Chapters (97)
- Cover
- Back Cover Text
- Praise
- Booklist
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Thirty-Four
- Thirty-Five
- Thirty-Six
- Thirty-Seven
- Thirty-Eight
- Thirty-Nine
- Forty
- Forty-One
- Forty-Two
- Forty-Three
- Forty-Four
- Forty-Five
- Forty-Six
- Forty-Seven
- Forty-Eight
- Forty-Nine
- Fifty
- Fifty-One
- Fifty-Two
- Fifty-Three
- Fifty-Four
- Fifty-Five
- Fifty-Six
- Fifty-Seven
- Fifty-Eight
- Fifty-Nine
- Sixty
- Sixty-One
- Sixty-Two
- Sixty-Three
- Sixty-Four
- Sixty-Five
- Sixty-Six
- Sixty-Seven
- Sixty-Eight
- Sixty-Nine
- Seventy
- Seventy-One
- Seventy-Two
- Seventy-Three
- Seventy-Four
- Seventy-Five
- Seventy-Six
- Seventy-Seven
- Seventy-Eight
- Seventy-Nine
- Eighty
- Eighty-One
- Eighty-Two
- Eighty-Three
- Eighty-Four
- Eighty-Five
- Eighty-Six
- Eighty-Seven
- Eighty-Eight
- Eighty-Nine
- Acknowledgments & A Personal Note
- Excerpt
The cameras had moved on but a reporter with an online news site returned to Paul because she’d noticed that with him and his wife was the woman in her late twenties who’d watched all the proceedings. The woman had shunned all attempts by reporters to question her. In fact, thinking she was Paul and Lynn’s daughter, few people knew who she actually was. But the national reporter had good sources. She’d learned that she was Victoria, the sole survivor of the Tullock family. The reporter approached Paul and Lynn, going directly to Victoria.
“Excuse me, Torrie. I’m Allison Kessing with the Canadian National Times. Can I get your thoughts on today’s proceedings?”
Torrie shook her head slowly and her aunt put her arm around her shoulder.
“I understand.” Kessing smiled and before leaving said, “It’s just that they’re all free now and I thought you’d have some feelings about that.”
Torrie was well dressed and poised. She’d left the New Dawn Sunrise Wellness Retreat about a year after her family was slain, had gone to college and had been playing a role managing her father’s company and living a quiet life since. Reevaluating Kessing’s comment, she lifted her head. “Wait.”
Kessing returned.
“You know about all their conditions?” Torrie said.
“They’re now free to live as any other citizen, do whatever they like.”
“They cannot contact or communicate with each other. Ever. If they do so they go back to prison.”
“Yes, that was a condition given at sentencing, and I doubt they’ll violate it after all this time. It seems clear they’re each ready to move on.”
“Did you know that each of them have legally changed their names?”
“No. I didn’t know that, but it happens in notorious cases.”
“And did you know that after their release, if they do not break the law, their records are completely sealed, expunged after five years. So no one can ever know what they did?”
“Yes, I know. So what are your feelings on all of it, Torrie?”
She blinked several times, looked to the sky, then at Kessing.
“They can now disappear into the world as new people, as if the murder of my family never happened. That’s not justice—it’s a rebirth.”
Forty-Six
Cielo Valle, California, and Eternity, Manitoba
Present day
“Yes, please hold for Chief Jurek. He won’t be too long.”
Ben switched his phone to speaker and “Let It Be” played while he went through his checklist at his desk.
In the past two days he’d read every news article he could find on the murders in Eternity. With the help of an FBI friend with contacts in Canada, he’d already located some of the people involved in the case, conducted brief, preliminary interviews and secured commitments from them to speak to him face-to-face when he traveled to Manitoba to research the book.