Pursued but Shielded
by
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PURSUED BUT SHIELDED
Also by Frannie Watson with Doug Watson:
Mirrors – Real stories of people who transform pain to joy and turmoil to peace
PURSUED BUT SHIELDED
FRANNIE WATSON
Copyright 2014 Frannie Watson
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used with permission.
Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, New International Version, Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Understanding Emotions, A Worldwide Discipleship Association, Inc. Publication, Copyright Field Test 1990’s. Used with permission.
DEDICATED TO
All who have been sexually assaulted, molested, or raped.
I pray you will be encouraged, educated and inspired!
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
About this time two years ago, Jan Stittleburg, my neighbor and website designer, encouraged me to write again. At the same time I was typing a screenplay for a friend’s daughter, Allison Dietz, about her life of sexual molestation and assault. There was also an online blog debate about the acceptance of a soft pornographic book within Christian circles. I was overwhelmed with how these different events struck me. I went to God and asked what could I do to help raise Christians’ awareness of the downhill consequence of any kind of pornography. As I prayed, this story became a reality.
I realized I needed direction and guidance as I had only written a self-help book, Mirrors, with my husband, Doug. The editor, Nancy Addison, who had helped me with the final draft of Mirrors, accepted my request for her expertise. Fortunately for me she is not only a great editor, but a gifted teacher/writer, knowledgeable of the suspense/detective genre, and had the patience to stay with me until this project was complete. Thank you, Nancy, for everything!
The other editor I would like to thank is Nan Snipes. She took time out of her very busy schedule to make sure the Christian journey of the character, Elizabeth, was truthful and worthy. Also thanks to the ministry of Worldwide Discipleship Association for allowing me to include some of their emotional principles.
I would also like to thank Darian Perkins, the professional comedian who came up with the humorous stories of the character Darian. Thanks to Nancy Higgins, Christian counselor, and Richard Dean, lawyer for their professional insights to help this work’s authenticity. The website, Wikipedia.com, is my best tool for research and I cannot imagine writing without it. Also thanks to the dear friends and family Greg Watson, Lee Tolar, and Nancy Thompson who helped by reading the manuscript and then giving their feedback.
I could not have done this project without the prayers of many. A special thanks to Jan Wolbrecht and Margo Theivagt, and mainly, my wonderful husband, who read, listened and helped with the details of the plot, and for his constant love and encouragement to finish this work, thank you honey!
Atlanta Journal
MONDAY, July 22, 1996
Serial Rapist Baffles Police
By John Smith
Staff Writer
Atlanta’s finest admit they are baffled by the serial rapist who has been assaulting young women for the past few months. “We have every available man searching for this perp,” said Sex Crimes Unit Captain North. “Of course the Atlanta Police Department is also still searching for the man who bombed Centennial Olympic Park, so that is draining some of the manpower from the search.”
The rapist’s method of operations (MO) includes using the ‘date rape drug’ Rohypnol, which will temporarily incapacitate the victim and causes memory loss so the victim does not remember the attack, much less the attacker.
Thursday, October 17 11:45 PM, 1996
She awakens in darkness. Where could she possibly be and how did she get here? She tries to get up but her hands and feet are bound. She tries to break free. But the bonds are sticky and strong. Something is moving around on her head. It’s a hood.
Then her other senses become very acute. Smells of mildew and rank urine. She rolls onto her back and slaps her feet on the floor. The sound echoes like in an old, deserted, damp house. The floor feels dirty. She is disoriented and feels sick.
Suddenly she feels someone’s presence near her - it is then the knowledge sinks in that someone kidnapped her. Fear floods her.
“Who’s there? Is someone there? Help! Anyone, please help me!” she screams.
She could still sense that someone was very close to her.
“Please, let me go! Please!” she says.
“Oh, you sense my presence. I knew you wanted me. I sensed it right away, when I saw you. I can always tell when someone wants me,” The man’s voice sounds both sinister and demeaning.
“Where did you see me?” she asks, desperately.
“That is not important anymore.” He sounds smug, but she can sense his impatience.
“I have a plan and now I am going to enjoy each exhilarating detail. Each detail will give me the invigorating rush that I love,” he whispers into her ear and he continues with merciless detail, “I feel the power and control pulsing throughout my whole body.”
She screams as loud as she can, “Help me! Help me!” her terror almost overcoming her.
Once again she is in complete silence and darkness. She tries to remember where she had been and what day it was. But she couldn’t remember anything. Once again she senses his presence. He walks closer this time; she hears his footsteps getting louder. She cannot see him but it allows her to engage her other senses of hearing and smell. Through her hood, he smells like bourbon and cheap aftershave cologne. She feels his touch. Her breathing becomes faster and more labored.
“No! No! No! Please, no-o-o!” A last, desperate plea, her terror rising beyond control.
One final scream, and then blessed unconsciousness takes her beyond the blows to her head and body.
Friday, October 18, 1996 - 1:00 AM
The man paced back and forth in the empty kitchen. He was more unsettled with this last conquest than any of the other ones. His tested formula exhilarated him as usual. But he could not ignore the feeling that something was wrong. He has always counted on his OCD to drive him to examine each detail. What had gone wrong now? He must respond to the nagging pressure, to go over every detail to find the source of his unease regarding his last conquest.
He stopped his pacing, thinking about his conquest, slowly going over every detail. Something was familiar, but what? Think, TRB, what have you missed? He tapped his fingers against his leg and resumed his pacing. Somehow the rhythm helped clear his brain, although he was still angry with himself. TRB, what kind of idiot are you, ignoring this warning signal? And when had it come, that warning? Again, he reviewed every detail. The bar had been dark. He had the hood over her face from the moment of the snatch. Who was she? Did he know her from somewhere?
He stopped pacing again, slowly nodding his head. That’s it, TRB! You must have known her from somewhere, deep in your subconscious. You should have taken more time at the bar, but the drive for power and conquest were too strong. He drove his fist against the wall, furious at his lack of self-control. His first rule was to have no connection between him and his conquest...
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About the Book
Atlanta in 1996 provides the backdrop for a fast-paced victim-driven thriller that speeds to an unanticipated ending, keeping the reader guessing at every stage.
A rapist is meticulous in making sure he has no connections with his victims. Elizabeth is his latest victim and she struggles to remember the attack while grappling with the nagging question: would she ever feel safe again?
A group of long-time friends coalesce around Elizabeth to protect her and work to find the rapist. An Atlanta police detective who is frustrated in his search for the attacker; the victim’s brother who is a private investigator; and a forensic psychologist who is asked to join the investigative team to assist with the victims. They must track down the rapist before he finds Elizabeth again.
Pursued but Shielded is a fictional detective story that highlights the victim’s courage to overcome her post-traumatic stress. Interested readers can consult the bibliography of the author’s first book, Mirrors, to find a list of self-help materials concerning sexual injury.
“Police search for a serial rapist whose urges escalate to murder in this faith-based detective novel.
Christian author Watson’s (Mirrors: Real Stories of People Who Transform Pain to Joy and Turmoil to Peace, 2012) first novel begins with the brutal rape of Elizabeth Evans in October 1996. Although she spent most of her life in California, Elizabeth had recently moved back to her hometown of Atlanta. Following his sister’s assault, Elizabeth’s brother, private investigator Will Evans, joins forces with his childhood friend Victor, the lead investigator on the rape case. Assisting the two and counseling Elizabeth is psychologist Del Thomas, another grade school friend and a woman of deep faith who believes God answers all questions asked of Him and whose “beauty and style gave her a ticket to go most anywhere she wanted.” Elizabeth is still in danger; the rapist believes that unlike his other victims, she could identify him. After the rapist tries and fails to kill Elizabeth in her hospital bed, she is moved to a long-term care facility for traumatized victims, where she receives extensive counseling and bonds with her art therapy instructor, Stella. Ten years prior, Stella came to the facility and became a practicing Christian, and she tells Elizabeth that her healing was aided by teachings in the Bible. As Elizabeth continues her own physical and emotional recovery, the rapist stalks the police assigned to the investigation and dreams of “a new wall of trophies” from murder victims who would include Lucky, a blackmailing security guard who witnessed him trying to kill Elizabeth in the hospital. The hunt to identify the rapist before he lashes out turns heart-pounding… But never in question is the author’s belief in the healing power of the Christian message.
A mingling of spiritual insights and chilling crime.” - Kirkus Reviews
About the Author
Atlanta born and raised, Frannie earned her BS from Georgia State University and a Certificate in Bible from seminary. She served with a missions group in France. She worked in education, corporate and manufacturing.
She learned about emotional health as an associate - Worldwide Discipleship Association, she lives in metro Atlanta with husband Doug and dog Sally.