SYNOPSIS : Someone is murdering men who abuse their wives or children . After four deaths it starts looking like a vigilante is loose in Las Vegas . Deacon is running the case as Lynn has been told she is going to Quantico to train with the FBI , leaving Deacon alone to catch the killer . He turns to Jim for his help and the two go off to track down the vigilante . Is it a handicapped doctor , bent on revenge for helpless victims of abuse ? During the case , Jim and Penny become guardians of a young girl left an orphan by the vigilante , can they handle a child in their household ? On the side , Trapper is assigned to a case to follow a woman suspected by her husband of gambling their life savings , but how is she dropping thousands of dollars a day if she has no funds . Its up to Trapper to find out and why his case ends tangled up with the vigilante murders . Will Jim and Deacon solve the case before more murders get out of hand , and they need to tie it all up before Lacey and Mac get married . This preview has been pretty much edited but don 't expect perfection . This is all of the chapters being put up for this book so enjoy and buy the book when it comes out . Chapter 1 The normal looking house on the far eastern edge of Las Vegas was dark this morning . A solitary light was burning in the hallway outside the bedrooms on the second floor , the light glowing into the open door of Jessica 's room . She was an adorable nine - year - old child , who was huddled on her bed being severely beaten by her father , Leo Meyer . Her whimpering and cries only made it worse , as her father was even more enraged by her sobs , causing him to assault her tiny little body harder . " Maybe she isn 't the one who should be dead , " came a soft voice from behind Leo . He paused in his tirade on the girl and turned quickly to see a dark figure silhouetted in the doorway . The light from the hall shone brightly behind the man , his face darkened by the lack of light in the room . Leo reached over to turn on the small lamp resting on the child 's bed stand , illuminating the stranger . " Who the hell are you ? " Leo slurred from the over indulgence of alcohol he had consumed all night . " Get the hell out of here , this is my house , you have no business being here ! " The figure turned from the door and was gone ; Leo ran out and saw him standing by the stairs . Leo charged the man , but when he got to him , the dark figure grabbed Leo and with a viscous swing , threw Leo down the stairs . Leo rolled and bumped downward until he came to a stop on the floor . The man came down the stairs and checked Leo , he was still moving . The stranger gave his head a sharp twist snapping it in an unnatural direction . The sun hadn 't even risen yet , as my darling Penny was having fits about what to wear for her talk show today . She was having three big name male hunks on her show promoting their movie filmed in Vegas . I sat on the edge of the bed as she flitted around the room pulling clothes from the closet over to what was Willy 's chair . Willy , our ever - faithful toy Yorkie was still on the chair trying to finish his sleep , and didn 't seem to be bothered by the ton of clothing piled on him . I checked to see that he didn 't suffocate and turned to my wife and said , " Why don 't you just go on the show naked . I 'm sure they would love that . " My statement was followed by a shoe being thrown at my head , as I retreated to the kitchen . I was trying to make some toast when Willy came flying in . I wasn 't sure if he was alerted by my presence in the kitchen or chased out by Penny . She settled for a white silk blouse and a slightly longer skirt that wouldn 't expose her to the lecherous panderings of her guests . I smiled at her as she stuck her tongue out again . She poured water in the pan and set the burner to heat the liquid . She then poured the oatmeal in as the water rolled and steamed . " I have a small case to find out if a wife is gambling the family savings away . Her husband can 't quite seem to be able to follow her , since she only goes out while he works , or so he thinks . I have to sit out front of the house and follow her to see if she is playing games of chance with their life savings . " " I keep my focus on the case , not the bevy of beauty found around the high rollers . Actually , most of the women in the casinos are ordinary wives or plain Jane types . The really good looking ones are in the private rooms for the big spenders , the whales . " " Yes dear . Oh , Buck picked up a new account for his guards yesterday . They will be guarding all the Gas - N - Go stations around Vegas . It should be very lucrative for the firm . " She looked at the clock , wolfed down the rest of her oatmeal , grabbed her purse and briefcase , kissed