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 one in Sweden?” Kayla said.
“No, Sweden’s been shelved, too many complications right now.”
“Wasn’t there one in Berlin?” Emma took a chip.
Ben shook his head as he chewed.
“There were a couple here, Minneapolis and Boston?” Emma said.
“No, all of those cases are recent with potential legal issues. It made the publisher’s lawyers uncomfortable. So… Canada.”
“Canada?” Emma repeated, a shadow falling across her face, drawing looks from Ben and Kayla. She reached for her water glass to mask her dismay, forcing herself to remain cool. Canada was a big country, she told herself, there were a lot of possible crime stories. “Sorry, something went down the wrong way.”
Kayla turned to Ben. “What’s this one about?”
“It’s a terribly tragic case.”
“Dad, hello, you were a crime reporter, your books are about murder. They’re always terribly tragic cases.”
“It happened about twenty years ago. A family was murdered in a small town called Eternity, Manitoba.”
Emma felt the earth quake; all the blood had drained from her face.
“Eternity,” Kayla said. “Cool name.”
“There were three young girls who called themselves The Skull Sisters.” Ben said, “Anyway, I was thinking that after I went there and finished researching, you guys could join me. We could take the train that goes across Canada and through the Canadian Rockies and—Emma? Emma, are you okay?” Ben reached for her hand. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
Ben and Kayla exchanged glances.
Emma covered her mouth with her cloth napkin and stood. “Sorry, something isn’t agreeing with me. Excuse me. I’ll be right back.”
Forcing herself to keep it together, Emma walked toward the bathroom until she was out of sight, then, with her stomach writhing, she hurried. Rushing into the ladies’ room, she startled two women at the sink before disappearing into a stall. She gasped, bile burned up the back of her throat, her stomach heaved and she dropped to her knees and vomited into the toilet.
“Are you all right in there, dear?”
Breathing hard, spitting and wiping at her tears, she managed: “Yes. Thank you. I just need a moment.”
My God, my God, my God… Ben’s going to Eternity to write about the case! Of all cases—never in a million years did I think he would choose mine. How can this be?
Standing, wiping her mouth with a tissue, drying her eyes with trembling hands, unable to stop the agonizing image of…
…one hand gripping the knife held high in the scream-filled air, its blade dripping blood, another hand fighting frantically against it…
Steadying herself, Emma struggled to gain her composure. She had to do it fast before Ben sent Kayla in after her. Once she heard the two women leave, Emma went to the sink, rinsed her mouth, checked her face and hair.