Fear Has a Name: A Novel (33 page)

Travis wasn’t interested in finishing the story. He tossed the paper aside and looked at his father. Why was he sleeping so long? The food had to be cold by now, and Daddy detested cold food.

Travis would have them heat it up when his father awoke. Until then, he decided to turn on the TV, real low.

He scanned the room for the remote.

Wait …

The silver IV stand had been moved.

It had been back toward the wall earlier.

He looked from the wheels up the silver pole to the IV bag.

A pinkish solution floated with the clear liquid in the bag.

With three giant steps, Travis grabbed the pouch and followed the tube leading to Daddy’s right arm.

A sudden, violent cough from his father jolted Travis, drawing his attention away from his task. Daddy’s face was purple as a bruise. His coughing turned to choking, then to a loud, alarming screeching for air.

“Oh dear Lord.” Travis’s hands shook violently.

His father gasped and his arms flailed. His hands moved to his throat. His brown eyes searched Travis in despair.

Travis snatched Daddy’s wrist and pulled it toward him, fumbling for the IV tube and ripping it away.

His father’s body was limp, his head grotesquely twisted to one side, and the color was draining from his face like antifreeze flushing from a radiator.

The monitor next to him pinged and flashed, pinged and flashed.

“No!”

“Mr. Randall?” came a voice from the intercom.

Travis grabbed it with trembling hands and pressed talk. “Hurry! We need a doctor!
Emergency!”

Going one way, then another, uncertain what to do, Travis straightened his father’s torso and shifted his head back to a normal position, trying to make him look right. But the older man’s lips were almost as white as his now ashen face.

Travis sprinted into the hallway and yelled as loud as he could toward the nurses’ station. “Emergency. Room 411! Get a doctor!”

Seeing they were scrambling, Travis ran back in and took his father’s face in his hands. “Come on, Daddy. Hang on. Please … ”

Travis put his arms around him and hugged. “Hold on, Daddy. Hold on.” As he rocked him, Travis’s eyes fell to the dangling IV tube, dripping a steady flow of the liquid that, he was certain, had been tainted by the stranger in black.

FEAR HAS A NAME

Published by David C Cook

4050 Lee Vance View

Colorado Springs, CO 80918 U.S.A.

David C Cook Distribution Canada

55 Woodslee Avenue, Paris, Ontario, Canada N3L 3E5

David C Cook U.K., Kingsway Communications

Eastbourne, East Sussex BN23 6NT, England

The graphic circle C logo is a registered trademark of David C Cook.

All rights reserved. No part of this ebook may be reproduced, scanned, resold, or distributed by or through any print or electronic medium without written permission from the publisher. This ebook is licensed solely for the personal and noncommercial use of the original authorized purchaser, subject to the terms of use under which it was purchased. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.

The website addresses recommended throughout this book are offered as a resource to you. These websites are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement on the part of David C Cook, nor do we vouch for their content.

This story is a work of fiction. Characters and events are the product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to any person, living or dead, is coincidental.

Epigraph Proverbs 16:4 quotation taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org.); Galatians 6:9 in chapter 10 is taken from the King James Version of the Bible. (Public Domain.); 2 Corinthians 12:10 in chapter 11 and John 14:27 in chapter 30 are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com.

LCCN 2013934366

ISBN 978-0-7814-0816-5

eISBN 978-1-4347-0605-8

© 2013 Creston Mapes, Inc.

Published in association with Natasha Kern Literary Agency, PO Box 1069, White Salmon, WA 98672.

The Team: Don Pape, LB Norton, Nick Lee, Jack Campbell, Caitlyn Carlson, Karen Athen

Cover Design: Amy Konyndyk

Cover Photo: iStockPhoto

First Edition 2013

CRESTON MAPES
is the author of Nobody, Dark Star, and Full Tilt. A journalist, copywriter, and editor, he works from his home-office in Atlanta for some of the nation’s top media companies, Christian ministries, and nationally recognized corporations. His early years as a reporter inspire many of his novels.

If you enjoyed this title, visit
DCCeBooks.com
for more great reads.

What people are saying about …

FEAR HAS A NAME

“It takes a lot for a suspense novel to impress me, but this one definitely did. Anyone who likes my books will love
Fear Has a Name
. The plot is skillfully woven, and the story has a spiritual depth that will resonate with readers. Creston Mapes is an author to watch in the suspense genre.”

Terri Blackstock,
author of
Intervention
,
Vicious Cycle
, and
Predator

“
Fear Has a Name
is a fast-paced page-turner that offers not only a great story, but an intriguing view into evil and its place in our society.”

Kristin Billerbeck,
author of
The Scent of Rain

“Sometimes you want a comfort read—sometimes you don’t. Mapes has crafted an edgy tale that will grab you from the start and then send you reeling. With a heart-pounding pace, he takes us to some disturbing places but safely delivers us home. Great job, Creston!”

Melody Carlson,
author of
Deceived
and
Shattered
and
Damaged
(Secrets series)

“I love novels where I look for any spare moment to keep reading.
Fear Has a Name
is one of them. Maybe because the tension never lets up. Maybe because Mapes left out all the boring parts. Maybe because of a plot that kept me on edge from the first words till the very end. Well done.”