my nose and then headed out . I heard the garage door open and her car drove out the drive , setting off the driveway alarm . I went over and reset the thing then returned to my toast . I had dressed and was getting Willy ready for Lacey to pick him up and take him to our office . I had to go directly to the client 's house to tail his wife , so I wasn 't going into the office right away . About ten minutes later the drive alarm went off , it was Lacey . I reset the alarm again and then set the thing for twenty minutes to allow me time to leave . The doorbell rang and I had Willy in his purse , his head sticking out of the opening watching the door for Lacey . I opened the door , Willy yipped at Lacey , and she yipped back . I know she 's a little childlike sometimes but I really believe she can communicate with Willy . " I 'm great , Mac got home around six this morning from his guarding the car dealership and we had breakfast together . He said Buck may put him on the gas station detail , which would be nice , it 's a day job so we can see each other more often , " she bubbled . " That 's great , nothing like passing each other going to your respective jobs . " She thanked me , took Willy in his purse , and went off . I gathered up my camera case and a few other things I would need , and then went to the door just as my cell phone rang , it was Lynn . Usually when she called me early in the morning , it was police business and she wanted to ask me for advice . Although she and Deacon were talking about getting married lately , so I wondered if it could be about that . " We got a call this morning to 911 ; a child said her father was dead . When the first responders got there , they found him at the bottom of the stairs , dead , and the little girl was too frightened to talk . I would call child protective services , but I don 't like those people . I have no experience with children and since you act like a child most the time , I thought you might help . Besides you 're the grandfather type , so she might relax around you . " " Thanks for the grandfather comment , I 'll remember you in my will . I have a follow the wife case but I can put it off one more day . Where are you ? " I thought a moment , and then said , " I have to swing by the office for something and I 'll be in shortly . " I hung up after she said she 'd wait . I thought I might need a weapon to relax the child ; I was going to pick up Willy . I breezed into my building lobby finding it empty but found Lacey in Trapper 's office , she was taking dictation . Trapper grinned when he saw me , and said to Lacey that he would finish the letter later . I picked up Willy who was bouncing around my feet . " I 'd like it if my mother would move here , but she doesn 't like the heat , she prefers the cooler Michigan weather . I hated the freezing cold in the winter and the damp humidity in the summer . At least here it 's dry and fairly constant . " " I thought you had a case to go on this morning ? " " I have to go to visit Lynn and Deacon ; they have a small problem that needs my expertise . Are you doing anything for the next couple hours ? " " I can do that . " He studied the photo and I gave him the run down on when the husband leaves home for work . He said he 'd take care of it . I went out to the lobby and stood looking at Lacey . She was frowning wondering why I was looking at her . " What ? Did I do something wrong ? " she asked . " No , I think I 'll need you for a couple hours . Get your purse and Willy 's purse and follow me . " I went to tell Trapper to lock up the office when he left since Buck worked last night filling in for a sick guard and wouldn 't be in until later today . I took Lacey and Willy to the Crown Vic , driving over to Metro precinct . Lynn smiled , explaining what little they knew about the case and took us to her office . We entered the room and I saw a little girl looking shy and frightened sitting quietly in the corner . I asked Lynn and Deacon if they could leave us alone with her , they agreed and left . I pulled up a chair and asked Lacey to sit , then reached to the purse and took Willy out . I could see the girl 's eyes growing at the sight of the pup and she broke a small smile . I sat on another chair that I pulled over and held Willy on my lap . " Hi Jessica , my name is Jim and this is Lacey . My little friend here is Willy ; he is a teacup Yorkie , a small version of a Yorkshire terrier . Have you ever seen a dog this small ? " I asked hoping to get her to talk . She nodded her head and reached out . I carefully put him on her lap and she wrapped her arms around the pup . Willy was trying to lick Jessica 's face and hands , causing the girl to laugh aloud . The girl was adorable and had a face of a cherub , if I believed in cherubs . She had autumn brown hair and the bluest eyes I have ever seen on a child . It broke my heart to see the bruises on her neck and arms , how could any person be so cruel . We spent a few minutes letting Jessica play with Willy , and then I leaned forward and asked , " Jessica , may I ask you a few questions ? " " Well , can you tell me what happened this morning , if you can ? We really need to know what happened . Why don 't you tell Willy what happened , " I said thinking maybe the dog may get better answers than I could . She looked sad now and I could see a tear forming in her eyes . Lacey took a tissue from her purse and reached out to Jessica giving her the tissue . " Take your time Jess , may I call you Jess or do you like Jessica better ? " I asked . " My daddy was hitting me , he did that a lot . I tried to not cry but it hurt , he wouldn 't stop . He was hitting me when this man came to the door of my bedroom . I couldn 't see him , he was all black . He told my daddy that he should be dead and my daddy went after him , I couldn 't see what happened in the hall but I heard a loud noise and waited to see if daddy would come back , he didn 't . I went to the hall and then to the stairs and I saw daddy laying at the bottom . I went down and shook him but he didn 't move . I knew to use the phone to call 911 ; they taught me that in school . I told the lady on the phone about my daddy and then sat until they came . They were all yelling and asking me loud questions . I was afraid . " She nodded her head and looked down to Willy to avoid having to look back to us . " You couldn 't see the face of the man at the door ? " I asked . " No , he had a black mask on , I didn 't see his face . He was all black , his clothes . Did he kill my daddy ? " " I 'm glad my daddy is dead , he beat my mommy and made her go away . " She started crying now , Lacey went to her and hugged her , letting her cry on her shoulder . I went to the door after saying I 'd be right back . I went out and found Lynn and Deacon in the squad room listening to a monitor from a recorder attached to what I guess was a wireless microphone in her office . " I didn 't know your office was bugged , " I said . She smiled and said it was something she set up for my questioning of the girl . " What happened to the girl 's mother ? " I asked . " She 's dead , under suspicious circumstances , died two months ago . They couldn 't put it on the husband , he says was with his lover that night , or so the lover says . They say she was killed during a home robbery , but I have my doubts . " She looked through the window into her office , watching the girl now petting Willy and not crying as hard . " That poor girl is an orphan now and will be taken away to be put in some foster home with people who don 't give a rat 's ass about her , just the money they 'll make to take care of her . " " Yeah , too many years on the job taking depositions from abused and neglected children in foster homes . This town is built on gambling , many of these foster home parents would use the money they get for taking care of the children and gamble it away . I don 't have any love for foster care or Child Protective Services ; they don 't do a very good job of qualifying these people . That girl shouldn 't be lost in the system . I 've got Warren checking to see if there are any relatives in the area , but until then CPS will shuffle her around . " I was watching Lacey and Jessie playing with Willy and had an idea . I excused myself , went back into Lynn 's office , and sat back in my chair . " Lacey , if I were to pay you to take care of Jessie for a while would you be able to do that ? " Lacey look surprised and then turned to Jessie , " Would you like to stay with me and my boyfriend for a while ? Until the police figure out what happened ? " Jessie looked to Willy and asked , " Would Willy be with us ? " " Well , Willy lives with me and my wife but you can visit with him often . " I turned to the window ; Lynn was smiling and gave me a thumbs up . I turned back to Jessie , " What school do you go to ? " I thought probably because of the bruises on her , which would raise a flag in school , bringing in CPS . I asked Lacey if there was a school near her home and she said there was one within walking distance . Now I had to convince CPS to allow Lacey and Mac to take care of her . " I 'm Doris Braco from CPS . I was told by my supervisor that you had a child here in need of attention . " The woman droned on like a recording . I just stared at the woman , not liking her much . " So one would have to be married and have a good home environment to watch her until we find her family ? " I kept mentioning the family aspect to be sure Doris knew that Jessie would be taken care of by her own people , hopefully