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Chapters (49)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. Epigraph
  4. Prologue
  5. 1Saturday, June 12, 6:32 p.m.Fifteen Years Later
  6. 2Saturday, June 12, 10:45 p.m.
  7. 3Saturday, June 12, 10:45 p.m.
  8. 4Monday, June 14, 7:20 p.m.Two Days Later
  9. 5Wednesday, June 16, 10:40 a.m.Two Days Later
  10. 6Wednesday, June 16, 12:10 p.m.
  11. 7Wednesday, June 16, 12:25 p.m.
  12. 8Wednesday, June 16, 1:28 p.m.
  13. 9Saturday, June 19, 9:12 a.m.Three Days Later
  14. 10Saturday, June 19, 8:10 p.m.
  15. 11Sunday, June 20, 10:12 a.m.
  16. 12Monday, June 21, 8:52 a.m.
  17. 13Monday, June 21, 11:15 a.m.
  18. 14Monday, June 21, 1:18 p.m.
  19. 15Monday, June 21, 5:38 p.m.
  20. 16Monday, June 21, 7:20 p.m.
  21. 17Monday, June 21, 7:30 p.m.
  22. 18Monday, June 21, 8:20 p.m.
  23. 19Tuesday, June 22, 10:22 a.m.
  24. 20Tuesday, June 22, 10:52 a.m.
  25. 21Tuesday, June 22, 1:08 p.m.
  26. 22Tuesday, June 22, 1:19 p.m.
  27. 23Tuesday, June 22, 1:47 p.m.
  28. 24Tuesday, June 22, 2:40 p.m.
  29. 25Tuesday, June 22, 3:12 p.m.
  30. 26Tuesday, June 22, 3:40 p.m.
  31. 27Tuesday, June 22, 3:58 p.m.
  32. 28Tuesday, June 22, 4:31 p.m.
  33. 29Tuesday, June 22, 6:10 p.m.
  34. 30Tuesday, June 22, 8:05 p.m.
  35. 31Wednesday, June 23, 9:32 a.m.
  36. 32Wednesday, June 23, 10:15 a.m.
  37. 33Wednesday, June 23, 12:45 p.m.
  38. 34Wednesday, June 23, 1:05 p.m.
  39. 35Wednesday, June 23, 4:12 p.m.
  40. 36Wednesday, June 23, 7:24 p.m.
  41. 37Friday, June 25, 7:17 p.m.
  42. 38Tuesday, June 29, 11:49 a.m.
  43. 39Tuesday, June 29, 1:10 p.m.
  44. 40Tuesday, June 29, 1:28 p.m.
  45. 41Thursday, July 22, 1:07 p.m.
  46. Acknowledgments
  47. About the Author
  48. Also by Alafair Burke
  49. About the Publisher

“See? I knew it. A con job. And I bought it hook, line, and sinker. Sure, I was skirting some payroll taxes or whatever, but I also thought I was helping out a woman who could use a break. I knew I was taking a leap of faith giving her that cash, but she’d been working so hard, I decided that for once I wasn’t going to be my usual cynical self.”

“So when was this?” Lindsay asked again.

“I gave her the cash here in the office on Friday. Then Saturday night she texted me, saying she was done with a project I’d assigned to her since I had my kids for the weekend.”

“What time did she text you?”

He picked up his cell from his desktop, scrolled through his screen, and handed the device to her. “See for yourself.”

The place is all set. I did it tonight to make sure I didn’t run into a time crunch tomorrow morning. Thanks again for trusting me, Evan. Hope you and the kids are having the best time! It was sent at 10:33 p.m.

“It was a prep for an open house. When I got there the next day, the house was close to perfect. But then she didn’t show up to help with the actual event. I thought maybe I hadn’t made it clear I wanted her to go, but then she didn’t answer my messages. No apology. No follow-up. Then she didn’t come into work Monday or any day since. Bye-bye, two grand.”

“Your employee vanished, and you didn’t think to tell anyone?”

“So I can get in trouble for paying her under the table, on top of getting ripped off? No, thank you.”

On instinct, Lindsay took a step closer to the exit. She wasn’t buying this story. If Hope needed money, she would have asked Lindsay for it. Or had she really meant it when she said she wanted to make this move on her own?

“I know you think she’s some kind of scammer, but I swear, that’s not who she is. Something is seriously wrong. Did she ever give any indication that she was having problems out here?”