About the Author

Sheri Leigh writes addictive fiction - her characters and stories are so compelling, you just won't want to put them down, and when you're done, you'll find yourself jonesin' for more! Don't worry, she'll keep writing, as long as you keep reading! Sheri lives with her husband and children in the rural midwest, and when she's not clacking away at the keyboard, she cheers on the Red Wings and tends an organic garden. Her favorite things are sleeping in, thunderstorms, sun-dried tomatoes, popping bubblewrap and she's still mourning the end of the Calvin and Hobbes strip.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

“Did you know that Joe was found hidden under a porch in the train station, covered up with boards?” Will puffed on his pipe again and the smell wafted toward Dusty. “Can bobcats do that, Mike? Even smart ones?"

Dusty didn’t hear any answer. Her own mind was racing.

"If we didn't have kids who like to play out there and explore the great unknown, we never would've missed old Joe. Probably would've even forgotten him. What do you think about that, Mike?"

“The papers didn’t mention that.” Mike sounded angry, and Dusty knew how he felt.

Will chuckled. “Come on, now. Buck Thompson is up for re-election this year, and we’ve got that new mall going in near the south end of town. Supposed to be as good as the Second Coming, right? Bad publicity, Mike. No one wants that, do they?”

Dusty was cold. She was beginning to feel sick again, and it was getting worse. Part of it was cramps, but most of it was just all the bells and whistles going off again.

"And what about Nicky Chandler?” Will asked.

“What about him?”

“You know where they found him?”

“Cemetery,” Mike replied, stating the obvious and taking another step down Cougar’s well-lit path.

“Uh huh.” He puffed on his pipe again. “But they might not have found him at all, you know, if the Clinton Grove boneyard didn’t have such a tidy caretaker.”

“What do you mean?” Mike sounded impatient now, growing tired of Cougar’s game.

“John Evans told Deputy Matt he found Nick while he was sweeping out one of the mausoleums,” Will said. “Those doors are shut tight, Mike. You know a bobcat who can open doors?”

"Well.” Mike cleared his throat. “Maybe Nick ran from it? Opened the mausoleum door himself, went in there to hide?”

“Could be,” Cougar agreed, puffing on his pipe again. “Sure could be.”

For some reason, Dusty found herself thinking about Shane.

It was quiet for a moment, and then Mike said, "Well, thanks for the ammo, Will. I appreciate it."

"No problem," Will replied. "Just remember— sometimes it’s better to be safe than sorry."

"I get you," Mike said. "Take care, Will."

Will responded, "You take care, too—living all the way out there on Arcada road. Whatever it is, it's got an awful big appetite."
--This text refers to the

edition.