soon . I wasn 't crazy about the advanced age comment but went on , " I raised a son who I 'm proud of and my wife adores children , just until they find the child 's family . Besides , your agency would have to pay to have her taken care of ; I have a good deal of money to afford her anything that she would need , and saving your budget a tidy sum . " I think I hit a nerve , her smile cracked slightly . I have found that money talks in this town . " Yes , it would be a relief on our tight budget ; the government is cutting back on things that shouldn 't be messed with . The idiots they elect and don 't know their elbows from a hole in the ground . . . sorry , it 's a touchy subject to me . All right , Mr . Richards , you can take her but I will have to come by to check and see she is taken good care of . " " I whole heartily agree , you can come by anytime . I 'm sure you 'd like to meet my lovely wife . " Okay , I was spreading it on a bit thick but it was working . " I 'll need you to sign a few papers and it will be arranged . " She turned to Lynn and asked if she could use a desk . Lynn guided her to the nearest empty desk in the squad room and Doris opened her satchel , took out some forms that she had me sign , fill in my address , and phone number . She finished up and stood , shaking my hand , " So good of you Mr . Richards , I 'll look forward to meeting your wife . " She turned on her heels and walked off . I stood looking at them , shook my head in resignation , and went into the office once more . I explained to Lacey about the marital problem and she was a little disappointed , but said she 'd like to help take care of Jessie whenever we would need it . I thanked her and sat , " Jessie , would you like to come stay with me and my wife for a while , Willy would be there for you to play with ? Just until the police can find a relative that you can live with . " She nodded her head happily and asked if she could get some of her dolls and stuffed animals from her house to bring . I turned to Lynn through the opened door and asked if we could take her things from the house , since it is a crime scene . Lynn said she and Deacon would go with us and help out . I went back out to them and asked , " How did you know that it was a homicide , not just an accident of her father falling drunk down the stairs ? " We went out to our cars and drove over to Eastern and Sahara then into a small subdivision where we arrived at the house . There were still a couple police cars and a CSI SUV parked out front . Small groups of people were congregating out front watching , hoping to get a glimpse of something scandalous . Lynn and Deacon escorted us past the yellow tape barrier into the house , and then Lynn asked the lead CSI if they had the scene secured , he said we could take over ; they were finished . I asked Jessie where her room was and she pointed up the stairway . Lacey was holding Willy in his purse and Jessie was hanging on to Lacey 's arm . We went up and Lacey helped Jessie pack a good number of clothing and toys to keep her for a while . I looked at the old and ratty clothes and could see that we would need to do some shopping for her ; Penny would love that . I was looking around the room and asked Jessie if she could tell me what had happened this morning . Jessie was silent for a moment and then said quietly , " I was on the bed , and daddy was standing here , " she pointed , " then the man came to the door , he said things to daddy and then went down the hall . Daddy followed him and that 's all I saw of the man . " " Yep , as soon as hubby was out the door the wife was barreling down to the strip . She stopped at one of the smaller casinos , better odds there for the local folks to gamble . I got a good number of shots of her at the blackjack tables and roulette . She lost a small bundle before I left ; I have enough photos to satisfy the husband . " " Thanks for that . Now come out to meet the newest addition to my family . " He gave me a puzzled look and followed . He saw Jessie sitting on a chair next to Lacey 's desk holding Willy . " Jessie , this is my friend and business partner Will Trapper , he used to be a police detective in Detroit . " Jessie smiled and waved to him , he waved back . Trapper turned to me and quietly asked , " Does Penny know about this ? " I laughed and explained the whole story to him . He was watching Jessie as I finished . " Poor kid , not a good life . " As he said that , the front door opened and in walked Penny . " Hey babe , come on over and meet your new daughter . " She gave me a look and then saw Jessie . She smiled and asked , " Where did you kidnap her from and is she worth a lot ? " I called Jessie over and she brought Willy with her . " Penny , this is Jessie Meyer . " Penny said