Sharon Sala's Missing Will Keep You Reading All Night!

 

Ally was already up and setting out the sausages and bacon she’d cooked for breakfast when her father and both brothers came into the kitchen. 

“Something smells good,” Porter said, and stole a piece of bacon. “Are we having biscuits?” Danny asked. “Isn’t this Sunday?” Ally teased. Danny grinned. “Yes, it’s Sunday, and yes, I know, we always have biscuits on Sunday. Just thought I’d ask.” 

“Scrambled or fried?” Ally asked, referring to the eggs she had yet to cook. “Scrambled works for me,” her father said. Ally gave him a cool glance, then nodded. They had yet to smooth over the rough patch they’d had when she’d gone to Granny Devon’s, and she wasn’t going to be the first one to say “I’m sorry,” because she’d done nothing for which she needed to apologize. She began breaking eggs in the bowl as the men poured coffee, got butter and jelly from the refrigerator, as well as the salt and pepper shakers out of the cabinet, and set them on the table. Within minutes, they were seated with plates of fluffy yellow eggs, scrambled to perfection, at each place. 

Gideon looked at each of his children until he had their complete attention; then he bowed his head and blessed the food. He was on the verge of saying amen when he paused and added the words, “Bless the cook that prepared it, amen.” 

Ally looked up to find her father’s gaze upon her. She sighed. It was all the apology she was going to get. “Porter, pass Daddy the meat,” she said, then took a biscuit and passed them on. 

Gideon worried all through the meal, hoping he hadn’t left his little bit of news too late. It would be horribly embarrassing to have company over after church and not have a meal to offer. He poured himself a second cup of coffee from the pot on the table, then took a third biscuit and buttered it up. “Good bread, daughter,” he said quietly. 

“Thank you, Daddy,” Ally said, then glanced at the clock and got up from the table. “I’m going to get a roast out of the freezer and put it on low heat in the oven so it can cook while we’re at church.”

Gideon nodded approvingly, then slapped his knee as if he just remembered something. “Did I tell you we’re having company at noon?” Ally turned. “No, and please tell me it’s not the preacher because I don’t have anything special baked for dessert.” “No, no, nothing like that,” he said. “It’s just Freddie Joe.” She frowned. “Detweiller?” “Yes.” “Is he bringing his children?” “No, I think they’re at their granny’s for the weekend. He mentioned wanting one of my bull calves to raise for a new breeding bull. I told him he’d better come pick it out before I cut ’em all.” 

“I’ll put extra vegetables in the roast. It will be fine.” Gideon breathed a quick sigh of relief. It was a lie, but it had served its purpose. The only stock on the Monroe property that Freddie Joe was interested in was his daughter. 

Gideon had almost gotten over his guilt at deceiving his daughter when they pulled into the church parking lot. As soon as they got out of the truck, they joined other members of the congregation who were moving toward the doorway. The preacher was standing on the steps, greeting his parishioners, as well as paying special attention to the children who were accompanying their parents. Ally’s focus was on one of her old classmates, who was coming to church with a new baby. While she was happy for her friend’s little family, it only enforced the lack of her own. 

She was halfway up the steps when someone suddenly grabbed her by the forearm. “Ally Monroe, is this you?” “Good morning, Granny Devon,” she said. There was a smile on the old woman’s face as she started to answer, then her sightless eyes suddenly rolled back in her head. She moaned, then she spoke. 

“There’s a man who’s done evil. There’s a man who’s done bad. There’s a man who comes walkin’. There’s a man who’s so sad.”

The prediction gave Ally the chills. She remembered the previous warning that had come to her the night she’d had supper with Granny Devon. Now it seemed that evil still threatened her family. Before she could move, Gideon wrenched the old woman’s hand from his daughter’s arm and pushed Ally up the steps. When he got even with the preacher, he turned and pointed. “You tell that old woman’s family if she won’t stop witchin’, to keep her at home.” The preacher was taken aback by Gideon’s anger, which embarrassed Ally to no end. 

As they moved into the church, Ally pulled away and whispered angrily, “You had no right to talk to Preacher John like that. Granny Devon doesn’t mean any harm, and you know it. Besides, nobody else is bothered by her predictions. I don’t know why you’re always so hateful about her. She’s a sweet old lady.” 

“She’s not right,” Gideon muttered. “And I’m not discussing this with you again. Take your seat by your brothers.” Ally sat, but only because to do otherwise would have caused a bigger scene than what her father had done. She was in the house of God and knew how to behave, but she stayed angry with her father, just the same. 

When the services were over, she got up and walked out on her own, and was already seated in the truck with the motor running and the air conditioner on high when her father and brothers got in. Gideon took one look at her face and resisted the urge to issue his normal set of orders about wasting fuel just to make cold air. He had bigger fish to fry than saving a few pennies and wisely drove them all home in silence...