James L. Rubart,
best-selling author of
Rooms
,
Book of Days
,
The Chair
, and
Soul’s Gate

“
Fear Has a Name
is an exceptional treat, a story of unrelenting tension that dares to stare evil in the face. Mapes has a gift. He reveals wickedness and vice yet sprinkles it with something rare that kept me riveted: the hope of redemption.”

Harry Kraus, MD,
best-selling author of
The Six-Liter Club

“Creston Mapes is one of my favorite authors.
Fear Has a Name
mesmerized me from the first page. Multiple plot twists and terrific characters kept me glued to the page. I loved it and highly recommend it!”

Colleen Coble,
author of the Rock Harbor series and the Lonestar series

“Captivating from bre
athless start to throat-clenching finish,
Fear Has a Name
possesses everything a great thriller should, and more. A
must-read
for fans of Terri Blackstock and Brandilyn Collins.”

Tamera Alexander,
USA Today
bestselling author of
To Whisper Her Name
and
A Lasting Impression

“A stunning portrayal of redemption and mercy,
Fear Has a Name
kept me on the edge of my seat. Interwoven with themes of forgiveness, hope, and courage, Creston Mapes’s latest masterpiece is a story readers will not want to miss. The dedication and determination of Jack Crittendon in protecting his wife and being a man of God proved powerful and compelling. This story will leave Mapes’s fans clamoring for more by this master of gritty storytelling! Bravo!! Creston Mapes once again ripped my breath away!”

Ronie Kendig,
award-winning author of the Discarded Heroes series

“Creston Mapes does a superb job of instilling real suspense and even fear in this novel, making it un-put-downable. I especially appreciated the way Mapes takes the suspense to a much more thought-provoking level as he handles well the questions we Christians ask ourselves in the midst of the pain, suffering, and evil things that intrude upon our lives. An incredible read!”

Elizabeth Musser,
author of the Secrets of the Cross Trilogy:
Two Crosses
,
Two Testaments
,
Two Destinies

“
Fear Has a Name
is a powerful, up-all-night story that grabs you from the first page and doesn’t let go until the incredible end. Creston Mapes has spun a tale so real and rich it could have been pulled from today’s headlines. Dynamic characters, pulse-pounding scenes, and the grace of God abound in this remarkable novel. Highly recommended!”

Mark Mynheir,
former homicide detective and author of
The Corruptible

“
Fear Has a Name
gripped me from page 1 and didn’t let go until I closed the cover for the last time. There were moments when it left me breathless. Creston Mapes’s signature blend of heart-pounding suspense, angst, and deep spiritual questions made for a robust, riveting, thought-provoking read!”

Kathy Herman,
author of the Sophie Trace Trilogy and Secrets of Roux River Bayou series

“Why endure a story of raw terror that will keep you awake at night, turning pages when you should be sleeping? ‘Perhaps …,’ as author Creston Mapes concludes, ‘to show a man mercy. To show a man Christ on the cross.’ And in that showing, Mapes examines all of the ‘why’ questions we ask God in our more mundane but no less disturbing faith struggles.”

Dave Jackson,
author of
Lucy Come Home
, the Harry Bentley novels, and more

“
Fear Has a Name
is another page-turning, heart-touching must-read from Creston Mapes. The brilliant intersection of two story lines packed a powerful punch, and I’m not sure I’ve ever felt for a villain so deeply. Another surefire winner in the vein of
Nobody
.”

Deborah Raney,
author of
The Face of the Earth
and the Hanover Falls novels

“Jaw-dropping suspense. This book should carry a warning:
Don’t read if you’re in the house alone
.”

Nikki Arana,
author of
The Next Target

“Mapes is at the head of a new breed of Christian authors, those who write gripping and gritty stories that ring loudly with gospel truths. Fans of Mike Dellosso, Shawn Grady, and Brandilyn Collins will love this powerful thriller. Mapes draws the strands of his plot ever tighter, leaving us short of breath and anxious for answers. And the final answers are not only satisfying but eternal.”

Eric Wilson,
New York Times
best-selling author

“Nail-bitingly great: Creston Mapes does it again with a pulse-quickening plot, memorable characters, and suspense that satisfies fully.”

Tom Morrisey,
Christy-nominated novelist and author of
In High Places

“Embezzlement. False accusation. Blackmail. Abduction. A wolf hidden in sheep’s clothing. Creston Mapes takes readers on a psychological roller coaster that feeds on our deepest fears.”

Mark Gilroy,
author of
Cuts Like a Knife

“In
Fear Has a Name
, Creston Mapes proves once again that he is a master of building deep characters and sending them on a twisting, breakneck journey of terror and triumph. His vivid and concise storytelling pulls you in, and by the time you realize you can’t breathe from all the suspense, it’s too late: you’re riding this baby to the end. A truly captivating work of ratcheting thrills and surprising grace. You will not be able to put it down—or get it out of your head once you finally do.”

Robert Liparulo,
author of
The 13th Tribe
,
The Judgment Stone
, and
Comes a Horseman