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
“This is odd.” Marv slid his phone into his pocket. “You wait here. I’ll walk around back in case they’re at the pool.”
“It’s so early. You think they’d be there?”
“Who knows? Wait here.”
Marv walked around to the back of the house, agreeing it was likely too early for the whole family to be at the pool. Maybe they’re having breakfast there? That’s what he was thinking, hoping, as he followed the stone walkway to the backyard fence and opened the high-level latch on the gate.
The beautiful in-ground pool was a picture of tranquility, the calm water reflecting the morning sun, the filter’s soft thrum soothing. Marv took quick stock of the lounge chairs, the kids’ pool toys.
No one was there.
He turned to the house, stepped closer to the sliding patio doors and called out.
“Roy! Hey, Roy, it’s Marv!”
No response.
Again, he reached for his cell phone. This time he called Roy’s cell phone. He stood up against the glass of the patio doors, used his free hand to shield his eyes from the sun, looked inside as his call rang.
He didn’t see anyone.
Then he paused, lowered his phone, set it on the ground and let it ring and turned his ear to the glass. He stopped breathing and could hear the faint ring of Roy’s cell phone coming from somewhere inside.
“What the hell?”
Fran’s scream pierced the air.
Marv grabbed his phone and ran to the front. Trotting along the path, this time he’d noticed a seam across the bottom of one of the basement windows, suggesting it was not shut all the way. Before he could take a closer look, Fran screamed again and he moved faster, finding her near the door hugging herself.
“Look!” She pointed a trembling finger to a narrow window at the entrance. “Look inside!”
Shielding his eyes Marv scanned the front interior, spotting a pair of legs on the floor, partially blocked by the staircase.
“Holy sh—”
Marv seized his phone and called for an ambulance as he tried the door. It was locked. The regional emergency dispatcher answered his 9-1-1 call.
“We need paramedics now! We’ve got a medical emergency in Eternity at the Tullock residence, 1721 Old Pioneer Road.”
Marv headed for the garage with Fran behind him.
“We’ve got to get inside!” he said.
Forcing himself to keep calm, Marv’s mind raced. He had watched over the Tullocks’ home when they had spent winter vacations in Florida, or took a Caribbean cruise. He lifted the cover on the security keypad for the garage doors, praying that Roy hadn’t changed the five-digit code he’d given him.
Hands shaking, Marv opened his wallet to the card where he’d written the code. He punched it in then pressed ENTER.
Nothing happened.