Beyond Reason (A Reese Link Mystery—Book One)

B E Y O N D R E A S O N (A Reese Link Mystery—Book 1) M o l l y B l a c k Molly Black Bestselling author Molly Black is author of the MAYA GRAY FBI suspense thriller series, comprising nine books (and counting); of the RYLIE WOLF FBI suspense thriller series, comprising six books; of the TAYLOR SAGE FBI suspense thriller series, comprising eight books; of the KATIE WINTER FBI suspense thriller series, comprising eleven books (and counting); of the RUBY HUNTER FBI suspense thriller series, comprising five books (and counting); of the CAITLIN DARE FBI suspense thriller series, comprising five books (and counting); and of the REESE LINK mystery series, comprising five books (and counting). GIRL ONE: MURDER (a Maya Gray FBI Suspense Thriller—Book #1), FOUND YOU (a Rylie Wolf FBI Suspense Thriller—Book #1), SAVE ME (a Katie Winter FBI Suspense Thriller—Book #1), and DON’T LOOK (a Taylor Sage FBI Suspense Thriller—Book #1) are available as free downloads on Amazon! An avid reader and lifelong fan of the mystery and thriller genres, Molly loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.mollyblackauthor.com to learn more and stay in touch. Copyright © 2023 by Molly Black. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior permission of the author. This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Jacket image Copyright ivantdimov used under license from Shutterstock.com. BOOKS BY MOLLY BLACK MAYA GRAY MYSTERY SERIES GIRL ONE: MURDER (Book #1) GIRL TWO: TAKEN (Book #2) GIRL THREE: TRAPPED (Book #3) GIRL FOUR: LURED (Book #4) GIRL FIVE: BOUND (Book #5) GIRL SIX: FORSAKEN (Book #6) GIRL SEVEN: CRAVED (Book #7) GIRL EIGHT: HUNTED (Book #8) GIRL NINE: GONE (Book #9) RYLIE WOLF FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER FOUND YOU (Book #1) CAUGHT YOU (Book #2) SEE YOU (Book #3) WANT YOU (Book #4) TAKE YOU (Book #5) DARE YOU (Book #6) TAYLOR SAGE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER DON’T LOOK (Book #1) DON’T BREATHE (Book #2) DON’T RUN (Book #3) DON’T FLINCH (Book #4) DON’T REMEMBER (Book #5) DON’T TELL (Book #6) KATIE WINTER FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER SAVE ME (Book #1) REACH ME (Book #2) HIDE ME (Book #3) BELIEVE ME (Book #4) HELP ME (Book #5) FORGET ME (Book #6) HOLD ME (Book #7) PROTECT ME (Book #8) REMEMBER ME (Book #9) CATCH ME (Book #10) WATCH ME (Book #11) RUBY HUNTER FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER IF I RUN (Book #1) IF I TELL (Book #2) IF I LIVE (Book #3) IF I FORGET (Book #4) IF I RETURN (Book #5) CAITLIN DARE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER COME GET ME (Book #1) COME FIND ME (Book #2) COME TAKE ME (Book #3) COME CATCH ME (Book #4) COME SAVE ME (Book #5) REESE LINK MYSTERY BEYOND REASON (Book #1) BEYOND REACH (Book #2) BEYOND REPAIR (Book #3) BEYOND DOUBT (Book #4) BEYOND NORMAL (Book #5) CONTENTS PROLOGUE CHAPTER ONE CHAPTER TWO CHAPTER THREE CHAPTER FOUR CHAPTER FIVE CHAPTER SIX CHAPTER SEVEN CHAPTER EIGHT CHAPTER NINE CHAPTER TEN CHAPTER ELEVEN CHAPTER TWELVE CHAPTER THIRTEEN CHAPTER FOURTEEN CHAPTER FIFTEEN CHAPTER SIXTEEN CHAPTER SEVENTEEN CHAPTER EIGHTEEN CHAPTER NINETEEN CHAPTER TWENTY CHAPTER TWENTY ONE CHAPTER TWENTY TWO CHAPTER TWENTY THREE CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE CHAPTER TWENTY SIX CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT EPILOGUE PROLOGUE Gravel crunched beneath Leland Parsons’s boots as he crossed the harbor yard in the early morning mist, eager to get a look at his boat. This was by far his favorite moment of the year, when the ice had thawed and he could inspect his precious sailboat for the first time since winter and prepare to launch her in the water. He increased his pace, hands trembling with excitement, already imagining the smooth, rolling motion of the boat riding the water. The first sail of the season always felt like a maiden voyage, and there was nothing else like it on Earth. For Leland, sailing was freedom, a way to escape the small Maine town in which he had spent his entire life, anchored there by his mother’s failing health and his own fear of abandoning the only life he had ever known. All through the long winter, as the snow piled high against the walls of his house, entombing him in its frigid stillness, he had anticipated getting back out on the water. And now the day was finally here. Leland rounded the corner, and his eyes lit up. There she was. The Sea Nymph. She may not have been his first love, but she had certainly been his most faithful. He had sailed her for eight years now, and he knew all her curves, all her sleek lines. On this boat, he felt free. She was his home away from home, the one place where he felt at peace. The boat was shrink-wrapped, covered in a tight, protective cocoon as it awaited its new birth. He ran his hands over the film, murmuring to the boat that she would soon be free again, as would he. He located the ladder and climbed up to the deck, eager to smell the interior of his boat, to get a good look at her for the