Rachel Caine - Wolfhunter River

PRAISE FOR STILLHOUSE LAKE

In this rapid-fire thriller... Caine spins a powerful story of maternal love and individual self-realization.

Publishers Weekly

Amazing.

Night Owl Reviews (Top Pick)

A chilling thriller... Stillhouse Lake is a great summer read.

Criminal Element

Stillhouse Lake is a true nail-biter right up to the end.

Fresh Fiction

Highly entertaining and super intense!

Novel Gossip

What a fantastic book!

Seattle Book Review

OTHER TITLES BY RACHEL CAINE

Stillhouse Lake Series

Killman Creek

Stillhouse Lake

The Great Library

Paper and Fire

Ink and Bone

Ash and Quill

Smoke and Iron

Weather Warden

Ill Wind

Heat Stroke

Chill Factor

Windfall

Firestorm

Thin Air

Gale Force

Cape Storm

Total Eclipse

Outcast Season

Undone

Unknown

Unseen

Unbroken

Revivalist

Working Stiff

Two Weeks Notice

Terminated

Red Letter Days

Devils Bargain

Devils Due

Morganville Vampires

Glass Houses

The Dead Girls Dance

Midnight Alley

Feast of Fools

Lord of Misrule

Carpe Corpus

Fade Out

Kiss of Death

Ghost Town

Bite Club

Last Breath

Black Dawn

Bitter Blood

Fall of Night

Daylighters

The Honors (with Ann Aguirre)

Honor Among Thieves

Honor Bound

Stand-Alone Titles

Prince of Shadows

Dead Air (with Gwenda Bond and Carrie Ryan)

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Text copyright 2019 by Rachel Caine, LLC

All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

Published by Thomas & Mercer, Seattle

www.apub.com

Amazon, the Amazon logo, and Thomas & Mercer are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc., or its affiliates.

ISBN-13: 9781503902305

ISBN-10: 1503902307

Cover design by Shasti OLeary Soudant

CONTENTS

PROLOGUE

Four days ago

When Ellie Whites teacher, Mrs. Willingham, told her that her driver was coming early to pick her up from school, Ellie knew it wasnt the whole truth. Mr. Lou never came early to get her, not unless she was sick.

Why? she asked. She liked asking questions when things didnt make sense. She might only be six, but Daddy had taught her to ask if she didnt understand. Momma had been a little embarrassed by how much shed taken to it.

Im afraidIm afraid that your daddy asked him to, Mrs. Willingham said. She was a nice white lady with a streak of gray in her brown hair, and she was a good teacher. She never treated Ellie any different from the others, even though Ellies father had a lot of money. Even though Ellie had dark-brown skin, darker than any of the other girls here, who mostly looked as white as magazine pages.

Daddy doesnt do that, Ellie said. Somethings wrong.

Mrs. Willingham was looking at her but not at her. Well, your momma got sick, she said. So hes sending a car to come get you and take you to the hospital where he and your momma are. Okay? She helped Ellie put on her sweater, which Ellie didnt like to wear but didnt want to leave behind either. Then her backpack.

Mrs. Willingham? Ellie asked. She looked up at her teacher. Are you crying?

No, sweetie. Im just fine. Come on now. Lets get you out there, hes waiting.

But Daddy said the code word?

He said the code word, Mrs. Willingham said. The code is blackbird today, right?

Ellie nodded. Thursday was blackbird. Every day was a bird of some kind, because she liked birds, and Momma always called her little hummingbird because she darted around so fast. But Sunday was hummingbird.

Mrs. Willingham went down the school steps first to talk to Mr. Lou, who was waiting inside the car on the loop that went between the steps and the big marble fountain. The rule was that Ellie was never to come to the car until Mrs. Willingham said it was okay. She and Mr. Lou were talking a long time. Mrs. Willingham kept crying.

It was hot today, and humid, but the fountain always looked so cool and pretty. The water sprayed out of a bunch of concrete shells into a bigger shell in the middle. Momma had told her thered once been a pretty lady in the shell, but some parents had made the school take her out, so she was off in some storage closet now, which was sad.

Mrs. Willingham came back up the steps to take her hand. Ellie looked up at her. Everythings going to be all right, her teacher said, but her voice shook. Her eyes were red. Im sorry, baby. But I have to do this. I have a family too.

Ellie felt sorry for her. Is your family okay, Mrs. Willingham?

She didnt mean to make the lady cry. Yes, Ellie, theyre going to be okay. Can you help me make sure they are?

Ellie wasnt sure how to do that, but she nodded anyway. She liked to help, even if she wasnt really sure why Mrs. Willingham thought she could.

Mrs. Willingham opened the door and boosted Ellie up, which was Mr. Lous job, usually. Then her teacher hugged her. You stay strong, Ellie. Youre going to be okay.

But what about your family? Ellie asked. Arent you coming with me so we can help them?

Mrs. Willingham covered her mouth, and tears rolled down her cheeks, and she just shook her head. She shut the door, and that was when Ellie knew something was really wrong. Mrs. Willingham had just lied to her, but she didnt know why.

And then she realized it was worse than she thought, because this looked like the right car, but it didnt smell like the car usually smelled, which was a little bit like coconut, her favorite. Mr. Lou? she called toward the driver. The lock engaged with a heavy thunk. She could see him up in the front seat, a big man wearing a cap. She felt smaller than usual in the back seat, and as the car started to move, she quickly buckled herself up; Mr. Lou never started moving until she was buckled in. Mr. Lou? Whats wrong with Momma? Mrs. Willingham said

She stopped her questions because the man driving wasnt Mr. Lou. The eyes looking at her in the rearview mirror werent his. Put your seatbelt on, he said. Not Mr. Lous voice. And Mr. Lou would have said please.

I did already, she said. She was scared, but she wasnt going to show it. Do you know the code word?

Blackbird, he said. Isnt that right?

Who are you?

Im somebody whos going to get you somewhere safe, he said. Just like Mr. Lou would want me to do. All right?

Im calling my daddy, Ellie said, and unzipped her backpack to pull out her cell phone.