 Freddie Joe Detweiller was sitting on the front porch when they pulled up the driveway. Ally’s mind was already on the things that needed to be done before dinner would be served, but to her surprise, Freddie Joe jumped up, took off his hat and opened the front door for her as she came up the steps. 

“Good day, Ally. Something is sure smellin’ fine inside this house,” he said. “Just roast,” Ally said. “I thank you highly for allowing me to your table.” Ally shrugged. “Thank Daddy. He invited you.” Freddie Joe had an odd expression on his face as he looked at Gideon. Gideon nodded formally, then quickly looked away. 

Freddie Joe came to himself in time to jump in front of Ally. He opened the door, then stepped aside, bowing slightly as she passed. As she stepped over the threshold and into the living room, she couldn’t help but notice that his hair was thinning at the crown. Then he smiled at her, and it was all she could do not to recoil from his yellow, tobacco-stained teeth. Still oblivious to the true reason for his presence, she paused to speak to Gideon...

Sala has presented us with a country setting in which  activities are mostly about the community, family and the church... I enjoyed reminiscing about my earlier years in this same environment, especially when she used one of my earlier colloquials of "crick" for creek. Yes, I, too, lived near a crick and had to work hard to change to the correct pronunciation... LOL

Ally's was a woman of 28 and had a birth defect of a crooked leg. She could walk, but it was normally with a drag for one foot.  She lived with her father and two brothers and had essentially taken over housekeeping duties when her mother died. But her father was a kind man and even though he wasn't quite sure how to do it, he wanted to keep his promise to his beloved wife and mother that he would help ensure Ally had a fulfilling life. Problem was, that most men were put off by her disability, fearing that her children would also be lame and they didn't want to risk that...

But when a neighbor proposed that he be allowed to call on Ally, her father, Gideon, thought this might be the answer, since he'd lost his wife and had three children already to take care of. Needless to say, Ally was not happy, especially when she learned her father had acted on her behalf and without talking, first, with her.

Ally, of course, wanted a different life, plus she had a dream early in her life that, one day, a tall dark man would come walking out from the woods surrounding their place and come to her and ask for a drink...

Still, even when it happened just as she had dreamed, she couldn't quite believe it... But, even Grannie Devon had given her hints over the years through her "sight" but lately, it was more about danger as well.

“Look to the family. Look to the heart. Danger around you. Trouble will start.” 

Ally frowned. It was the last thing she’d expected to hear, and yet it wasn’t enough to tell her how to prevent it, or save herself and her family from ruin. “How, Granny? How will the trouble start?”

Wes Holden was the man who walked out of the woods... And, indeed, he asked for a drink of water!

But Wes may have been a dream for Ally--maybe even a God Incident. However, he was totally confused and had earlier been in a hospital when he went through a trauma nightmare from which he couldn't wake up. Wes had been doing fairly well upon his return from Afghanistan, but he was still having constant flashbacks that placed him right back into the middle of battle. It was his wife and son who were slowly bringing him back...

Until they were both killed in a domestic terrorist attack at the commissary at which they were shopping. Sometimes, when evil wins a battle, God intervenes and takes what is left of His chosen and helps them to find the way to where someone is now needed... It's not easy to understand, yet, it does show that God cares and loves His people and will provide strength to continue on in a new life.

For surely, there was a new battle to fight for Wes Holden. In the West Virginia Hills where he had wandered into one day. He had been in shock and had no memory of what had happened to his family...

Until he did... 

Colonel Wes Holden had been through a lot, but what he now needed was to get out of the hospital--without anybody knowing that he had regained some of his memory. They had found a step-brother who was willing to take him (and his government check!) Wes knew only one thing, this was the way to get him out of the hospital, under medical discharge. He would deal later to get away from the one individual with whom he would never be safe, and planned his escape!

Even from the beginning, Ally could not escape how Wes, in essence, had fulfilled the dream that she'd had all her life. With her mobility problem, she was shy and hesitant to deal with a stranger, but when Wes came knocking, she not only gave him water, a meal...but also a place to stay! She had inherited a small cabin nearby and had Wes moving in that very day. Without ever mentioning it to her family!

While the relationship began between Ally and Wes, there was evil underway by a man who was out to make big money selling drugs... And Ally's two brothers were caught up in what would become a major disaster. 

The story builds up from a drama to a point when what is happening is so tense that I, for one, wound up reading through the night to see how the story ended. With more than a touch of horror, Sala shares still another way just how one evil man can turn against anything or anybody that does not fulfill his needs. The villain, a science professional, who is also a sociopath, caring not what he was doing to harm others, was soon confronted by Wes, Ally, and, finally, her brothers, although it came too late for the two men who had hired on to make some quick money, only to begin to understand what was happening.

Of course, the ending was exactly what we wanted to have happen. But just how close disaster had come had included having to call in the DEA, the FBI and even the CDC... 

Sala's stories are realistic, yet allow for the goodness of humanity to come through as winning that seemingly constant fight. Thriller Suspense fans will love this one! Highly recommended...

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