Title Page

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Dedication

To my friend Steve Dupre who has saved my butt many times … fictionally, of course. Thank you for playing the “what if” game with me when I get stuck.

Acknowledgments

There’s an old saying: “Write what you know.” If I did that, my books would be super boring. I’m a mom of five who quit my job 15 years ago to write full-time. My personal motto is, “write what you can know.” Research is crucial for all my books. I go on ride-alongs with the police, I have viewed autopsies at the morgue, I participate in SWAT training drills as a role-player, and I interview everyone I can get my hands on who’s willing to talk to me! I also read widely with more than 50 research books on my shelf, everything from hand-to-hand combat to forensics to special forces to criminal profiling. But even with all that research, sometimes I need a little help from my friends.

A special thanks to prosecutor Mark Pryor who helped me with some of the details about Texas laws especially related to trials and plea agreements. Jennifer Maxson, a friend in Texas, who did some research for me about local gun laws when I couldn’t find what I was looking for. The group CrimeSceneWriters who always have the experts I need to answer even the most esoteric questions, especially Dr. Judy Melinek’s information about bones and decomp. And especially Steve Dupre, retired FBI agent and all-around smart guy, who always helps make sure my fictional crimes are plausible. My character Ryan Maguire may have quoted Steve … they’re both smart guys.

No book is published in a vacuum. My agent Dan Conaway and his super-assistant Lauren Carsley keep the business end of my world neat and tidy. My editor Kelley Ragland and her super-assistant Madeline Houpt keep the creative end of my world in order. And they all have great people behind them at Writer’s House and St. Martin’s Press. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Prologue

TWO MONTHS AGO

Ash Dominguez had worked in the crime lab for thirteen years, quickly moving through the ranks from lab tech to senior analyst to assistant director. He looked a lot younger than thirty-five, but he figured that would help when he hit middle age. He loved his job, even though he got into the field for all the wrong reasons.

Yep, he fell in love with forensics because of a television show.

But right now, as he stared into the grave that held the skeletal remains of four people, he froze.