Time of Death

Time of Death
BEVERLY BARTON

When the clock strikes twelve, it's time to die… Prepare to lose sleep with this exhilarating thriller.When the clock strikes twelve, it's time to die…One by one, random victims are stalked and shot at close range. Only the killer knows their sins, and who will be the next to die at midnight…Since her fall from Hollywood, actress Lorie Hammonds has returned to her hometown of Alabama and built a new life for herself. When the first death threat arrives, she assumes it's a joke. But as the notes become more personal, Lorie is running scared.Sheriff Mike Birkett, Lorie's ex-lover has been avoiding her, but when investigators uncover Lorie's connection to a string of recent murders, he's drawn into a case that's becoming terrifyingly personal.With every murder, the killer edges closer. Soon Lorie's will be the last name left on his list. But is Lorie all that she seems? As she battles to unearth a deadly secret, will she be able to save herself before time runs out for good?

Time of Death

Beverly Barton

Copyright

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.

AVON

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First published in the U.S.A by Kensington Publishing Corp. New York, NY, 2010

TIME OF DEATH. Copyright © Beverly Barton 2010. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this ebook on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins ebooks

Beverly Barton asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

HarperCollinsPublishers has made every reasonable effort to ensure that any picture content and written content in this ebook has been included or removed in accordance with the contractual and technological constraints in operation at the time of publication

Source ISBN: 9781847561404

Ebook Edition © JUNE 2011 ISBN: 9780007412228

vERSION: 2018-07-09

Contents

Cover (#ulink_218c33f6-6db3-5053-acf5-0bf764d1a9c7)

Title Page

Copyright

Prologue

There it was again, that odd sound. It must be…

Chapter 1

Lorie Hammonds slept until nearly eleven and woke with a…

Chapter 2

Derek Lawrence arrived late. He wouldn’t have even considered attending…

Chapter 3

Barbara Jean met the potential client at the front door,…

Chapter 4

He exited the small commuter airplane, hoisted his vinyl carryall…

Chapter 5

“I want to assure you that the sheriff’s department will…

Chapter 6

Derek parked his Vette in the driveway, got out, locked…

Chapter 7

After locking the door and securing it so that no…

Chapter 8

Maleah and Derek had agreed to split the day guarding…

Chapter 9

Lorie walked Paul Babcock to the door. “I’m glad you…

Chapter 10

The Powell jet landed shortly before noon, Eastern Standard Time.

Chapter 11

He was dying. His doctor had delivered his death sentence…

Chapter 12

The sun heated their naked skin as they played together…

Chapter 13