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Chapters (52)
  1. “I’VE NEVER LIED TO YOU, DANA.”
  2. Also by
  3. Title Page
  4. Copyright Page
  5. Dedication
  6. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
  7. Chapter One
  8. Chapter Two
  9. Chapter Three
  10. Chapter Four
  11. Chapter Five
  12. Chapter Six
  13. Chapter Seven
  14. Chapter Eight
  15. Chapter Nine
  16. Chapter Ten
  17. Chapter Eleven
  18. Chapter Twelve
  19. Chapter Thirteen
  20. Chapter Fourteen
  21. Chapter Fifteen
  22. Chapter Sixteen
  23. Chapter Seventeen
  24. Chapter Eighteen
  25. Chapter Nineteen
  26. Chapter Twenty
  27. Chapter Twenty-One
  28. Chapter Twenty-Two
  29. Chapter Twenty-Three
  30. Chapter Twenty-Four
  31. Chapter Twenty-Five
  32. Chapter Twenty-Six
  33. Chapter Twenty-Seven
  34. Chapter Twenty-Eight
  35. Chapter Twenty-Nine
  36. Chapter Thirty
  37. Chapter Thirty-One
  38. Chapter Thirty-Two
  39. Chapter Thirty-Three
  40. Chapter Thirty-Four
  41. Chapter Thirty-Five
  42. Chapter Thirty-Six
  43. Chapter Thirty-Seven
  44. Chapter Thirty-Eight
  45. Chapter Thirty-Nine
  46. Chapter Forty
  47. Chapter Forty-One
  48. Chapter Forty-Two
  49. Chapter Forty-Three
  50. Chapter Forty-Four
  51. Epilogue
  52. Teaser chapter

She pulled away from him. “No.”

“Yes.” Before she could argue, the door opened and Angus stood there, his gaze somber.

“What?” Wolfe asked, his body tensing.

Angus focused on Dana. “I’m sorry. The police think they’ve found Candy Folks. You’re listed as her emergency contact, and the authorities need somebody to identify the body.”

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty

The rain splattered almost gently against the windshield of Wolfe’s truck, breaking through the humidity of the evening in Washington, D.C. Dana watched buildings and streetlights slide by outside as if the night was normal. “Do you think there’s any chance the police are wrong?” she asked.

“Doubtful.” The lights and shadows played across Wolfe’s knuckles on the steering wheel. “I can do this for you.”

“No. I need to do it.” She’d never believe Candy was dead without seeing for herself.

Wolfe turned into a parking area near a large stone building and stopped the vehicle. “Force pulled some strings so you could do this tonight and not wait, but maybe tomorrow would be better? Are you sure you’re up to this?”

“Yes.” She opened the door and jumped down, letting the heated rain wash over her face. The air closed in, full of moisture. She shut the door and walked around the front of the truck, where Wolfe grasped her elbow and hurried her toward the steps.

A woman wearing jeans and a blue blouse waited just inside, opening the door for them. She had to be around sixty years old, with kind brown eyes, short brown hair, and ebony skin with laugh lines along her mouth. An ID badge had been clipped at her waist. “You must be Dana.”

“Yes.” Dana shivered, even though the air-conditioning wasn’t set too high. Her stomach hurt, and her temples ticked with pain.

The woman held out a hand. “I’m Betty Williams, and I’m a social worker with the coroner’s off ice.” They shook, and then Betty shook Wolfe’s hand before turning and starting down a long, clean hallway with cream-colored tiles and pictures of nature scenes on the walls. The building felt vacant at this late hour.

She led them into a small conference room with a wooden table and two orange chairs on each side. “Please take a seat.”

Wolfe pulled out Dana’s chair, waited until both women were seated, and then sat next to her.

Dana bit her lip, her chest hurting. “When do we go to the morgue?”

Across the table, Betty smiled. “We don’t. Identifications aren’t like on television.” She reached to the side of the table, where a manila folder had been set. “I have a photo of the victim the police have found, and I’ll hand it to you facedown. You can take all the time you need to turn the picture over.”