You Can't Hide

Karen Rose

[Suspense 5]

You Can't Hide

You Can't Hide

Karen Rose

Suspense 5

YOU CAN'T HIDE

Grand Central Publishing

April 2006

ISBN-13:978-0-446-61689-8 | ISBN-10: 0-446-61689-3

YOU DON'T KNOW WHO I AM

Terror has forever changed the life of psychiatrist Tess Ciccotelli. Someone is tormenting her patients, pushing them to commit suicide, and setting her up to take the blame. But Tess can't break her oath to protect her patients' privacy at all costs. Even when detective Aidan Reagan demands a list of everyone she's treating. Even when the mounting danger threatens Tess herself.

YOU CAN'T STOP WHAT I'M DOING

Aidan doesn't like anyone who stalls his cases. Still, he can't help but admire Tess's fierce loyalty to her patients, especially when it becomes clear that a nameless, faceless enemy is set on destroying her career, her family, and finally, Tess herself. As Aidan's heart softens, the killer's will hardens, and one thing becomes clear - the noose is tightening around Tess's neck.
YOU CAN'T HIDE

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Karen Rose

[Suspense 5]

You Can't Hide

Romance Reviews Today:

Complex suspense . . . with a perfectly choreographed romance . . . From plot development to character development, Karen Rose is without a doubt one of the best in the market, and YOU

CAN'T HIDE is perhaps her very best novel to date. A gripping novel of suspense that will have the reader glued to the pages from beginning to end, YOU CAN'T HIDE is a must read for fans of the genre and an RRT Perfect 10, as well as being a contender for the best book of 2006.

—Terrie Figueroa, reviewer—

Copyright © 2006 by Karen Rose Hafer

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.
Book design by Giorgetta Bell McRee

Warner Books

Time Warner Book Group

Hachette Book Group

237 Park Avenue

New York, NY 10017

Visit our Web site at www.HachetteBookGroup.com [http://www.HachetteBookGroup.com]

First eBook Edition: April 2006

ISBN: 978-0-446-54908-0

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Karen Rose

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You Can't Hide

Contents

Praise for Karen Rose’s Previous Novels

Also By Karen Rose

Dedication

Acknowledgments

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

About the Author

Praise for Karen Rose’s Previous Novels

Nothing to Fear

“A pulse-pounding tale that has it al : suspense, action, and a very hunky private investigator.”

-
Cosmopolitan

“Phenomenal… Filled with heart-stopping suspense and graphic terror… In the pantheon of horrific killers, [this one] surely ranks near the top.”-
Romantic Times BOOKclub Magazine

“Readers can always count on Rose to deliver an action-packed book, and this one is no exception.”

-
Southern Pines Pilot
(NC)

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Karen Rose

[Suspense 5]

You Can't Hide

“An absolute gem… it’s definitely earned a place on my keeper shelf, and I look forward to reading it again and again. This is what true romantic suspense is all about, and I thank Ms. Rose for such a wonderful read.”

-RomanceJunkies.com

“A tense, chilling suspense that readers will appreciate from start to finish.”

-
Midwest Book Review

“Rose’s well-crafted story sets pulses pounding and pages turning.”

-BookPage

“A caring women’s advocate heroine, a determined, gritty hero, and a diabolical villain drive the plot of Rose’s riveting story.”

-Library Journal

I’m Watching You

“TOP PICK! Terrifying and gritty.”

-Romantic Times BOOKclub Magazine

“The suspense unfolds right up to the last page.”

-Southern Pines Pilot (NC)

“A sensual, riveting book that kept me on the edge of my seat.”

-Rendezvous

“Action-packed… a thrilling police procedural romance… fans will enjoy this tense thriller.”

-
Midwest Book Review

“It’s perfect… Love the characters, loved the side stories. It doesn’t get any better than this!”

-
Romantic Review

Have You Seen Her?

“Heart-racing thrills… showcases her growing talent… readers will… rush to the novel’s thrilling conclusion.”

-Publishers Weekly

“Terrifying and gripping.”

-
Romantic Times BOOKclub Magazine

Don’t Tell

“As gripping as a cold hand on the back of one’s neck… and tempered by lovable characters and a moving romance.”

-
Publishers Weekly

4

Karen Rose

[Suspense 5]

You Can't Hide

“One of the best suspense novels [I’ve] read this summer… one hot author you don’t want to miss.”

-The Belles & Beaux of Romance

“A well-written thriller-a definite page-turner that never lets up until the last page.”

-
Romance Reviews Today

“Action-packed [with a] story line [that] is character driven.”

-
Midwest Book Review

“A stunning tour de force that readers won’t want to miss…
Don’t Tell
belongs on the keeper shelf.”

-WordWeaving.com

“A fantastic job of telling a tale… touchingly narrated.”

-Bookloons.com

“A truly spectacular example of romantic suspense.”

-ARomanceReview.com

“
Don’t Tell
is a seat-of-your-pants tale, dragging the reader deep into the characters and wringing emotions from all concerned.”

