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      UNTHINKABLE SACRIFICE

      John Battaglia said hello and it grated on Mary Jean to hear her ex-husband’s voice.

      “Hi, John,” she said lightly. “I got a message that the girls wanted to ask me something.”

      “Yeah,” he said, and Mary Jean could hear the echo-like sound that always accompanied his punching of the speaker phone button.

      “Ask her!” John’s voice pounded. “Ask her,” he repeated in a louder, harsher voice.

      “Mommy?” Faith stammered. She was noticeably crying and her voice sputtered in short sobs. “Why do you want Daddy to have to go to jail?”

      Mary Jean could feel her body temperature climb. “Oh come on, John, don’t do this to them.”

      Then Mary Jean heard the screams that will forever haunt her. Faith cried out, “No, Daddy, don’t! Oh please no, Daddy. Don’t do it. No, no, no!”

      Over her daughter’s piercing cries, Mary Jean heard the blast of a gun. “Run, babies, run!” she screamed. “As fast as you can, run for the door!”

      Other Pinnacle Books by Irene Pence

      A CLUE FROM THE GRAVE

      TRIANGLE

      BURIED MEMORIES

      NO, DADDY, DON’T!

      IRENE PENCE

      PINNACLE BOOKS

      Kensington Publishing Corp.

      http://www.kensingtonbooks.com

      All copyrighted material within is Attributor Protected.

      Table of Contents

      UNTHINKABLE SACRIFICE Also by Title Page Dedication ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Epigraph ONE TWO THREE FOUR FIVE SIX SEVEN EIGHT NINE TEN ELEVEN TWELVE THIRTEEN FOURTEEN FIFTEEN SIXTEEN SEVENTEEN EIGHTEEN NINETEEN TWENTY TWENTY-ONE TWENTY-TWO TWENTY-THREE TWENTY-FOUR TWENTY-FIVE TWENTY-SIX TWENTY-SEVEN TWENTY-EIGHT TWENTY-NINE THIRTY THIRTY-ONE THIRTY-TWO THIRTY-THREE THIRTY-FOUR THIRTY-FIVE THIRTY-SIX THIRTY-SEVEN THIRTY-EIGHT THIRTY-NINE FORTY FORTY-ONE FORTY-TWO FORTY-THREE FORTY-FOUR FORTY-FIVE FORTY-SIX Copyright Page

      For Faith and Liberty

      ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

      It is impossible to tell a true story that took place over seventeen years without the help of a great many people. At the same time, people prefer anonymity when they relate a story as sensitive as this one. For those who helped but did not want their names published, I give my sincerest thanks. I could not have written this book without you.

      Thank you to District Attorney Bill Hill, who encouraged me to tell this story. State Congressman Toby Goodman wrote the new Texas law on unsupervised visits by abusive spouses and walked me through the process. Defense attorney Paul Johnson worked harder than any defense attorney I have ever witnessed. Judge Harold Entz was the only jurist who stood up to John Battaglia before the murders. Thank you to Assistant District Attorney Megan Miller for her firsthand information, and to Michelle’s attorney in her protective order battles, Leota Alexander. Prosecutor Keith Robinson helpfully answered my questions.

      Kudos to the staff of The Dallas Morning News. Steve McGonigle, a tenacious investigative reporter, generously shared his information; David Woo, photo editor, was patient with my many requests; and photographer Richard Michael Pruitt took excellent photos. Thanks also to fellow journalists Lance Brennan with The Turtle Creek News and Denise McVea with the Dallas Observer.

      Dedicated police officers Dane Thornton and Zane Murray helped explain the frenzied night of the murders. Gigi Ray, death investigator for the Dallas County Medical Examiner, is a woman of great integrity. She guided me to tell the story accurately.

      I appreciated the hospitality of Judge

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