No Alibi

No Alibi
Valerie Hansen

Juror Julie Ann Jones simply didn't expect the life on the line to be her own.Courtroom tension is running high during a scandal-packed murder case. As the trial heats up, a series of "accidents" begins targeting the jurors–especially Julie Ann. There are gunshots at her beauty salon. A prowler is spotted at her home.Through it all, fellow juror Smith Burnett gives her the courage to continue. But will she find the courage to give Smith her heart?

Serenity, Arkansas

Serenity, Arkansas

Serenity, Arkansas

Serenity, Arkansas

Serenity, Arkansas

Serenity, Arkansas

Serenity, Arkansas

Serenity, Arkansas

Serenity, Arkansas

Serenity, Arkansas

Serenity, Arkansas

Serenity, Arkansas

Serenity, Arkansas

Serenity, Arkansas

“What are you doing here?” Smith asked.

Julie Ann said, “I called the sheriff and got you some backup.”

“I told you to stay in your beauty shop.”

“Did you catch the shooter?”

“No, there were a couple of shell casings on the roof but that’s all.”

“See? It was safe to come out.”

The absurdity of her statement made him want to shake some sense into her. Clenching his fists instead, Smith said, “You know better than that.”

“This isn’t a combat zone,” Julie Ann argued. “Lighten up.”

In a way she was right. But he couldn’t expect a civilian to understand what it was like to come under fire.

He reached out and gently cupped her shoulder. “Come on, I’ll walk you back to your shop and we can tell the sheriff what we saw.”

Smith pulled her closer. When he’d promised Julie Ann’s brother he’d look after her, Smith hadn’t dreamed things would take such an ominous turn.

VALERIE HANSEN

was thirty when she awoke to the presence of the Lord in her life and turned to Jesus. In the years that followed she worked with young children, both in church and secular environments. She also raised a family of her own and played foster mother to a wide assortment of furred and feathered critters.

Married to her high school sweetheart since age seventeen, she now lives in an old farmhouse she and her husband renovated with their own hands. She loves to hike the wooded hills behind the house and reflect on the marvelous turn her life has taken. Not only is she privileged to reside among the loving, accepting folks in the breathtakingly beautiful Ozark mountains of Arkansas, she also gets to share her personal faith by telling the stories of her heart for Steeple Hill Books.

Life doesn’t get much better than that!

No Alibi

Valerie Hansen

When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid.

—Psalms 56:3–4

Given my love and appreciation for the wonderful people in my life, I hardly know where to begin. I am so blessed it’s scary!

As always, a special hug for my husband. Not only is he a great guy, he can cook! And he does, especially when I’m busy writing more books. Hey, maybe that’s why I’ve tried to stay so busy.

CONTENTS

PROLOGUE

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN