Warm River Redemption

by David Beckstead

What would drive one man to abandon his faith and eventually to murder, while another, under similar circumstance finds deeper meaning and hope? Derick Grey-Rasmussen is a man in crisis. His marriage has exploded, his best friend has been shot, and he feels abandoned by his God. Put in charge of a homicide investigation that will stress his faith to the breaking point, how does he overcome soul-threatening circumstances to find peace for himself and justice for the victims? “We had offered a short prayer before we started our search, but another one couldn’t hurt. “Father in Heaven,” she started, “I feel the presence of evil.” As she uttered the words, I felt a prickling on the back of my neck. The thought came clearly into my mind that I was being watched. Not officer Mallard, but me. The feeling was familiar. I’d been watched by these same eyes before. She ended abruptly, stood suddenly and moved to cover. I was one step behind her. We traded a silent look as her hand moved to rest over her weapon. I realized my fingers were tapping the butt of mine as well.We stayed hidden for several minutes and I felt the air lift, the menace gone. Nancy’s breathing eased also. Without a word, we resumed our search. Briar, my wire-hair griffon trotted back to me after I called to check on her. She was enjoying herself as she always did. Whatever had spooked me, hadn’t spooked her. Whatever predator had been watching wasn’t a cougar or a bear, or Briar would have been next to me, whimpering. I continued the search with my weapon in my hand. Nancy did the same. After another hour’s search, the feeling had eased, and my weapon was secured in its holster. I heard what sounded like a voice on a breeze. I froze. Nancy was also still, straining to hear. We were both staring uphill and to the west. We were high on the mountain and the trees were thinning. I took off on a dead run up the hill followed by Nancy and Briar. As I crossed the ridgeline, the dying light revealing a scree slope on the other side. Just at the top of the slope I saw a little boot. New, with the laces tied, this boot hadn’t fallen off. It had been torn. I took two steps down the slope but noticed that Briar had her head in a hole on the side of a large boulder. She was on point. It was probably a marmot or a snake but as I got closer, the hole was big enough for a child. I pushed Briar out of the way and shined my flashlight down into the dark. A dozen feet below me was a small, bare foot.”

465 pages, Paperback

Published January 11, 2021

About the author

David Beckstead is considered one of the top ten best wedding photographers in the world by American Photo magazine. David mixes his passion for art, travel and lifestyle to run a destination wedding photography business with his wife, Kassandra and daughter, Asia. They have traveled and photographed in almost 80 countries! David teaches photographers in many countries to let loose of traditional photography rules and follow their dreams!