It was a five-minute drive to where her parents lived. That wasn't unusual. In the small town of Fairshore, on the shores of Eagle Lake, in Tamarack County, Minnesota, it was a five-minute drive to everywhere.

  May had been working hard at the police department. It had been a particularly busy week so far, not just because of her usual work, but also because the Fairshore Spring Festival had taken place over the weekend. She had coordinated the police presence for the event, involving a lot of extra hours both at the department and at the various festival sites. The festival had gone without a hitch, smoothly run, with no crime incidents. That was most definitely a sign of good policing.

  Because of her workload, she’d had to postpone dinner on Sunday, which was her usual night for visiting her parents, and reschedule for tonight. Even now she was half an hour late, but she had a good reason for it.

  She shook her head. She'd still not taken in this news herself.

  May pulled up outside the yellow-painted house, with its neat front yard, where her parents lived and where she had grown up.

  She jumped out of the pickup and headed up the paved path to the front door. For once, she didn't feel her usual anxiety on arriving here. Instead, she felt as if she was about to burst with what she had to share.

  The front door opened as she rushed up the path, and her father peered out.

  "You're here at last! I thought I heard your pickup. You might want to get that exhaust pipe checked out, honey."

  He peered out at her truck, an uncharacteristic frown on his broad, pleasant face.

  "I will."

  At the sound of May's voice, her mother appeared from the kitchen. In contrast to her easygoing father, Mrs. Moore was a slim, energetic woman with curly blonde hair, who couldn't bear to sit still for a moment.

  "May! I was beginning to think you weren't coming," she said, rushing up to hug her. The house smelled delicious, of roasting beef and rich gravy. May already knew the dining room table would be perfectly set, and the house as neat as a pin.

  "Sorry! I know I'm half an hour late, but I had an unexpected meeting at work," she said.

  Memories flashed into her mind. She was still walking on air after that meeting.

  Her mother, a retired schoolteacher, was a perfectionist in everything she did. From the time May had been very young, she’d had it drilled into her head that nothing less than excellence was acceptable. With those high standards to strive for, May felt as if she’d let her mother down frequently in her life. There had been many times when her mother had used the examples of her sisters’ grades and achievements to try and spur May on, even though May had found this tactic discouraging, often resulting in miserable jealousy.

  Now, at last, was her chance to make her proud.

  She hugged her parents and kissed them both.

  "Let's go into the kitchen and I'll tell you the good news."

  "Oh, you've heard it?" her mother asked. "We were going to tell you!"

  May stared at her, surprised.

  "What do you mean? You couldn't have known," she said, feeling incredulous. How had her mother known when May, herself, had only been told half an hour ago?

  "Perhaps we're speaking at cross-purposes," her mother decided. "You tell us your news and then we'll tell you ours."

  Her mother walked through to the cozy lounge and sat down on one of the two plaid sofas, moving a perfectly plumped cushion aside as she patted the seat next to her automatically.

  May joined her there, while her father sat in his armchair.

  From this vantage point in the house, she could see the mantel, with the three porcelain dolls on it.

  One doll for each granddaughter, or so her grandmother had said. She'd gifted them to the family when May had been small. Hers was the middle one, with the blue dress, because she’d been the middle grandchild.

  Looking at that shelf always made her feel sad. Now, she was no longer one of three, but the younger of two. But this was not the time to dwell on their loss. Not when something so exciting had just happened.

  "I've been promoted!" she announced to her parents proudly. "I'm now deputy sheriff of Tamarack County."

  After work, her boss, Sheriff Jack Wright, had sat her down in his office and told her the good news. There had been several candidates in line for the job among the county’s various police departments. May had been chosen on performance and merit.

  She’d hoped that one day, if she did her utmost, worked her hardest, and put all her energies into her job, she might achieve this position but had never imagined it would be this soon.

  Again, she felt a giddy sense of pride at her achievement. She’d been congratulated by everyone in the office, including Sheriff Wright, and her colleagues, who’d all stayed to hear the news.

  "I'm the first female deputy in the county," she shared. "And the youngest one ever, in the state. Also, I’m the first person under the age of thirty to be in this position. Only just, at age twenty-nine, but it still counts!" She couldn’t wipe the delighted grin off her face.

  "That's amazing," her mother smiled. "Well done, honey. That must be because you policed the Spring Festival so well?"

  "I heard it was very well managed, not too much drunkenness, no vehicle accidents or injuries," her father added approvingly.

  May stared at them in consternation.

  It seemed as if they didn't understand the full scope of this achievement! She hadn't been promoted because of policing a community event. Sheriff Wright's words of praise still rang in her mind.

  “May, you’re dedicated to the job. You’re extremely perceptive, courageous, and have a high solve rate for all your cases. You show excellent leadership qualities, and you lead from the front. A rare quality," he'd said.

  She wanted to tell her parents all of this, to see the pride on their faces, but instead, her father said, "You know, I was thinking that based on this, it might be worthwhile for you to reapply to the FBI Academy."

  "Do they allow people to have a second try if they didn’t make it the first time?" her mother asked. “And isn’t May too old by now?”

