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property association dues, they scooped up their dogs' shit into little plastic bags as to not offend their neighbors, and their kids surely played sports not just in high school leagues but in private county leagues. The world was their oyster. They felt safe. Sure, they locked their doors and set their alarms, but ultimately, they felt safe. That was about to change. He walked up a particular lawn. Surely she would be home now. Her husban..
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Blake Pierce |
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Thanks," she said. "But I think my roots here are too thick. I feel like it's too late."
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Blake Pierce |
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What do we do now?" Keri asked. "Meet me at your car in five minutes. I have to wrap a few things up." "Where are we going?" "To get drunk," he answered."
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Blake Pierce |
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As Riley looked, she saw that the three locations formed a triangle on the map.
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Blake Pierce |
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April stood there, looking stunned at what she had done, and looking, in panic, at the shotgun on the riverbed. It must have slipped from her hands. And Riley watched in horror as the current caught it and it floated away.
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Blake Pierce |
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You attract what you feel you deserve. You create your own life circumstances.
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Blake Pierce |
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anything, it made her anxious; why put the time and energy into planting something if you were working against the weather to make sure it stayed alive?
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Blake Pierce |
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She'd
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Blake Pierce |
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chargers.
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Blake Pierce |
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On cree les circonstances de notre propre vie.
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Blake Pierce |
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original one he got when they moved. But oddly, he was hazy about
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Blake Pierce |
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curb
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Blake Pierce |
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but in private county leagues.
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Blake Pierce |
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repot
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Blake Pierce |
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Detective Mackenzie White braced herself for the worst as she walked through the cornfield that afternoon.
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Blake Pierce |
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I think," Mackenzie said, finally answering Nelson's question, "that this was purely a violent crime."
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Blake Pierce |
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For a mother of two to be a stripper, Mackenzie assumed that there were money troubles in her life and that she was willing to do damn near anything to provide for her kids.
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Blake Pierce |
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I think I've got weapon prints here.
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Blake Pierce |
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As tough and determined as Mackenzie is, as brilliant as she is in hunting down killers, this new case proves an impossible riddle, something just beyond her reach. She may not even have time to crack it as her own life falls apart around her.
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Blake Pierce |
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nearly touched her face; then, as if aware of their surroundings, he quickly stood. Cindy felt herself gripped by the hands and pulled through the alley. Her eyes filled with tears. Someone, she mentally pleaded, help me. Help! She remembered her classmates, her friends, her laughter at the party. Help! At the end of the path, the small man lifted her up and hugged her tight. Her head flopped on his shoulder. He lovingly stroked her hair. H..
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Blake Pierce |
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Done for the night, he steered his ship for shore, and as it chugged steadily for the dock at Reedsport, one of his passengers called out, jarring him from his reverie. "Hey, Cap'n--isn't that your ghost right over there?" Jimmy didn't bother to look. All four of his passengers--two young vacationing couples--were pretty drunk. Doubtless one of the guys was just trying to scare the girls. But then"
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Blake Pierce |
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She yanked as hard as she could, bringing her arms forward. Her shoulders screamed in agony, but she was instantly free. There was a slight burn as the rope caught the top of her hand, but that was nothing compared to the pain laced across her back.
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Blake Pierce |
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Mackenzie came close and studied her, trying to repress a feeling of nausea and a wave of sadness. The woman's back was covered in gashes. They looked uniform in nature, likely placed there by the same instrument. Her back was covered in blood, mostly dried and sticky. The back of her thong underwear was caked in it, too.
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Blake Pierce |
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Maybe," Mackenzie said. But she didn't think so."
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Blake Pierce |
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Mackenzie finally arrived home at 10:45, exhausted. The day had been long and draining but she knew that she would not be able to sleep for quite a while. Her mind was too focused on the lead that Kevin Lizbrook had supplied. She'd called the information in to Nelson and he assured her that he'd have someone call the strip club and whatever law firm Hailey Lizbrook had been working with to get her restraining order. With
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Blake Pierce |
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What the hell are you doing?" Nelson asked."
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Blake Pierce |
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tell how old he was, but she could tell that he was slightly overweight and apparently a little out of shape. She could hear him wheezing as she closed in on his heels. "Dammit," she"
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Blake Pierce |
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Porter," Chief Nelson said. "White's solving this thing already. She's pretty sharp."
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Blake Pierce |
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Love is when you're willing to give up something you care about for someone else. It's when you care more about the other person than your own desires, and you act on it- that's love. It has nothing to do with sex
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Blake Pierce |
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house. It was a basic little house situated on the outskirts of a middle-class neighborhood. The grass had been recently cut, but the small flower beds bordering the tiny set of stairs to the front door were badly in need of weeding. It was a quiet neighborhood, but not the kind Susan would live in. The houses were one-story little saltboxes splattered along the streets. Most, she assumed, were owned by older couples or those struggling
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Blake Pierce |
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much more professional air than any of the men she worked with. As they drove onto the interstate, fighting through morning airport traffic, Ellington started scrolling
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Blake Pierce |
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McGrath looked to Ellington, silently giving him the floor. "There's a new program for the top-ranked agents coming out of the Academy. We're just now getting it off"
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Blake Pierce |
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This time, seeing the woman strung up in such a way, Mackenzie was unable to repress a memory of her sister. Steph had been a stripper, too.
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Blake Pierce |
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She wondered if setting up the pole was more than just a theatrical device. Something about it seemed resolute, almost like a necessity for the killer. For a brief moment she could see him, his hands falling on the pole and going to work.
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Blake Pierce |
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48fd51e
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Jared Ellington, thirty-one years old, a Georgetown graduate with a background that included a stint in profiling in counterterrorism cases. His black hair was slicked back as it had been in his picture and the telltale suit he wore painted him as someone on official duty. Mackenzie
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Blake Pierce |
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It all reinforced her feeling that she was marking time more than really living.
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Blake Pierce |
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You create your own life circumstances." Riley stood, unable to hear any more. "I"
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Blake Pierce |
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Some afternoons she lingered there, watching dogs tear across the wood chip-covered ground after tennis balls. But not today. Today, she walked
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Blake Pierce |
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She stepped away from the door, letting it slowly swing open. She could feel the fresh air from the other side of the door and she wondered if anything had ever felt so good in her life. She turned around
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Blake Pierce |
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677457e
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The press conference was just as Hillman predicted. Important people blathered on. The Penns thanked her. Mia sounded genuine through her tears. Senator Penn put on a good show but Keri could tell he despised
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Blake Pierce |
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E
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Blake Pierce |
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completely off the grid," she said. "I get into town from time"
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Blake Pierce |
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She and Zack had moved in together a little over a year ago, trying to take every possible step they could in their relationship that might prevent marriage for as long as possible. Mackenzie felt that she was ready to get married, but Zack seemed terrified of it. They'd been together for three years now and while
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Blake Pierce |
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Yet as she picked up two dirty plates from the coffee table and stepped over an Xbox disc on the floor, Mackenzie wondered if maybe she was done
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Blake Pierce |