Introduction

The sleepy town of Newbury, Connecticut, is shocked when a little girl is found brutally murdered. With the murderer on the loose, the police desperately look for any clues to lead to his identy. Meanwhile, a psychiatrist in a nearby hospital is also in a desperate search to find the cause of seven-year-old Naya Hastings s devastating nightmares. Afraid that she might hurt herself in the midst of a torturous episode, Naya s parents have turned to the bright young doctor as their only hope. When these two situations converge, they set off an alarming chain of events. In this stunning psychological thriller, innocence gives way to evil, and trust lies forgotten in a web of deceit, fear, and murder.

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Excerpt

The slaaf stumbled along the shore of Willow Lake. The ground was soft from the previous night’s rain, and wet leaves made a slippery carpet under his feet. His arms ached from struggling to contain the animal he carried in a coarse gunnysack across his shoulder. The sedative had worn off, and the animal thrashed more and more violently as the slaaf approached the faded red boathouse. Finally, in front of the peeling door, he dropped the squirming sack. The creature inside yelped as the bag hit the ground. The slaaf found the key on his large metal ring, unlocked the padlock, and slipped inside.

He lifted the sack onto a long, wooden workbench near the back of the boathouse, where its contents lay still for a moment. He wiped his sweaty forehead with his arm, while with his other hand, he fingered the small bag of white powder inside the front pocket of his jeans. He sat carefully in a creaky wooden chair against the wall. He wanted to wait, knowing it would be over so quickly . . . but his hand moved against his will, pulled out the bag, reached in, and took a pinch. He placed the white powder in the palm of his other hand. He snorted it, and his head came alive.

Yes, yes, he thought. He cast his euphoric mind into the ether, searching for his master. Would he come?

But the euphoria didn’t last long, and the slaaf, having felt no trace of his master’s presence, found himself slammed bac into his body. His hands were gripping the arms of the wooden chair. The muscles in his legs had tensed so rigidly that he wondered if he would be able to stand.

“I hate you! I hate you!” he screamed at the top of his lungs. The sound of his panting was interrupted by a low whine from the sack on the workbench. The slaaf snorted more of the cocaine and tried again to reach his master, whom he was certain was toying with him. Again, he failed. It took more and more of the cocaine to reach the ecstatic state he needed to summon his master. And now, the little bag was empty.

His heart raced, and sweat trickled down his spine. He stomped on the wooden floor in frustration.

On the bench, the creature in the sack whimpered again, more loudly this time. “Shut up,” the slaaf shouted. His anxiety was immense, unbearable. He seized a long, serrated knife from a rack near the table—and, with all his might, drove it through the sack. Moaning unintelligibly, he plunged the knife through the sack over and over again. The burlap darkened as thick blood seeped out through the holes the slaaf had created.

Finally, he stopped. The silence in the boathouse was almost too much to bear. “Oh, no,” the slaaf sobbed.

He had trapped the young coyote the previous night, expecting to catch a smaller animal—a rabbit or a raccoon—to give to his master. Now his plan was ruined. The animal was dead, and his master had abandoned him. His chance at redemption, however temporary, had passed.

Then, just when he thought all hope was lost, a voice called out to him from the doorway of the boathouse. The door had been pushed ajar, and the light coming through the narrow opening blinded the slaaf with the radiance of a god. His master was here. His master told him to crouch down under the bench and wait patiently. The slaaf’s heart raced. Had his master come to punish or redeem him? view abbreviated excerpt only...

Discussion Questions

1. In the prologue you are introduced to the character “slaaf.” What does the word slaaf mean? How does its meaning carry through the whole book?

2. Peter makes an assumption about Naya, the Hastings daughter, during her admission to the hospital. What assumption did he make and what did he discover?

3. Peter is trying to find out all the potential causes for Naya’s sleep walking. Have you or anyone you know experienced such a phenomenon? What would you do if you found your child or family member walking around the house?

4. What is a CARD team? What does Jose discover about Leia’s reasons as to why she joined the FBI? What happened in her last case that still troubles her?

5. The Connecticut police discover the murdered girl’s body. What type of pattern begins to emerge from the way the body parts are found? Is there any significance to it and what insight does it give into the beliefs of the killer?

6. Once the forensic team is on the field Leia begins to learn new facts about the case. How do they determine the time of death? Why do Carroll and Leia become very worried?

7. The process of coming to the hospital is new and terrifying for Naya. How does she deal with the idea of coming to the hospital which is different from other hospitals? What does she discover along her stay? What was her experience interacting with the other children on the unit?

8. Peter learns about the murder at Elephant rock. What is his connection to Elephant rock? Why is he so surprised to see Naya’s drawings of her dream the night before?

9. Do Peter, Leia and the Slaaf have childhood experiences that are similar? How do these experiences shape their lives today?

10. Peter visits Naya’s uncle to talk about Naya’s family. What do you find out about the family? What are the larger connections to himself that he discovers?

11. When Naya meets Janet in her room, she whispers in Naya’s ear, “Because he knows what the big bad man has done.” Why does Janet say this?

12. How do Leia and the police team find the place where the killer carried out the killings? What do they learn about the background of the suspected killer?

13. Peter discovers that there are some “markings.” What is the significance of these markings and how does he use this information?

14. How does Everson lure Naya into leaving the hospital? Why does he do it and what was the outcome of his actions?

15. Peter is puzzled when Mr. Iyengar tells him that “first Naya has to help him before he gets to help her.” What did Mr. Iyengar mean and how does this happen?

16. Mrs. Sanders looks into Peters eyes and makes a conclusion. How does Peter respond to it? How do all the characters connect at the end of the book? What is the overall message at the end of the book?

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