Bumpy Roads

Hurrying to the old bridge that crossed Yellow Creek, Courtney stepped to the side as a car came up behind her. The bridge was only wide enough for one car and even foot traffic had to climb up on the narrow ledge for safety. The car slowed and the driver's side window rolled down. A familiar face greeted Courtney."Hey, Courtney, how about a ride?" he asked.She shook her head. "No, thanks, I'm good," she said. "It's only a few more blocks."The driver looked up to the sky. "You won't make it before the storm hits," he argued. "Come on, I'll feel guilty all night if I leave you here."She smiled. "Okay, if you put it that way," she agreed, jogging over to the passenger side of the car and letting herself in.The door lock clicked as she buckled her seatbelt and she looked up in surprise. "It does that automatically," the driver said with an apologetic shrug.Courtney scooted against the door and grasped the handle. "You know, I think I'll just walk anyway," she said, pulling against the handle.But the door didn't open. She tried it again, but it was still locked tight."Child locks," the driver said, a smile on his face. "You can't get out until I let you out."She pressed the window button, but it also stayed in place. "Listen, I don't want to be in this car," she said firmly. "Now please let me out or I'm going to scream."He chuckled softly, leaned forward and placed his hand against her cheek, rubbing it intimately. "If you scream, no one will hear you," he said, as he slipped his hand down to her neck. "But you can do it if you like. I always love to hear a girl's scream."# # # #For ten years, young girls have been disappearing from the streets of Freeport and the surrounding towns. Can Mary solve the mystery before Clarissa is the next victim?

Terri Reid is the author of the Mary O’Reilly Paranormal Mysteries. An indie author, Reid uploaded her first book ＂Loose Ends - A Mary O’Reilly Paranormal Mystery＂ in August 2010. By the end of 2012, ＂Loose Ends＂ had sold over 125,000 copies and, has consistently ranked as one of the Top Ten books in Amazon’s ranking of Ghost Stories in the Book/Literature & Fiction/Genre Fiction/Horror/Ghosts section and in the same area in the Kindle eBooks section. She has nine other books in the Mary O’Reilly Series and has enjoyed Top Rated and Hot New Release status for many of them in the Women Sleuths and Paranormal Romance category through Amazon US. Her books have been translated into Spanish and Portuguese and are also now also available in print and audio versions. Reid has been quoted in a number of books about the self-publishing industry including ＂Let’s Get Digital＂ by David Gaughran and ＂Interviews with Indie Authors: Top Tips from Successful Self-Published Authors＂ by Claire and Tim Ridgway. She was also honored to have some of her works included in A. J. Abbiati’s book ＂The NORTAV Method for Writers - The Secrets to Constructing Prose Like the Pros.＂ She has also had the distinct privilege of guest blogging for Joe Konrath. Reid is from Northwest Illinois, near the town of Freeport, the home of her fictional characters. Her background is in marketing and public relations. She is married, is the mother of seven children and the grandmother of eleven. Her constant writing companions are Riley, a Bernese Mountain Dog-Golden Retriever mix; Hans, a German Shepard mix; and McDuff, a Siamese cat.