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
She turned to Ben, who was waiting for her answer, Tug’s leash jingling as they walked along one of the paths twisting through the forests of Suntrail Sky Park, a few blocks behind their corner of Cielo Valle.
He’d invited her to go for an after-dinner walk. It seemed like in the last few days he’d been giving her a hard read and brought her here for an underlying reason.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“Lately you seem disconnected. Like something’s eating at you, and maybe I’ve been contributing to that.”
Emma didn’t respond.
“It’s no secret that I’ve been consumed with my book, and I apologize for that,” Ben said.
“It’s all right.”
“Here’s the thing. Kayla’s still struggling to accept you.”
“I know.”
“I’ve talked to Doctor Hirsch about it.”
“The therapist who helped Kayla when Brooke died?”
“Yes, and she believes that Kayla feels that accepting you would be a betrayal of her loyalty to her mother and it is likely why she may subconsciously, or even consciously, treat you like an outsider, or an unacceptable replacement.”
“I understand that.”
“She suggested that Kayla needs to work at finding a way to accept you without feeling like she’s being disloyal to her mother. Now, Kayla’s resisting, but I think we need her to go back to Hirsch so she can help her.”
“Sounds reasonable.”
“I’m thinking that in a few weeks I’ll have my research under control and we can take that vacation together. That’s when we can talk to Kayla without distraction and convince her to get on the right track with Rachel Hirsch. What do you think?”
“It’s a good idea.”
Ben looked at her and seemed unsatisfied. “Something’s still troubling you. I’m leaving for Canada soon and I need to be sure you’re okay.”
She said nothing and he took her hand. “Emma. I’m your husband.”
“Why…” Emma began, stopped and resumed. “Why not do a book based in Sweden or Germany, or even here in the US.?”
“Like I said, there were legal issues with those cases that my publisher wanted to avoid.” He was puzzled. “Why’re you anxious about the Canadian case?”
“It just seems—I don’t know—it’s disturbing.”
“It’s no more disturbing than the Swedish abductions or the cannibalistic butcher in Germany.”
“I guess that with the young girls, girls not much younger than Kayla, than the kids I counsel, it’s just so distressing, you know? Ben, I’d be happier, relieved even, if you found another case to write about.”
Ben thought for a moment. “Emma, I can’t do that.”
“Why not? There are so many other cases.”
“You’ve read my books. All of them have disturbing elements. I want you to read my outline, then you’ll have a better understanding of this case.”