Nothing There

NOTHING THERE (A Juliette Hart FBI Suspense Thriller—Book Two) B L A K E P I E R C E 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 CHAPTER TWENTY NINE CHAPTER THIRTY CHAPTER THIRTY ONE EPILOGUE PROLOGUE "Amazing," Chad Leeman muttered to himself as he gazed at the extensive ruins, the ancient stone thrown into dramatic relief by the bright rays and deep shadows of the early summer sun. "What a city." He shivered suddenly, his skin prickling into goosebumps. He'd known that visiting Naples and the ruins of Pompeii would be one of the highlights of his trip to Italy, and it had; but being around this historic site where so many had died and so much human devastation had occurred was making him feel chilled. Chad was sensitive to the spiritual world. He was one of those people who could occasionally see ghosts, and who could sometimes sense tragedy before it occurred. It was almost as if there was a weird sense of foreboding in the air now. He'd felt it a few times before in his life, most recently just before a fatal car crash had occurred in front of their house, a few miles outside of Leicester, England. Well, there had been many fatalities here. Most likely, the past was what he was picking up on. Putting the uneasiness out of his mind, he imagined what life must have been like for the people who had once lived here, walking the same streets he was now treading, paved with ancient stones. As he took in the incredible ancient Roman architecture - what was left of it – the ruins, pillars, the well-planned city crisscrossed by paved roads, the hazy outline of Mount Vesuvius in the background six miles away, it made him wonder what it must have been like for the citizens of this once thriving center, when the volcano erupted and the lethal ash cloud descended. More than nineteen feet deep, it had smothered every living thing. He walked through the Forum, where the dark-haired, pretty guide who was escorting his small group explained in her musical Italian accent about the buildings, set out in the shape of a cross, that formed the political and cultural heart of Pompeii. The Temple of Minerva, Jupiter, Apollo, and Venus, she said, pointing out each one in turn. Then the group moved to the nearby baths - the Stabian baths, one of the oldest known in the Roman civilization, where the wealthy of the city would have gone to bathe and gossip. The walls of the baths were still standing, and Chad marveled at the intricate mosaics that lined the floors and walls. He'd never seen anything like them before - the exquisite workmanship and the colors, still bright and clear after so many years. Chad sighed, pushing aside the lurking vestiges of dread, and allowed himself to feel a deep sense of awe and admiration for this ancient city. He took it in as he walked down the streets where the houses of the former inhabitants still stood, with the occasional mosaic on the floor, or a piece of furniture, providing a clue to the lifestyle of those who had lived here. It had been a vibrant, thriving city in its day, and he could feel the echoes of its past. Surrounded by the ruins, he felt the presence of the ancients, their voices and stories still lingering in the air, and he was filled with awe. "And now, we are going to explore the amphitheater," the guide explained, leading them along the pathway to the famous focal point of the ruins. "This was buried during the eruption of the volcano, Vesuvius, in 79 AD. It was one of the earliest stone amphitheaters. Before that, the Romans built them of wood." "Out of wood? That’s so interesting," he muttered. "It was extremely well-designed, and even by today’s standards it is considered just about perfect in the awe inspiring blend of light and sound it would have produced inside its walls. But the ash cloud did not spare it. When it was excavated, six bodies were found inside these walls," the guide said sorrowfully. He looked up towards the sky, imagining the ash cloud, billowing, looming, and then blotting out all the light. Suddenly, sharply, he tensed, feeling that strange stab of unease hit him again. What was that in the sky? A large bird? For a moment, the sun winked out. And then, squinting against it glare, his heart beat faster as he saw something falling. Falling from the sky, dropping down. Not a gliding bird. Now he could see the limbs. Horror flooded through him as he realized what it was, approaching so fast. It was a human being, a person. Chad gave a horrified cry, echoed by a couple of others in the group who had seen it too. And then, with a terrible, final thud, the body landed, the sound heavy and final, like a sack, dropped into the stone center of the amphitheater. Now there were screams coming from all around as people pointed, yelling in fear, unable to believe that this had happened. For a moment, Chad himself was paralyzed by horror. And then he acted, rushing forward, hurrying down the stone steps, intent on reaching the man. He knew CPR; he had some medical training. Perhaps, by some miracle, he could be saved. As he reached the sprawled figure, he realized the dark-haired man was alive. Somehow, he was semi-conscious. He was speaking in a slurred tone and Chad knelt down, bending forward. "It's okay," he said, as the man struggled to