  “No, age isn’t the issue. It would be the application protocols, I imagine,” her father said thoughtfully.

  May felt the joy inside her curdle.

  Disappointment, and a sense of inadequacy, filled her again.

  Her parents hadn't gotten how important her promotion was. They were still fixated on how she'd failed when she'd applied to join the FBI a few years ago. Although she’d aced the physical exam, she’d let herself down on the academic tests. It had been a very strong field of applicants, and in her anxiousness, she’d frozen up, gone too slow, and had missed the cut by just one point.

  Now, her parents were still looking at her failures, instead of her successes. The fact that she’d missed the cut. The fact she was divorced after an unwise marriage at the age of twenty-one. The fact she hadn’t earned academic gold at school. And then, things got even worse.

  "Look what we have to show you!" Her mother produced a courier bag. From it, she took a glossy magazine.

  It was the latest issue of Vanity Fair, May saw, feeling confused as her mother paged proudly through.

  "Look here! It's a feature interview with Kerry! They did it after she cracked that serial killer case back in March, but because of the lead time, it's only published now."

  May stared in consternation at her older sister's face, smiling from the glossy page. Her short blonde hair had been perfectly styled for the photo, and she wore a fabulous-looking, turquoise designer suit. In her right hand, she held her FBI badge.

  One year older than May, but a whole world of difference between the two of them, she thought sadly.

  "Not Just a Pretty Face," the article was headlined.

  "At the age of thirty, Kerry Moore is breaking boundaries and showing that the best person for the job is a woman! She's one of the crack team of FBI Behavioral Analysis Unit agents, who track down dangerous criminals using a combination of brain power, forensics, perceptiveness and bravery."

  The words seared themselves into May's mind. All her inadequacies rushed to the surface.

  She was thrilled for her sister, of course, but why couldn’t her parents be thrilled for her, too? Why was she always second-rate? Now, their own reaction proved this heartbreaking truth.

  “How wonderful!” She forced a smile, wishing that their joy could be for both daughters.

  "It's a great article!" her mother enthused. "Your sister is very articulate. It’s amazing how she manages to sound professional, intelligent, and witty, all at once."

  "The photos are the best thing," her father added. "They're just great! Look at this one."

  May found herself looking at her sister's smiling face, with its extraordinary bone structure. She'd always thought of Kerry as pretty, but this photo brought out her startling beauty.

  "Here, read it!"

  May didn't want to read it. Not when every word would burn into her mind like acid.

  Her mother was holding the magazine out to her, but May pressed her lips together, feeling unable to accept it. She realized that she'd never out-achieve Kerry, even if she tried for the rest of her life.

  Kerry had always been the superstar. The top student and school valedictorian in her year, where May had only been third in line, recipient of the Bronze Award.

  Kerry had gotten an academic and sporting scholarship to a university. She'd been an honors student and on the state hockey team.

  May's grades had been good, and she'd done well in sports, but she hadn't blazed the trail of success that Kerry had. That success was their parents' only measure of respect and satisfaction.

  She would always live in her sister's shadow.

  Her promotion to deputy sheriff seemed futile and meaningless. Her parents didn't care what she'd achieved, or how hard she'd worked to get where she was.

  All they could think of was how she'd missed getting into the FBI Academy. And the pressure they’d put on her had played a part in that, because she'd wanted to succeed too badly. With sky-high anxiety, knowing her parents’ hopes and dreams were riding on her acceptance, she'd sabotaged herself.

  Now, she didn't want to be here. May knew full well the rest of the evening’s conversation would now revolve around Kerry, and that ill-timed article.

  For a bitter moment, May wished she could walk out, but then her parents would think even less of her. They'd label her as jealous, not understanding that, in her eyes, their treatment of her was totally unfair.

  She was stuck here, unable to protest, or show how much they'd hurt her. Gritting her teeth, May prepared to tough this now-nightmarish evening out.

  But then, her phone rang.

  "Excuse me," she said. Her parents knew she always had to take calls, because of her work.

  Quickly, she took it out of her purse.

  With a jolt, she saw it was her boss on the line.

  Since they'd spoken less than half an hour ago, she guessed an after-hours phone call from Sheriff Wright was going to be an emergency.

  "I have to take this," she explained, picking up the call.

  "Sheriff Jack. What's up?"

  "May, there's been a body found down at the lake.” His voice thrummed with urgency. “Looks like a potential crime scene.”

  “A crime scene?” May jumped to her feet, her heart racing. A crime scene involving a murder? This was a rare and shocking event in their peaceful county.

  “Can you get there as soon as possible? I’ll send the coordinates now."

  "I'm on my way," May said.

  She turned to her parents. "Mom, Dad, I'm so sorry. I have to go. I'll reschedule as soon as I can."

  She only had time for a flashing sense of relief that she’d been saved from her predicament. Her mind was already focused on the job ahead. May rushed out of the house, wondering what had happened, and what she would find down by Eagle Lake.

  CHAPTER TWO

  When May arrived at the lake, she saw bright, flashing lights standing out against the dark, peaceful surroundings, cutting through the darkness in vivid red and blue. Glaring white spotlights illuminated the scene.

