Intervention (Intervention Series, Book 1)

Intervention (Intervention Series, Book 1)

It was her last hope—and the beginning of a new nightmare Barbara Covington has one more chance to save her daughter from a devastating addiction, by staging an intervention. But when eighteen-year-old Emily disappears on the way to drug treatment—and her interventionist is found dead at the airport—Barbara enters her darkest nightmare of all. Barbara and her son set out to find Emily before Detective Kent Harlan arrests her for a crime he is sure she committed. Fearing for Emily’s life, Barbara maintains her daughter’s innocence. But does she really know her anymore? Meanwhile, Kent has questions of his own. His gut tells him that this is a case of an addict killing for drugs, but as he gets to know Barbara, he begins to hope he’s wrong about Emily. The mysteries intensify as everyone’s panic grows: Did Emily’s obsession with drugs lead her to commit murder—or is she another victim of a cold-blooded killer? In this gripping novel of intrigue and suspense, bestselling author Terri Blackstock delivers the up-all-night drama that readers around the world have come to expect from her. It was her last hope--and the beginning of a new nightmare Barbara Covington has one more chance to save her daughter from a devastating addiction, by staging an intervention. But when eighteen-year-old Emily disappears on the way to drug treatment--and her interventionist is found dead at the airport--Barbara enters her darkest nightmare of all. Barbara and her son set out to find Emily before Detective Kent Harlan arrests her for a crime he is sure she committed. Fearing for Emily's life, Barbara maintains her daughter's innocence. But does she really know her anymore? Meanwhile, Kent has questions of his own. His gut tells him that this is a case of an addict killing for drugs, but as he gets to know Barbara, he begins to hope he's wrong about Emily. The mysteries intensify as everyone's panic grows: Did Emily's obsession with drugs lead her to commit murder--or is she another victim of a cold-blooded killer? In this gripping novel of intrigue and suspense, bestselling author Terri Blackstock delivers the up-all-night drama that readers around the world have come to expect from her. Terri Blackstock has sold over seven million books worldwide and is a New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author. She is the award-winning author of Intervention , Vicious Cycle , and Downfall , as well as such series as Cape Refuge, Newpointe 911, the SunCoast Chronicles, and the Restoration Series. Visit her website at www.terriblackstock.com Facebook: tblackstock Twitter: @terriblackstock Intervention A Novel By Terri Blackstock Zondervan Copyright © 2009 Terri Blackstock All right reserved. ISBN: 978-0-310-32198-9 Chapter One The interventionist stood on the sidewalk at baggage claim, smoking a cigarette and chugging a Red Bull. What irony. The woman who'd promised to help rid Barbara's daughter of her addictions clearly had a few of her own. Barbara considered driving past her, leaving her to get back on the plane and return to the rehab she ran. She could work this out herself-lock Emily in her room and take away her car keys, force her to stay sober. But hadn't she already tried that? Despite Barbara's best efforts to turn their home into a lockdown, Emily still managed to sneak out and get high. How had this happened? That familiar knot burned in Barbara's stomach as she pulled to the curb and waved at the woman. It had to be her-the long red skirt, the white peasant blouse, just as she'd said. The outfit made her look more like a college student than someone who could escort a determined addict across the country. What if Emily put up a fight? How would this petite thing handle her? Barbara stopped along the curb and pulled the lever under the dashboard, popping her trunk. Forcing a welcoming smile, she got out of the car. "Hi, are you Trish?" "Sure am." The woman dropped her cigarette on the concrete and stomped it out with a sandaled foot, then thrust a hand out to Barbara. "Trish Massey." "I'm Barbara Covington." Barbara glanced at the small bag at the woman's feet. "Is this all you have?" "Yeah, I won't be here long." She picked up Trish's bag and set it on the backseat as Trish got into the car. Barbara slipped back into the driver's seat. The car that she'd freshened with Febreze suddenly smelled of smoke. "How was your trip?" "Uneventful, which is always a good thing." Trish was all smiles. "So where did you tell Emily you were going?" "To an Al-Anon meeting." "And that's okay with her?" Barbara breathed a laugh. "Oh, yeah. She likes it when I'm working on her problem. She would love it if everybody she knew were going to meetings and wringing their hands. She loves to keep us playing the What-To-Do-About-Emily game." There she went again, letting her bitterness spill out to a stranger. "Meetings are good," Trish said. "Have you really been to any?" Barbar