For my mother, Anne

I would like to start by gratefully acknowledging Linda Cashdan of The Word Process. Linda proved almost prescient in her advice; even the suggestions I didn’t take were later recommended by my publisher and ultimately found their way into the book. I couldn’t have done it without her.

Special thanks go to Mark A. Jones of the Wake County Sheriff ’s Office, who was extremely generous with his time and knowledge; to Officer Rodney Parks of the D.C. Metro Police Department, for all of his insight; and to Erika Lease, M.D., for her wisdom and, more importantly, her friendship.

My heartfelt appreciation goes out to the talented team of professionals at Kensington: Steven Zacharius, the president and CEO, Laurie Parkin, Michaela Hamilton, and Wendy Bernhardt. I am also eternally grateful to my editor, Audrey LaFehr, for her boundless support and enthusiasm.

I owe a debt of gratitude to my literary agent, Nancy Coffey, who believed in this novel from the start.

And to Jeralyn Valdillez, for supporting me when the only thing I was writing was research papers.

WASHINGTON, D.C.

They whispered amongst themselves. For an announcement of lesser magnitude, they said, it might have been a more suitable venue.

It was natural for them to complain. Nothing less was expected by those who had organized the event; indeed, the interns who had arranged for the seating and distributed the press passes would have been stunned by anything approaching a compliment. When the frequent interruptions led to a substantial delay in the proceedings, few were surprised. Nevertheless, every effort was made to accommodate them. Additional chairs were brought in for the latecomers, and the proffered urns of coffee and pitchers of chilled water were re-filled at a near constant rate.