hello as I knelt down and said to her , " Jessie this is my wife , Penny Wickens , she has a talk show on TV in the mornings , maybe someday you can go with us to see a show being taped , would you like that ? " She nodded her head ; I said to go back to Lacey while I talk to Penny . We went into my office for privacy and I explained my morning to her . She smiled when I finished , " You just love bringing home stray women don 't you , first Lacey now Jessie . As long as they 're too young for you , it 's okay by me . So what 's this I heard you mention about needing to shop for clothes ? " " Nope , she 's just here because I was bringing Lacey back to work then you showed up . So go have fun , I 'm sure Jessie will love the outing , her father didn 't let her out of the house much . " I stood and went to the door and called Jessie in . She came in with Willy and I asked her to sit . " Jessie , Penny is going to take you shopping for new clothes , how does that sound ? " Penny stood and told Jessie to go out to the other room and they would leave . She looked to me and said , " Do you need Lacey ? I 'd like to take her to help with our shopping . " I figured Lacey was trying to cover up the bruises on Jessie 's neck , which was good of her . Lacey finished the cover up make - up , with a hint of eye shadow and light lipstick , Jessie looked quite cute for a nine year old . She looked at herself in Lacey 's hand mirror and got a huge smile on her face . Penny asked Lacey if she 'd like to go with her to help shop for clothes for Jessie , she asked me if she could leave work , I said there wasn 't a whole lot going on so she could go . They gathered themselves up and left . Buck winked at Trapper and went to his office . My cell phone rang and Penny said she was dropping off Lacey then heading home , so she asked me to pick up a pizza or some other good food . I said I would and hung up . A few minutes later , the front door opened and it was Lacey . She came back and said , " Wow , did we get clothing for Jessie ! It took two shopping carts to haul it to the car . " I smiled and said , " It 's late so go home to see Mac off to work . " About an hour later , I arrived at the house with two big pizza boxes and went in to find Penny and Jessie with clothing all over the living room . I couldn 't believe how many items they had . Jessie was bouncing all over the place holding clothes up and then she would disappear into the guestroom to change . I hadn 't thought about that little fact , even though our bedrooms weren 't that close , we could get loud sometime , especially Penny . " Well , we 'll just have to improvise . Besides , we can go out to the guest house . " We ate our pizza , had our refreshments , and watched a little television , Jessie was on the floor playing with Willy , and we looked like a happy family . Later Penny tucked Jessie into bed and came back to me in our bedroom . " She went right to sleep as I was folding her clothes for her , she 's a quick sleeper . " I grabbed on to her and pulled her on the bed with me kissing her hard and long . " Watch that buster ; it could lead to things you may not be able to handle . " She gave me her evil little smile and I just said , " Try me . " Willy was missing from his chair as I went to the bathroom after we quietly made love ; Penny said he wouldn 't leave Jessie 's room . " I guess we know where his loyalties are . " I finished my business and got back into bed , " See , we can still fool around as long as you don 't yell a lot , " I joked . About a half hour later , we were both asleep . It was four in the morning when I heard the screams . Penny was out of bed before I even sat up ; she was heading to Jessie 's room . I threw on a robe and followed . Jessie was sitting up in bed crying as Penny was holding her . She looked to me and said , " She had a bad dream about . . . well , you know what . " I had a feeling this would be hard on Jessie , with all the abuse and then seeing her father dead . It may take a little professional help for her , I would call Lynn and asked if she knew anyone , but I would call later . Penny sat with Jessie for a while longer , they were talking and I had gone out to the kitchen to get a glass of water for Jessie . Hector Ramirez had just returned from the bar he frequented and was staggering through the apartment looking for his wife , who was hiding in the bathroom . He banged on the door loudly and was screaming for her to open up . He had a Bowie knife in his hand and was driving the point into the door , just stabbing and stabbing at the wood , leaving deep cuts in the veneer . " Open this damn door , Celeste ! Open it or I swear to god I 'll break it down ! " He started pounding harder as the thin - skinned door started to crack in the