Cheryl Tardif - Submerged

Submerged reads like an approaching storm, full of darkness, dread and electricity. Prepare for your skin to crawl.

From the first page you know you are in the hands of a seasoned and expert storyteller who is going to keep you up at night turning the pages. Tardif knows her stuff. Theres a reason she sells like wildfireher words burn up the pages. A wonderful, scary, heart pumping writer.

Tardif once again delivers a suspenseful supernatural masterpiece.

From the first page, Cheryl Kaye Tardif takes you hostage with Submergeda compelling tale of anguish and redemption.

Cheryl Kaye Tardifs latest novel Submerged will leave you as haunted as its characters.

A very special thank you to my longtime friend, Mike, without whom this novel wouldnt be possible. Mike, thank you for sharing your own story of addiction, of how it affected your life, your marriage, your career and those around you. Your quiet courage is inspiring. And your life now proves there is a chance for redemption, if one lets go of old ways, grabs onto hope and rises to the surface.

Thanks to Sharon DeVries of Yellowhead Regional Emergency Communications Center, for all the invaluable information regarding emergency services and practices in the Hinton/Edson area. As with all fiction, sometimes truth has to be bent in order to fit a plot and to rev up the pace, so if there are any mistakes made, these are completely my own, though I do strive to create believable scenes and characters.

Many thanks to Laurent Colasse, president of ResQMe, and Melissa Christensen, for allowing me to use their product and brand in my story. I am hoping this will bring more awareness to this important safety device. And my sincere appreciation for their donation of a dozen ResQMe key chains, which will be given away during the launch of this book. You can learn more about this device at www.resqme.com

And to Christopher Bain, senior manager of product planning and development at BioWare ULC, a division of Electronic Arts Inc., for allowing me the use of their company name in this novel. www.bioware.com

Thanks to John Zur, a valued reader and fan of my novels, for allowing me to turn you into a characterand a good one, at that. I have plans for Detective John Zur, and I believe hell make another appearance in another novel sometime in the future.

Thanks to a very special teen fan, Gabbie Gros, who allowed me to immortalize her within these pages. Gabbie, I truly hope you realize you can be whatever you want to be. Your future is in YOUR hands. You are a gift to the world! Never, ever, forget that.

And thanks to fellow author, Luke Murphy, who won a contest I held a few years agoone in which the winner supplied me with the first line of a new novel. The first sentence of the prologue is Lukes, and I think youll agree it provokes gruesome images and an elusive scent that might linger in your mind.

You never grow accustomed to the stench of death. Marcus Taylor knew that smell intimately. He had inhaled burnt flesh, decayed flesh diseased flesh. It lingered on him long after he was separated from the body.

The image of his wife and sons gray faces and blue lips assaulted him.

Jane Ryan.

Mercifully, there were no bodies tonight. The only scent he recognized now was wet prairie and the dank residue left over from a rainstorm and the river.

So what happened, Marcus?

The question came from Detective John Zur, a cop Marcus knew from the old days. Back before he traded in his steady income and respected career for something that had poisoned him physically and mentally.

Come on, Zur prodded. Start talking. And tell me the truth.

Marcus was an expert at hiding things. Always had been. But there was no way in hell he could hide why he was soaked to the skin and standing at the edge of a river in the middle of nowhere.

He squinted at the river, trying to discern where the car had sunk. He only saw faint ripples on the surface. You can see what happened, John.

You left your desk. Not a very rational decision to make, considering your past.

Marcus shook his head, the taste of river water still in his throat. Just because I do something unexpected doesnt mean Im back to old habits.

Zur studied him but said nothing.

I had to do something, John. I had to try to save them.

Thats what EMS is for. Youre not a paramedic anymore.

Marcus let his gaze drift to the river. I know. But you guys were all over the place and someone had to look for them. They were running out of time.

Overhead, lightning forked and thunder reverberated.

Dammit, Marcus, you went rogue! Zur said. You know how dangerous that is. We couldve had four bodies.

Marcus scowled. Instead of merely three, you mean?

You know how this works. We work in teams for a reason. We all need backup. Even you.

All the rescue teams were otherwise engaged. I didnt have a choice.

Zur sighed. We go back a long way. I know you did what you thought was right. But it couldve cost them all their lives. And itll probably cost you your job. Why would you risk that for a complete stranger?

She wasnt a stranger.

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Marcus realized how true that statement seemed. He knew more about Rebecca Kingston than he did about any other woman. Besides Jane.

You know her? Zur asked, frowning.

She told me things and I told her things. So, yeah, I know her.

I still do not get why you didnt stay at the center and let us do our job.

She called me. Marcus looked into his friends eyes. Me. Not you.

I understand, but thats your job. To listen and relay information.

You dont understand a thing. Rebecca was terrified. For herself and her children. No one knew where they were for sure, and she was running out of time. If I didnt at least try, what kind of person would I be, John? He gritted his teeth. I couldnt live with that. Not again.

Zur exhaled. Sometimes were simply too late. It happens.

Well, I didnt want it to happen this time. Marcus thought of the vision hed seen of Jane standing in the middle of the road. I had a hunch I was close. Then when Rebecca mentioned Colton had seen flying pigs, I remembered this place. Jane and I used to buy ribs and chops from the owner, before it closed down about seven years ago.

And that led you here to the farm. Zurs voice softened. Good thing your hunch paid off. This time. Next time, you might not be so lucky.

There wont be a next time, John.

A smirk tugged at the corner of Zurs mouth. Uh-huh.

There wont.

Zur shrugged and headed for the ambulance.

Under a chaotic sky, Marcus stood at the edge of the river as tears cascaded from his eyes. The nights events hit him hard, like a sucker punch to the gut. He was submerged in a wave of memories. The first call, Rebeccas frantic voice, Colton crying in the background. He knew that kind of fear. Hed felt it before. But last time, it was a different road, different woman, different child.

He shook his head. He couldnt think of Jane right now. Or Ryan. He couldnt reflect on all hed lost. He needed to focus on what hed found, what hed discovered in a faceless voice that had comforted him and expressed that it was okay to let go.