-ScribesWorld.com

“Couldn’t put it down.”

-Bookhaunts.com

“Karen Rose’s nail-biting delivery is unique…
Don’t Tell
is the harbinger of great things to come.”

-Heartstrings.com

“Excellent romantic suspense… will keep you on the edge of your seat… excellent writing and storytelling by Karen Rose.”

-RoadtoRomance.ca

“A story that satisfies on every level… vivid and memorable.”

-TheWordonRomance.com

ALSO BY KAREN ROSE

Don’t Tell

Have You Seen Her?

I’m Watching You

Nothing to Fear

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Karen Rose

[Suspense 5]

You Can't Hide

To Martin for loving me just the way that I am and for buying me M&M’s when I
needed them most. I love you.

To my children who understand when I hid in my office writing and who create such
incredible stories of their own. I’m grateful and very, very proud of you both.
To Karen Kosztolnyik and Karen Solem for continuing to make all my dreams come
true when I thought all the dreams already had.

Acknowledgments

Carleton Hafer for all the technical advice on surveillance and computer networks. And for everything else.

Marc and Kay Conterato for all things medical and pharmaceutical and for the Minnesota Buzz. Love you guys.

Niki Ciccotel i who shared her wonderful family with me and for making me hungry with all the talk of ziti and “flying saucers.”

Shannon Armstrong for the vivid pictures of Chicago and all the chichi things therein. Danny Agan for answering all my questions on detectives and homicide investigations. Sam Basso for helping me profile Dol y the rottweiler.

All my pals-Terri Bolyard, Martha Wile, Kathy Caskie, Jean Mason, and Lani Rich-for putting up with me! Thank you. Oh, and to Lani for helping me remember the “wire thing” in the oven is called an “oven rack.”

The SPCA for giving me my own sweet kitty, Bella. And Bella, for making sure I never sleep past 6:00 A.M. (That was sarcasm.)

Megan Scott for teaching me the fundamentals of newspaper journalism. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement Crime Lab for answering all my questions on fingerprinting and crime scene investigation.

Frank Ahearn for teaching me how to hide behind corporations. Wherever you are. To all of these people (and pets)-I thank you for all the wonderful and thorough information. Any mistakes in this book are entirely my own.

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Karen Rose

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You Can't Hide

Chicago, Saturday, March 11, 11:45 P.M.

Cynthia.” It was the barest of whispers, but stil she heard.
No.
Cynthia Adams clenched her eyes shut, pressed the back of her head into her pillow, its softness a mockery to the rigidity of her tensed body. Her fingers dug into the sheets, twisting until she grimaced in pain.
Not again
. A sob rose in her throat, wild and desperate.
Please. I can’t
do this again.
“Go away,” she whispered harshly. “Please, just go away and leave me alone.”

But she knew she was talking to no one. If she opened her eyes she’d see nothing but the darkness of her own bedroom. No one was there. But still the hideous whisper taunted, as it had for weeks. Every night she lay in bed… waiting. Waiting for the voice that was her worst nightmare. Some nights it spoke. Some nights she merely lay tensed, waiting. It was wind, it was shadows. It was nothing at all.

But it was real. She knew it was real.

“Cynthia? Help me.” It was the voice of a child calling for comfort in the night. A scared little girl. Who was dead.

She’s dead. I know she’s dead.
She placed the lilies on Melanie’s grave herself every Sunday. Melanie was dead.

But she was here.
She’s come for me.
Blindly she grabbed the bottle from her bedside table and dry swallowed two pills.
Go away. Please, just go away.

“Cynthia?” It was real. So real.
God, help me, please. I’m losing my mind.
“Why did you do it?”

The whisper drifted. “I need to know why.”

Why? She didn’t know why. Dammit, she didn’t know why. She rol ed over, burying her face in her pillow, drawing her body into the smallest possible space. She held her breath. And waited.

It was quiet. Melanie was gone. Cynthia let herself draw a breath, then sprang from the bed as the scent assaulted her senses.
Lilies.
“No.” She backed away, unable to take her eyes from the pillow where just the tip of a single lily was visible.

“It should have been you, Cynthia.” The whisper was harsher now. “I should be putting lilies on your grave.”

Cynthia drew a breath. She made herself repeat what her psychiatrist had told her to say when she was afraid. “This isn’t real. This is not real.”

“It’s real, Cynthia. I’m real.” Melanie was no longer a child, her voice now that of an angry adult. Cynthia shuddered at the sound. Melanie deserved to be angry.
I was a coward.
“You ran away once, Cyn. You hid. You won’t hide again. You’l never, ever leave me alone again.”

Cynthia backed away slowly until she came up hard against her bedroom door. She closed her eyes tight as she gripped the hard, reassuringly real doorknob. “You aren’t real. You are not real.” “It should have been you. Why did you leave me? Why did you leave me with him? How could you? You said you loved me. But you left me alone. With him. You never loved me.” A sob shook Melanie’s voice and tears burned Cynthia’s eyes.