"E.F. Watkins is a writer to watch!"—F. Paul Wilson, Best-Selling Author of The Keep and The Tomb.

"An edge-of-the-seat thriller by a very talented author that will keep you awake late, even after you close the book."—Murder and Mayhem Book Club

…Carmela darted toward her son until a guard caught her firmly. "Ma'am, better keep back."

"Why?" Allie demanded. "What's wrong?"

The uniformed men seemed ready to stop her, too. "Mrs. Constantine, you shouldn't…"

But Allie had already seen past them to the figure on the ground. If she hadn't recognized the clothes, and seen Manny fall at the spot, she'd never have believed it was the same person.

His solid build had wasted away to a near skeleton. The suddenness of the process had left the clothes hanging loosely around his body, and even the flesh had gone slack around the bones of his face and hands.

Behind her, she heard Carmela beg the guard, "Let me go to him!"

Allie choked back her own revulsion before she returned to the front stoop. She told Carmela, "The man's right. You don't want to see this. I'm so sorry."

"What did they do to him? What did they do to my Manny? They killed him? Oh, my God!"

Allie put her arms around the little Cuban woman. "No, I don't think so. I don't think it was anything they did. Please…just come back inside with me, until the ambulance gets here."