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Category: Mystery/Crime/Science Fiction
Description: "The bad man's coming." Those were the exact words four-year-old Jamie Weston cried only moments before witnessing the gruesome murder of her parents. But Jamie is still alive, and "the bad man" wants her dead as well in order to claim Weston Corporation and all it's worth. Solomon and Leon Cavanaugh, two staring attractions of a carnival oddity show, rescue young Jaime Weston from her parent's killer. Hiding her within the closed world of the carnival, as Jacey Travis, Leon's niece, they will do anything within or outside the law to protect her. But will all their precautions be enough to save her from the cold-blooded determination of the killer that stalks her, or will Jaime's safety depend on her own unique gifts?
eBook Publisher: Mundania Press LLC/Mundania Press LLC, 2006
eBookwise Release Date: April 2006

14 Reader Ratings:

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Available eBook Formats: OEBFF Format (IMP) [456 KB]
Words: 107259
Reading time: 306-429 min.

"Author Carrie Lynn Lyons takes readers on a thrilling ride, in a tale of chilling suspense and danger in Dream Pictures. Readers will fall in love with the characters and cheer at the heartfelt moments Carrie Lynn Lyons brings into their lives. Dream Pictures is a page turner from beginning to end that will leave readers on the edge of their seats and wanting more."--Shyan Marie, writersandreadersnetwork.com.

"Well crafted, rich with character and suspense Dream Pictures will hold you captivated in its struggle of wills. Carrie Lynn Lyons has woven a tale fraught with life threatening battles of right against wrong, sane verses the insane, where only wit and mind can make a difference in who survives. Dream Pictures carries a deep cast of colorful characters set against the musical backdrop of a traveling show. Just remember all are not who they appear to be. Dream Pictures will hold you spell bound as you race to the next chapter and leave you begging for a sequel."--Calista Cates-Stanturf

"Dream Pictures is a gripping, tightly woven novel of suspense that keeps you spellbound page after page. Carrie Lyons has created a thriller so intense, with its twists and surprises, the reader can't wait to see what will happen next. The characters in Dream Pictures are skillfully crafted and so real, you feel they have become part of your life."--Craig MacLachlan

The dark Lincoln pulled over at the graveled entrance to the Weston Ranch. The lights blinked off and the wipers stopped. Immediately, the windshield became a mirror, an impenetrable silver curtain of rain sluicing down the glass.

Oblivious to the fury of the Texas thunderstorm raging outside, the driver reached out, his fingers pausing to caress cold steel before they curled around the soft pink child's toy lying on the seat. He leaned back and closed his eyes, focusing on the toy until his mind filled with a vision of its owner. A cold smile spreading across his face, he set the toy back on the seat and started the car, edging it forward at an angle that blocked one lane of the road.

The cell phone clipped to the dash jingled the beginning notes to a song. He ignored it, knowing it was his partner alerting him to what he already knew.

Their target was about to arrive.

Picking up the gun his fingers had toyed with moments before, he stepped into the downpour. A second car stopped next to his, blocking the other lane. Its driver, pulling the hood of his slicker forward against the biting rain, joined him. The reflection of headlights glimmered in the puddles on the pavement. They raised their guns.

James Weston glanced worriedly into the rearview mirror; Jaime continued to cry. She'd been sobbing, "The bad man's coming," the entire trip. Now she was wailing it.

Kathryn turned in her seat, trying to distract and soothe their daughter with her favorite songs and games. "James, maybe we should..."

"You know we can't, Kath. I hate what this is doing to her, too. But I want you and Jaime safe. I have to get you away from here so I can deal with Carl. The storm will clear by morning. I'm flying you and Jaime to safety. Somewhere he can't get to her with his threats." He glanced in the mirror again. "We're almost there, Jaime. Coming up on the last turn before the ranch. Just a little further, baby. It will be..."

Brakes squealing, the Mercedes slid like a skater on ice. It finally stopped, mere feet from the gunmen in the road.

"Down Kathryn! Get down!" Futilely, James tried to shove the car in reverse. The windshield imploded and he jerked like a marionette on a string as the flying glass sliced at him and the sledgehammer impact of bullets slammed into his chest.

Kathryn leaned into the back and struggled frantically with the straps on Jaime's carseat. She managed to release her daughter. The first two bullets ripped into her as she pushed Jaime to the floor and threw a coat over her. A third shattered the back of her head.

Jaime huddled beneath the coat, cringing, shaking. The roar of thunder, the whine and groan of bullets tearing through metal and the shattering glass drowned out her whimpers of, "Bad man ... bad man," whispered over and over in rhythm to the droplets of warm blood that fell from her mother's wounds onto the hand that was not completely covered.

It had gone like clockwork. Just as planned. He'd relished the moment of recognition, the shock of realization on his brother's face. His lips twisting into a malicious smirk of satisfaction, Carl Weston extracted another clip from his pocket, snapped it into the gun, and resumed firing. He ignored the pouring rain that soaked through his coat ruining his expensive Armani suit. It didn't matter. Not even the near zero balance in his bank account after he'd paid the other gunman, who continued firing into the now bullet-ridden Mercedes, was going to dampen his mood. When they finished this little task he'd have everything he wanted.

The second gunman circled the Mercedes; the Mac-Ten sending tingles through his hand as it continued to spit sparks of death through the shattered windows. The glare of oncoming headlights caught his attention. "Christ! Someone's coming. Let's go."

"I have to be sure."

"Don't be an ass! Nobody lived through that. We've got to get the hell out of here before they get close enough for a good look!" Squeezing a final burst from the gun, the man headed toward his car.

Seeing the truck now slowing to a stop, Carl saw the wisdom in the warning and sprinted to the dark Lincoln.

The almost simultaneous cessation of gunfire and thunder left a pronounced silence, allowing the voice of his whimpering child to penetrate the fog of James' pain filled consciousness. Oh God! "Jaime," he groaned.

It wasn't more than a whispered gurgle that escaped his lips, but the little girl heard him and immediately began trying to reach her father. Rising from the floor and crawling onto the seat, she looked into her mother's sightless eyes. A tiny sob escaped. Jaime could not find the courage to climb past her mother's body. Instead, she crawled across the seat, struggled with the lock, finally, got the rear door open, and slid into the rain and wind. She'd managed the back door, now she yanked and pulled at the lift-up handle of the driver's door, but she could not open it. She turned to face the two men who walked toward her.