The Buried Girls

THE BURIED GIRLS A THOMAS SHEPHERD MYSTERY BOOK 5 DAN PADAVONA CONTENTS Get a FREE Book! Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Chapter 41 Chapter 42 Chapter 43 Chapter 44 Chapter 45 Chapter 46 Chapter 47 Chapter 48 Chapter 49 Chapter 50 Chapter 51 Chapter 52 Chapter 53 Chapter 54 Chapter 55 Chapter 56 Chapter 57 Chapter 58 Chapter 59 Get a FREE Book! Support Your Favorite Authors Acknowledgments About the Author GET A FREE BOOK! I’m a pretty nice guy once you look past the grisly images in my head. Most of all, I love connecting with awesome readers like you. Join my VIP Reader Group and get a FREE serial killer thriller for your Kindle. Get My Free Book www.danpadavona.com/thriller-readers-vip-group/ 1 Tara Pearson paced the floor. It was getting dark outside and Erin still hadn’t returned from basketball practice. She should have arrived home an hour ago, and now there was a stillness to the night. Something wasn’t right. Her mind sped up as she imagined the worst-case scenarios. She had heard about the kidnappings in Nightshade County, and her imagination jumped to the possibility that her daughter had become a victim. Tara tried calling Erin's phone, but it went straight to voicemail. She took matters into her own hands and drove to the school where the team held basketball practice. It was only two blocks away, and Erin always jogged home from practice, claiming she needed extra training to increase her endurance. Snow covered the landscape and glowed blue under the moon and stars. It was cold enough for Tara to see her breath inside the car, and each exhalation fogged up the windshield. With the new year behind them, the city had taken down the Christmas lights. All was barren and icy, as if the world carried an air of hopelessness. The school was deserted. Erin wasn't there. She found the interior drab and sparsely decorated, with cold gray walls, fluorescent lights, and old tile floors. Rows of lockers lined the hallways, and there were classrooms with desks in neat rows. Whiteboards hung on the walls, and a bulletin board displayed announcements and artwork from students. Everything was orderly, a stark contrast to the energy of the students during school hours. She pushed through the double doors and hurried down the steps, hoping she’d find her daughter working out in the weight room. She passed the athletic offices. Coach Simmons was still here. Maybe he knew where Erin was. Tara found the coach in his office, grading papers at his desk. "Have you seen my daughter? She was supposed to come straight home after practice," she asked, her voice shaking. He looked up from his paperwork, a puzzled expression on his face. "Erin? No, not since practice ended. Are you sure she didn’t catch a ride from one of the girls? It’s freezing tonight." “That doesn’t sound right. She would have gotten home by now.” “It’s possible they stopped for dinner. My suggestion is to call the parents and check. These kids don’t think when they decide to go somewhere, and everyone ends up worried for no reason.” He snapped his fingers. “You know, Erin was talking to Sara during practice, so much that I made them run laps. I bet they’re at Sara’s house. It seemed like they were planning something.” Tara thanked him and left the office. She called Sara’s mother, but no one had seen Erin since the girls left the locker room. More calls brought the same result. She thought back to the missing girls in Nightshade County. If she didn’t slow down, she would have a panic attack. She got back into her car, the engine whirring to life. She tried calling Erin's phone again. Nothing. She drove around the city, hoping to spot her daughter jogging home. As she traveled down the deserted streets, she couldn't shake the feeling that her daughter was gone and she would never see Erin again. What if someone had taken her? What if she was hurt and stranded in the cold? She could feel the weight of worry and fear crushing her spirit. She drove around the city, scanning the streets and alleys for any sign of her daughter. As the minutes passed, her hope dwindled, and the cold reality of the situation sank in. She pulled over to the side of the road and buried her face in her hands, trying to hold back the tears. A loud knock on the car window startled her, and she looked up to see a man standing outside. He was wearing a thick coat and a beanie, and his face was rugged and unshaven. She wasn’t sure if she should lower the window. "Are you okay, ma'am?" he asked. Tara wiped her tears. "I'm looking for my daughter. She's missing." The man's expression softened, and he leaned in closer. "I saw a girl running a few blocks back. Looked like she was in a hurry. Maybe that was her?" “Which direction was she going?” He pointed past the school and toward their house. That had to be Erin. “How long ago did you see her?” she asked. “Twenty minutes ago.” Then Erin should have made it home by now. “I don’t want to overstep my bounds,” the man said, “but if you’re worried, it might be a wise idea to call the sheriff’s department.” She tried to stay positive but found it impossible. Panic crawled up her throat with jagged nails. “Thank you, sir.” “If I see her, I’ll tell her you’re