Table Of ContentPRAISE FOR THE NOVELS OF DEBRA WEBB
Everywhere She Turns
A Detective Adeline Cooper novel
“Romantic suspense at its best.”
—New York Times bestselling author Erica Spindler
“Plenty of twists, turns, and surprises to keep the reader guessing until the
very end.”
—RomanceJunkieReviews.com
“Ms. Webb brings us another edge-of-your-seat story. Just when you think
you know the who, what, when, and why, something else pops up to change your
mind. The amount of suspense and romance is a perfect balance…Be on the
lookout for Detective Adeline Cooper.”
—Night Owl Romance
“Exhilarating…Fans will relish this one-sitting, chilling thriller.”
—Harriet Klausner
“Webb does a superb job of creating white-knuckle suspense [and] raw
tension.”
—ReadertoReader.com
Traceless
A Cosmopolitan “Red Hot Read” of the Month
“Skillfully managing a big cast, Webb keeps the suspense teasingly taut,
dropping clues and red herrings one after another on her way to a chilling
conclusion.”
—Publishers Weekly
MORE …
“Traceless is a riveting entanglement of intrigue, secrets, and passions that
had me racing to its breathless end. I loved this book!”
—Karen Rose, author of Die for Me
“Traceless is a well-crafted and engrossing thriller. Debra Webb has crafted
a fine, twisting thriller to be savored and enjoyed.”
—Heather Graham, New York Times bestselling
author of The Dead Room
“The talented Webb has built a wide fan base that should be thrilled with her
vengeful and chilling new tale.”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews
“Betrayal, secrets, lies, and passion lead to murder in a small town…
Traceless is breathtaking romantic suspense that grabs the reader from the
beginning and doesn’t let up. Riveting.”
—New York Times bestselling author Allison Brennan
Nameless
“A complex plot and an eerily compelling villain make this fast-paced chiller
an outstanding read. Take a deep breath and enjoy!”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews (4.5 stars)
Faceless
“Webb’s tale reeks of corruption and deadly manipulation—an impressive
brew!”
—Romantic Times BOOKreviews
ST. MARTIN’S PAPERBACKS TITLES
BY DEBRA WEBB
Everywhere She Turns
Find Me
Faceless
Nameless
Traceless
ANYWHERE
SHE RUNS
Debra Webb
St. Martin’s Paperbacks
NOTE: If you purchased this book without a cover you should be aware that this book is stolen
property. It was reported as “unsold and destroyed” to the publisher, and neither the author nor the publisher
has received any payment for this “stripped book.”
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are
either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
ANYWHERE SHE RUNS
Copyright © 2010 by Debra Webb.
All rights reserved.
For information address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
ISBN: 978-0-312-53297-0
Printed in the United States of America St. Martin’s Paperbacks edition / May 2010
St. Martin’s Paperbacks are published by St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Chapter One
Laurel, Mississippi
Sunday, December 17, 8:42 P.M.
“Jingle bell . . . jingle bell . . . jingle bell rock.”
Danny Jamison lay in bed and hummed the Christmas song. He didn’t know
all the words, but he liked this one a lot.
His mommy had told him at breakfast this morning that in just eight more
days it would be Christmas. Another good thing about today was that it was the
last day of school for two whole weeks. The paper ornament he had been
working on at school was on the Christmas tree. Pretty soon his mom would put
some presents with his name on them under the tree so he could try and guess
what was inside.
But the bestest part of all was the stories she told him every night. Some of
the stories were about the elves and the reindeers. His favorite one was about
how good little boys always got what they wished the hardest for at Christmas.
But she hadn’t come to his room to tell him a story tonight.
His dad was in one of his moods.
More of the yelling made Danny put his hands over his ears. He didn’t like
when his mommy and daddy had fights. Tonight was scarier than ever before.
His daddy was screaming real loud. Saying the meanest things. Meaner than the
other times when he yelled.
“I told you not to let this happen! Goddamn you!”
Danny pressed his hands harder against his ears, but he could still hear his
mommy crying and his daddy yelling. His daddy didn’t like yelling. He told
Danny so. It was always his mom’s fault. She messed up too much. Just like his
grandparents. That was why Danny hid sometimes when he went to their house.
Then he didn’t have to hear the yelling when they got mad at his daddy.
He wished he had a place to hide now. But his dad had warned Danny never
to hide from him . . . for any reason.
“Now look what you’ve done! You’ve ruined everything!”
Danny tried to block the bad words his dad kept yelling by singing along
with the Christmaas music on the radio. “ ‘Jingle bell . . . jingle bell . . .’ ”
His mommy screamed. Danny burrowed deeper under the covers but he
could still hear her crying . . . crying and begging for his dad to please stop.
Danny felt bad for her even if she had messed up again.
“There will be no princess in this house!” his dad shouted.
Something crashed. Sounded like glass. It was the same sound the kitchen
window made when his baseball went through it last summer. His dad had been
real mad about that, too.
The screaming and the crying stopped.
Danny dragged his hands from his ears. He lay still for a moment and
listened to make sure it was really over.
No more screaming. No more crying. Just the Christmas music.
“Jingle bell time is a swell time . . .”
Maybe if his mommy had fixed everything she would come tell him a story
now.
“. . . to rock the night away . . .”
His bedroom door flew open, banged against the wall.
“Danny!”
Danny bit his lips together to keep from crying out as his daddy jerked the
covers off him. He didn’t want his dad to be mad at him, too. He was supposed
to be asleep.
“You should be asleep by now, son.”
His daddy sat down on the side of the bed. Danny tried not to shake or to cry
for his mommy. That would only make his daddy more upset. Danny told his
mouth to smile but his lips just kept shaking like he was cold.
“Don’t be afraid, son.”
His daddy smiled at him, but the smile looked funny with that red stuff
smeared on his face. Why would his daddy have ketchup on his face?
“You don’t have to worry about anything, son,” his daddy promised. “No
princess will ever take your place.”