middle . He had managed to break an opening in the door as the wood gave way . He peeked in and gave a grin , yelling the line from ' The Shining ' , " Here 's Hector " . Celeste was watching in terror as he tried reaching in to unlock the bathroom door . As he was reaching down , Celeste saw that a black gloved hand came around his mouth and he was yanked back from the door . Celeste sat on the floor in wonder as to what just happened . She carefully got up , went to the door hearing a struggling noise and muted screams . She looked through the opening and saw a black clad figure strangling Hector with his hands . Hector 's eyes were bugging out and his tongue was sliding in and out of his mouth . After a moment , Hector gave up the struggle and went limp . The figure dropped him and turned to look to the opening in the door . Celeste took a deep breath as she saw that the man had on a black mask , he saluted her then disappeared down the hallway . She looked down to the lifeless body of Hector , afraid to come out of the bathroom until she felt safe . Deacon arrived at the crime scene about twenty minutes after Warren called him . Warren had determined that this murder possibly had something to do with the Meyer murder yesterday morning . Both victims had been abusers of either women or children and were killed by a dark - dressed man . " Same MO as your vic yesterday . Hector Ramirez was an abuser of his wife , had numerous calls to this address previously when he would kick the crap out of her , but she would never prosecute . Looks like someone decided to do it for her . So far it 's shaping up to be a vigilante , at least it looks that way to me . " He bent down , pointing to the bruises on Ramirez 's neck where he was strangled . " The perp had to be strong to do this to his beefy neck . Joe Lang told me after he examined the body that the vic had enough muscle to fight off the attacker , but evidently couldn 't . " " Lynn got called into the Captain 's weekly meeting . You know crime has to stop when the Captain needs to let everyone know how we 're doing in fighting crime . Our closure rate is up , which is good , but the Captain wants it closer to a hundred percent rather than seventy - six . Lynn hates the meetings but has to be there . " " We 've been talking about marriage , but if we do they may separate us , I 'd get a new partner like Warren . I dread that . " Warren gave Deacon the middle finger . " So far we 've been discrete about living together , the Captain is so scattered I don 't think he knows . But Lynn has been having wedding blues lately so it may happen soon . What 's the word on the vic , Joe ? " " Well , as Warren already filled you in , he was strangled . The vic had a thick neck , mostly fat , so the perp would have had good strong hands to squeeze his windpipe shut . Ramirez weighs in about 280 to 300 and is built for construction , which he does for a living , so he could have fought off his attacker . The alcohol probably slowed him down ; he was stinking drunk as you probably can smell . " Deacon was examining the bathroom door as the ME was talking ; he was running the scene through his head , visualizing what may have happened . Warren came up to him and said , " We were able to talk to the wife through a translator , she 's pretty new from Mexico , Hector brought her up about six months ago , illegally of course , but married her in a quickie Vegas wedding ceremony , so she 's good to stay here . She says Hector came in from his favorite bar and she heard him yelling before he even got into the apartment . She didn 't want to be beaten again , so she locked herself in the bathroom . He broke through the door as you can see , but as he was trying to unlock the door a hand grabbed him from behind and pulled him away . She went to the door and saw a man dressed all in black killing her husband . Whoever it was left in a hurry , that 's all she said . " " You may be right Greg , could be the beginnings of a vigilante , and I have a feeling there 'll be more . This town is full of frustrated , mean people who need to be taken down a peg . " Deacon smiled as he looked down to the vic . It was Thursday morning so I told Penny that we could wait until Monday to take Jessie to register for school . " Give her a few days to relax before throwing her to the wolves . She can visit with Lacey and Willy at the office or go in and annoy Buck for a while . He 's not crazy about children . " " Just don 't teach her any bad habits , and keep her away from Trapper , he 'll have her pulling pranks on everyone . " Penny smiled , as she was getting ready to go to her studio to do her show . " I have some knights and kings from the Excalibur Hotel show coming in tomorrow , I 'll take Jessie with me , and she may get a