"When an old woman dies after falling down her basement stairs, the coroner proves she was pushed, and suspicion centers on her two grown sons. A few days later, another woman is found dead in a motel pool. Although her death doesn't have the marks of a random murder, Marti and her partner, Jessenovik, have little to work with: the woman, a former teacher, left few possessions and no family behind."--BOOK JACKET. "Through careful digging and help from unexpected sources, Marti and Vik discover a connection between the teacher and an abused young girl who disappeared eight years ago. The girl was never found, and Marti suspects that her troubled family knows more about the disappearance - and both of the recent murders - than they can admit. But as Marti works to coax important clues from people closest to the victims, the secrets she learns may drive a desperate killer to strike again."--BOOK JACKET.