Playing Dead_ A Novel of Suspense - Allison Brennan [0]
Title Page
Dedication
Excerpt
Acknowledgements
Prologue
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
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Chapter Thirty-Five
Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Chapter Forty
Chapter Forty-One
Chapter Forty-Two
Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Four
Also by Allison Brennan
Preview
Copyright
EXCERPT
Before anyone woke, he scrubbed down his room twice with the strongest cleansers he could find. Removed anything, seen or unseen, that said, “Jessica White Was Here.” Then he tried to sleep, but his heart was beating too fast. Every time he closed his eyes he saw Jessica rise like a zombie from the grave.
He went to the kitchen and made himself a hearty breakfast. He was famished. When he was done, he felt so much better.
It’s over.
When he returned to his clean room, he saw a note on his bed. Something was wrong.
It was a plain white card in a blank white unsealed envelope. He slowly removed the card.
We know what you did last night.
Something else was in the envelope. He poured it into his hand.
Dirt. And a single earring.
For the FBI Special Agents in the Sacramento regional office who live up to their motto:
Fidelity, Bravery, and Integrity
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
As always, many people helped with the details of this book.
First and foremost, my husband Dan for helping me figure out how to make a conspiracy work.
A special thanks to morgue supervisor Phelan Evans from the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office for not only the tour, but answering all my questions without batting an eye. C. J. Lyons once again saved my butt with her sound medical advice. My friend Trisha McKay who reminded me that the Fox & Goose serves Guinness on tap. And Virna DePaul who answered many of my legal questions.
Of course, I can’t neglect to mention Dan, my husband, for making many sacrifices, including eating cold or late dinners—and sometimes having to make his own dinner—during the writing of this book.
I especially want to thank the Sacramento Regional FBI Office, in particular SAC Drew Parenti, SA and Citizen’s Academy leader Steven Dupre, and the fabulous agents who shared their knowledge and experience. This book is much better because of their generosity in giving of their time and expertise. I especially want to thank SSA Mike Rayfield of Squad 8, who makes fugitive apprehension sound like fun. Any errors are mine and mine alone.
Under the “I couldn’t do it without you” heading: my fabulous editor Charlotte Herscher (thank you for helping me be the best writer I can be); Dana Isaacson (thank you for both your criticism and praise—your fine-tuning is invaluable); Kate Collins, and the rest of the Ballantine team who work so hard behind the scenes—thank you for everything. Of course special thanks to my agent Kim Whalen, who surprisingly has a calming effect on me, and the entire Trident team.
And I would be remiss if I didn’t finally recognize the loyalty and support of my husband of fifteen years, Dan, who still makes me laugh.
PROLOGUE
Thirty Years Ago
He buried Jessica White’s body in the vast open space on the west end of Stanford University.
He hadn’t meant to kill her. She’d been intoxicated, but coherent. He pretended to be tipsy, but in truth he’d replaced his beer with a nonalcoholic variety he kept in his room. He needed to be in control.
They fucked like animals and he couldn’t climax. He’d had this problem before, knew what had to be done to bring relief.