kick out of the horses they 'll be bringing . " " Sounds good , " I said as Jessie entered the kitchen where Penny was making a big pot of oatmeal . She made extra for Jessie and set two bowls on the snack counter . I helped Jessie get up on the stool as she said good morning . She dug into the oatmeal as if she was starved . " My father didn 't cook and I wasn 't very good at it , so I usually ate dry cereal in the mornings . This is good , thank you . " Jessie and Penny both wolfed down the food after Penny sprinkled a little cinnamon on their oatmeal . I was holding in a laugh watching the two of them , they looked so much alike . " Okay , take a breath and relax . I 've never seen a person turn red as fast as you do . You can baby sit Willy and Jessie for the day . I have a client coming in to discuss a case with me . " Jessie spoke up , " I don 't need a babysitter , I 'm nine and I have been taking care of myself for a while . My father never spent much time around the house . " She choked a little , so I changed the subject . " Lacey why don 't you tell Jessie about what we do here , the investigating and security . Tell her all about how we met you and the crime we solved . Just don 't be too graphical , " I smiled and went to see if Trapper was in , he was . " The Captain wants to send me to FBI training for law enforcement officers at the FBI Academy in Quantico , Virginia ! They take police in to train them in various things like terrorism and kidnapping and whatever else the FBI does . I have to go for a month , do you believe that ! " I could almost see steam coming from her ears . " I don 't like scenery , I don 't like change ! I don 't want to go ! " Deacon came up and started rubbing her shoulders , her eyes rolled back and she gave a big sigh . " Oh , keep that up . I needed to get the tension out . " " See , I 'm needed here , not in Quantico , " Lynn said from her chair . " Go have fun , I can handle it . " Deacon was probably glad that he could take lead for once on a case . Lynn was always in the front of everything ; Deacon was the guy in the rear . " I know you can handle it . I just hate to be out of the loop . I need to go home to pack , let 's get out of here . Say so long to Penny for me . " Deacon smiled and said to me , " I 'll keep you informed about this vigilante , maybe Jessie can remember something that may help . " He helped Lynn out of her chair and they went out of Trapper 's office . Trapper and I followed them to the lobby where they said their hellos and good - byes to Lacey and Jessie and went out . I saw a car pulling in a parking space out front as Deacon drove off . It was my gambling wife client . I warned Trapper and he went back to his office . I said I 'd bring him back there to discuss his wife . The man entered the front door and I greeted him , " Good morning , Mr . Barnes . I have some information to give you , if you 'll just follow me . " We went back to Will 's office and Trapper stood and asked him to sit . " Will , this is Chester Barnes , Mr . Barnes , this is Will Trapper , my associate and he followed your wife yesterday . He has everything you requested as to your wife 's activities , " I said . Trapper took out the folder he had prepared and opened it , placing it in front of Barnes . He said , " After you left for work yesterday , your wife was out of the house and drove first to the Terrible 's Hotel and Casino , where she proceeded to gamble away about two thousand dollars . She then proceeded to the Silver Dollar Casino and lost another thousand . I stopped following her there , I had all the evidence that you requested . " Barnes leaned to the desk to study the pictures closer . He was frowning and then said , " I don 't know where Alicia 's getting the money , her bank account is almost drained , but you say she dropped almost three thousand dollars that you witnessed , she doesn 't have that kind of cash . How could she be doing this ? " Barnes took out his checkbook and said he was writing out the retainer fee as we had agreed on when he first came to request my help . He handed me the check and I put it in my jacket pocket . " We 'll get on this as soon as possible . I 'll leave you two to work out the details . " I thanked him and went out to the lobby to give Lacey the check to deposit . I looked into Buck 's office but he wasn 't in , I figured he was out getting the gas stations set - up for his guards . I was standing in the lobby ruminating on how busy this morning was becoming and thinking about Lynn going off to train with the FBI . I remembered back in Michigan when there was a flap about sending a couple of cops from a local precinct to train , the city said it didn 't have the budget to pay for the training , but they yielded and sent just one of the