG Review/TikTok Post |
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2/7/2023 |
IG Review |
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2/7/2023 |
Review |
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2/8/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
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2/8/2023 |
IG Review |
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2/9/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
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2/10/2023 |
IG Review/TikTok Post |
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2/11/2023 |
IG Review |
Week Four:
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2/12/2023 |
IG Review/Facebook Post |
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2/13/2023 |
Review |
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2/14/2023 |
Review/IG Post |
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2/15/2023 |
IG Review |
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2/16/2023 |
IG Review |
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2/16/2023 |
IG Post |
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2/17/2023 |
IG Review/Facebook Post |
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