  An ambulance was parked off to the side, but it looked as if they were just on standby at the moment.

  A murder? In Fairshore?

  Serious crimes were such a rarity in this quiet backwater area that they were virtually nonexistent.

  Scenarios flitted through May's mind as she pulled up behind Sheriff Wright's car, got out, and rushed down to the water's edge. Anxiety flared inside her as she wondered what she would find.

  She didn't like the lake. For others, it was a peaceful, beautiful, tree-lined expanse of water where leisure activities and tourism thrived. But for her, it brought back terrible memories of guilt and loss as her mind veered back to that tragedy of ten years ago.

  Once, they had been three sisters. Now, they were two.

  May never went near the lake if she could help it.

  Forcing herself not to think about this, May acknowledged that this scene, already, was creeping her out. She headed to the water's edge. Her colleagues were already there and turned when she approached.

  She saw Sheriff Jack looking deeply worried, his graying hair tousled and a frown on his usually calm and good-natured face. Beside him stood Deputy Owen Lovell, May’s investigation partner. He was thirty years old - tall, with a dark buzz-cut. Normally his lean features showed a dash of humor and kindness. This evening, he looked simply stressed.

  Owen had joined the police two years ago, leaving the accounting firm he’d worked for to pursue a career that would make more of a difference. May had thought that was a brave decision. He was May’s junior, and in this small department they all had to handle whatever cases came their way, but this was the most serious one either of them had yet taken on. And, as the new county deputy, May knew she’d be shouldering a lot more of the responsibility for it.

  The county pathologist Andy Baker, whom she knew quite well, was kneeling at the water’s edge and May guessed he was doing an initial assessment of the body.

  "Glad you could get here so quick, May," Sheriff Jack greeted her. "Sorry this emergency had to interrupt your family time. Looks like we could have a crime scene, but it's too early to make a call yet. I’m waiting for Andy to finish his examination."

  That was her boss for you, May thought. Even in this crisis, he'd remembered that she was headed to dinner with her parents.

  Further back, May noticed a young woman in tears and a shocked-looking man, wrapped in a blanket. They were standing together with one of the other officers from the Fairshore police department.

  "That young couple called this in," Jack said, following her gaze. “We’ll need to get a statement from them, as soon as we’ve heard Andy’s findings.”

  At that moment, Andy stood up.

  “Do you want to take a look, May?” he asked. Jack stepped back and allowed May to view what lay at the water's edge.

  May inwardly prepared herself for a brutal sight. As she moved forward, she wished that her work in this peaceful town had allowed her to prepare better for what she knew lay ahead.

  It was a young, blonde woman. Her blue eyes were wide and sightless. Her drenched hair fanned out into the mud. She was wearing a gold chain with a pearl pendant. Otherwise, she was naked.

  The cause of death was obvious.

  May's eyes widened as she saw the gaping wound in the woman's chest. It looked as if someone had stabbed her repeatedly with a big, sharp knife in her heart.

  But immediately, even as she stared at the shocking sight, May's mind was thinking of possible scenarios and causes.

  Could the death have been accidental, could a propeller have somehow done this damage, could this woman have dived, and been unlucky to be speared on a piece of metal or rebar?

  Who knew what lurked under the surface of the lake? But even though it was important to consider every possibility, May thought these scenarios were unlikely.

  It was far more probable this young woman had been murdered.

  Again, the thoughts of her younger sister loomed in her mind. She knew she had to put them aside, but the memory of that terrible loss rose to the surface, demanding to be dealt with.

  Lauren had disappeared on the shores of this lake ten years ago, when she was seventeen. There was no evidence pointing to what had happened, apart from a few bloody scraps of fabric that looked to have come from the top she'd worn.

  They had been discovered by one of the police, snagged on a wooden pole near the jetty.

  Lauren's body had never been found, but May couldn’t help thinking that her younger sister could easily have suffered a similar fate.

  But murder? Nothing like this had happened since Lauren’s disappearance. Not until now.

  Forcing her thoughts away from the past, May returned them to the present.

  "Any ID, any leads as to who she is?" she asked.

  There were many small towns surrounding the lake, and May guessed one of the police would probably recognize her if she was from Fairshore, but they probably wouldn’t if she was from elsewhere.

  "Not so far," Jack replied. “She’s unidentified as yet.”

  May turned to the pathologist

  "What are your findings so far, Andy?" she asked. "Any idea what weapon or type of blade could have caused this?"

  "It's hard to say, but it was a wound that caused massive trauma. It's likely it was a serrated blade. These marks are consistent with that," he said, pointing to the jagged edges.

  "Murder, then?" May asked, thinking of her earlier theorizing.

  "It looks that way to me, yes."

  "What about the time of death?"

  "She's been in the water for at least a few hours, possibly even a full day. I can't be one-hundred percent sure how long until I complete the autopsy."

  May nodded.

  "Can I speak to the witnesses now?" she asked Jack, glancing again at the huddled couple.

  "Yes. Go right ahead, May."

  May walked over to speak to the couple.

  ""I'm so sorry about this. It must have been such a shock. Can you talk me through what happened?"

 

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