officers . Barnes was now coming out of the hallway followed by Trapper , they shook hands and then Barnes shook mine , thanking us and left . " He gave me a number of leads I can check on , but I 'll have to follow the wife more now . I 'll start in the morning , since I have no idea where she is right now . Barnes works as a manager at an Albertson 's grocery , so he has long hours , giving the wife plenty of time to wander . I hope she wanders in the right directions . " He headed back to his office . I was watching Jessie playing with Willy by Lacey 's desk thinking about her dead father and the new murder this morning of another abuser . Could this be a serial vigilante , or just two connected murders of people someone didn 't like ? I guess if there are anymore , we would know . I went into my office to look busy and wait for something else to happen . About an hour later , Penny came into the building and stopped to say hi to Lacey and Jessie . Willy ran around the counter and was bouncing at her feet . " Oh , now you want attention , you ignored me this morning , " she said to the dog . She picked him up and nuzzled him as I came out of the office . " We 've been busy . But I 'll make sure Lacey turns it on from now on , " I laughed . " Oh and Lynn is leaving us for a month to go train with the FBI in Quantico . She 's going to come back a super spy . " Lacey was now as excited as Jessie and I told her to be at our home early . She agreed . I took Penny in my office and we sat . " Yeah , something like that . Deacon is a good cop and was very helpful back when we ran together solving crimes . I know he can handle it . " " Yes and you were a pain in the butt always asking for information , but I enjoyed it . I 'll be back later . " He said his good - byes and left . " You should see all the nut cases coming in for gas , supplies , beer and cigarettes . Up at the north end stations I saw enough lower class people looking suspicious , as if they could rob the place . I don 't know why they don 't install those Plexiglas booths around the cashier ; it would be a lot safer . I got all my guards armed in these stations , they 'll need it . " " I got him patrolling the stations , checking on the guards , sort of as a supervisor . That should keep him safe , and Lacey won 't shoot me if he gets hurt . " Buck gave his big walrus smile and excused himself to go to his office . " Okay , we 'll see you tomorrow . " I left him to his business and took my girls out to the Crown Vic . " Anyone feel like Sonic burgers and onion rings ? " I asked . That met with an enthusiastic response , so I drove over and we had our meal . Back at home , we relaxed and I put on a Wii game of bowling I bought a couple months back to play when friends came over . Penny and Jessie were having a ball with it as I went to work on my next book in my home office . Around seven I looked out my back window to the pool and saw Penny and Jessie in swimsuits as Penny was explaining the finer points of swimming to Jessie . They spent about an hour getting Jessie used to the water and then they came back in the house . Penny came to my room and said , " She 'll do fine in the water , just a few more lessons . " Then she went off . Around ten , we decided to head to bed . Four - thirty in the morning was a time for children to be asleep in bed , but not so for six year old Noel Hendricks . Her father , Murphy , was in her room doing things to her that no father should be doing . She was on the bed , not moving for she knew if she did , it would result in a beating . The father was about to slip her pajama gown up when he heard a knocking noise , like someone tapping on the wall outside of the room . He stood and went to the door slowly , and when he reached the door it flew open and there stood a man all in black . He reached out to Murphy and grabbed him by the shirt pulling him out of the room . Noel heard muffled screams and a banging noise . It was from Murphy Hendricks ' arms and legs flailing around hitting the walls , as the man in black was hoisting him up by his neck , hanging him . Murphy ceased moving when his neck snapped , and the man dropped him . He then undid Murphy 's belt and pulled down his pants . The man pulled out a knife , castrated the dead man , and stuffed the parts into his mouth . Noel was watching from her bedroom door as the man looked up to her , putting his finger to his masked mouth signaling her for silence , then he turned and went out of the hallway and out of the house . Noel went to her mother 's room where the woman hid when her husband was doing things he shouldn 't , but she was too afraid to stop him . Noel knocked on her mother 's door and when the woman asked what she wanted , Noel just said quietly , " I think daddy 's sleeping . "