A TRACE OF DEATH (Book #1)

A TRACE OF MURDER (Book #2)

A TRACE OF VICE (Book #3)

A TRACE OF CRIME (Book #4)

A TRACE OF HOPE (Book #5)

CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

CHAPTER TWENTY SIX

CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN

CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT

CHAPTER TWENTY NINE

CHAPTER THIRTY

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE

EPILOGUE

CHAPTER ONE

It was one of the rare days that Rachel was actually pleased with the woman she saw staring back at her in the mirror. She looked closer to twenty-five than her actual age of thirty-three and she was having a good hair day. Shed slept soundly last night and her brown eyes had a well-rested sparkle. Even her skin was on point today, glowing slightly under the bathroom lights.

Not that it mattered. She had training today and, in about three hours, shed be sweating, and her hair would be in a ponytail. She enjoyed the training, though, and would gladly look like a sweating ragged mess if it meant shed had a good session. She smiled at the anticipation of it, despite the awful singing voice coming from the shower behind herthe voice of her husband, Peter, belting out Head Over Heels by Tears for Fears.

Darling, she said with a smile. I love you dearly, but you missed that note by about a trillion octaves.

Peter responded by increasing his volume and reaching for a high note that wasnt even a part of the song. You know, he said, following the note. Most women would appreciate being serenaded before they go off to work.

This is more like the torture techniques the army used in Afghanistan by pumping Marilyn Manson into prisons at three in the morning.

Sweet. Let your supervisors know. Maybe Id make a fine addition at the FBI. Then you could work around this singing voice all day long.

Before she could respond, Peter started singing again. When Rachel left the bathroom, there was a huge smile on her face. It was just one of those days…one of those days where even before the morning had gotten a good start, you just knew it was going to be a good day.

Despite the awful off-key chorus, she was actually glad to hear Peter singing in the shower. It was something hed been doing a lot more as of late. Theyd been working at having a second child for the past few weeks, which meant a much more active sex life. Their first, a daughter, Paige, had come after some difficulty, and they were hoping the second would be a bit easier. She knew Peter didnt mind putting in the time trying to get her pregnant, but Rachel rather hoped it would happen soon.