âCan I help you?â Sylvieâs voice carried in soft and low tones better suited to a seductress than a murderess. Of course there was no reason she couldnât be both.
âBryce Walker. Iâm an attorney. I need to ask you some questions.â His voice sounded as businesslike and detached as heâd hoped. As if he was merely doing his job for a client.
The furthest thing from the truth.
He peered through the small crack, trying to get a better look at her. Blond hair, large blue eyes, a heart-shaped face any man would enjoy seeing on the pillow beside him. She held a hand to her chest, spreading pink-polished fingers across cleavage exposed by a formal green gown.
âYou are Diana Gale.â
âShe is my sister. She was supposed to be married today. But the wedding never took place.â
She sounded sincere. Fortunately he was well aware of his typical male weakness for beautiful women. And he knew how to compensate.
To Michael Voss and Christopher Voss,
the best brothers a girl could have.
Ever since she was a little girl making her own books out of construction paper, Ann Voss Peterson wanted to write. So when it came time to choose a major at the University of Wisconsin, creative writing was her only choice. Of course, writing wasnât a practical choiceâone needs to earn a living. So Ann found jobs ranging from proofreading legal transcripts, to working with quarter horses, to washing windows. But no matter how she earned her paycheck, she continued to write the type of stories that captured her heart and imaginationâromantic suspense. Ann lives near Madison, Wisconsin, with her husband, her two young sons, her Border collie and her quarter horse mare. Ann loves to hear from readers. E-mail her at [email protected] or visit her Web site at annvosspeterson.com.
Sylvie HayesâA survivor of the foster care system, Sylvie had always dreamed of having a family of her own. But when her long-lost twin sister disappears from her own wedding, and Sylvieâs family turns out to be more nightmare than dream, who can she turn to? Who can she trust?
Bryce WalkerâConvinced Sylvieâs sister is a handmaiden of the serial killer responsible for his brotherâs death, Bryce works to win Sylvieâs trust, hoping she will lead him to the missing bride. But he doesnât count on the need to protect Sylvie. Or the need to claim her for his own.
Diana GaleâSylvieâs twin sister was supposed to be walking down the aisle to marry the man she loves. Instead the bride is missing and her groom is barely clinging to life. Is she the family Sylvie has always wanted or a dangerous killer?
Detective Stan PerrethâThe secretive police detective has a bad attitude. Is he working to find Diana or working to blame her for his crimes?
Dryden KaneâThe serial killer has been in prison for years. Now heâs anxious to settle the score.
Louis IngersollâDianaâs neighbor would do anything for her. But does that include murder?
Professor Vincent BertramâThe professor has spent much of his life studying the grisly crimes of Dryden Kane. How far will he go to make sure his research pays off?
Sami YamalâThe professorâs assistant, Sami believes he deserves credit for the professorâs research. But how far will he go to prove he is the real expert?
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Epilogue
Sylvie Hayes dug her polished nails into the tulle wrapping the stems of her maid-of-honor nosegay and stared down the churchâs long aisle. A blend of alstroemeria and autumn chrysanthemums smothered the altar. Faces peered expectantly from pews, a sea of humanity tied back with white lacy bows. The organ soared into Bach, rattling stained glass like thunder from an approaching stormâthe cue to start her measured march down the aisle.
Where was Diana?
Her sister had said she needed a moment to check her makeup, to make sure everything was perfect for her wedding. But that had been over fifteen minutes ago. She should be back by now.
And where was the groom?
Sylvie squinted at the shadows to the side of the altar. Although she spotted the minister and best man, she couldnât see Reed McCaskey anywhere.
Sylvie and Diana might not know one another as well as twins whoâd grown up in the same household, but since Diana had tracked her down six months ago, they had become close. Closer than Sylvie had dared to get to another person. And even though Dianaâs marriage would probably change things, she felt the connection they shared, the sense of the other sheâd heard about in twins, would never go away. Sheâd feel an unexplained twinge of joy before Diana even had a chance to call her about good news. An insistent hum in the back of her mind when Diana was in trouble. That hum had been building to a crescendo over the past three months. Now it threatened to drown out the organ.