Introduction

In 1981, three fourteen-year-old boys witness a horrific murder in the Oregon woods near their homes. Sucked into becoming accomplices to the subsequent cover-up, they swear never to talk about what happened. Thirty years later, Tommy Devereaux has become a bestselling author, using writing as his therapy. Finally, he is ready to tell the world what happened, even if he disguises the killing as fiction. But his life is set to unravel when he is approached by a woman who asks for his autograph, leaving behind a note which reads: 'You didn't even change my name.' Tommy's worst nightmare has come true. A figure from his past has returned, threatening to divulge his darkest secret unless he agrees to do everything she asks of him. Thus begins a deadly cat-and-mouse game that can only end with one or both of their destructions.

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Excerpt

Nothing made sense. But in that moment, for a fourteen-year-old boy, it didn't have to.

The towering maples and oaks seemed to close tighter above us, locking us in. The girl told Brian to lie down in the dirt, near a pile of large rocks we occasionally used as a make-shift fire pit when we would come here at night. Brian obeyed. She stood over him and slowly lowered herself onto his crotch, her shorts against his jeans. The only piece of clothing missing between them was her shirt, so I wasn't sure what her next move was going to be. It was obvious Brian wasn't going to make any move at all. He looked up at her with wide eyes and pursed lips. My guess was he forgot to breathe.

I shot a glance at Drew. His gaze was glued to her as if watching the bottom of the ninth in game seven of a Mariners World Series. Then I glanced at Spencer. Spencer looked pissed.

"The hell you doing?" Spencer asked her. He rubbed his chest in a bothered sort of way.

She caressed her breasts with her fingertips and tilted her head back. Eyes closed. Face toward the towering trees. "Engaging my desires," she said.

I will always remember that. Engaging my desires.

She opened her eyes and looked down at Brian. "Close your eyes, sweetie."

Brian closed his eyes.

He kept his smile.

"Why him?" Spencer asked. "Why not me?"

"I told you, baby. You're just too big."

"Too big? I'd be gentle." Spencer's voice took a hardened edge. It was all there in the tone. Frustration.

Pants still on, Elizabeth rocked back and forth on Brian.

Brian remained still as a mummy.

"Oh, baby..." she said. Turning toward Spencer. "Maybe I'll do you after I do him."

Spencer's lip pulled into a thin snarl. "How about you do me first?"

She rotated her hips in small, tight circles. "Like I said, I prefer 'em small."

Brian's eyes were still closed.

I felt my excitement turning into a whole body tremor. "Why?" I whispered. "Why the kid?"

Elizabeth didn't answer at first. She kept pressing her pelvis against the crotch of Brian's faded, tight jeans. From where I stood I could only see her from behind, the curve of her naked waist. The strong, white shoulders. Red hair spilling down her back like water. She was fifteen feet from me but she existed in another world.

She stopped moving and turned her head toward Spencer, who stood a few feet to my right. In that moment I could finally see her face.

She had changed. The girl was no longer smiling. She was no longer anything. There was no warmth or depth to her at all.

Elizabeth was no longer human. I can't explain it any better than that.

"Because the little ones can't fight back," she said. view abbreviated excerpt only...

Discussion Questions

Does knowing Tommy had been unfaithful to Becky render him an unsympathetic character?

What do you think Elizabeth's true motivation was for returning?

Do you think Tommy should have been truthful to Becky from the moment Elizabeth returns, or would that have been disastrous for their relationship?

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