LITMIR.BIZ

      “Of course I know what’s at stake,” the man said gruffly, pressing the receiver against his ear. “Millions. A huge international deal. Don’t worry, I won’t screw up. I’ll do whatever it takes. You know that.”

      He took a drag from his cigarette and looked around to make sure his conversation had gone unnoticed. Through the haze, he saw a couple huddled over a small table, while a grizzled man stared vacantly into his glass.

      It was then that he noticed the top of a head rising from a nearby booth and two round eyes staring at him. Anger surged through him. What was a kid doing in a place like this? How much had she heard?

      “Something just came up. I’ll call you back,” he said, slamming the pay phone into its cradle. He couldn’t let some kid ruin his plan. Not now—not when they were about to cash in!

      He turned quickly to make his way toward the girl. Whatever it takes, he told himself. Whatever it takes….

      CHAPTER ONE

      When Jack saw his mother’s face, he knew the news on the other end of the phone was bad.

      “Two more are dead?” Olivia cried into the receiver. Squeezing her eyes shut, she let out a long sigh. “This is nothing short of bizarre. I truly don’t understand why they’re dying this way. Where did you find the bodies? Uh-huh,” she nodded, peering at a map she’d laid out on her desk, tracing it lightly with her fingertip. “Yes, I can see where that is—right at the edge of the peninsula. How badly decomposed?” Another pause, and then, “I’m sure that will make your job harder. The stench can be overpowering.”

      “What’s up?” Jack’s 11-year-old sister, Ashley, asked as she walked into the Landons’ study. Their newest temporary foster child, Bindy Callister, trailed behind, a bowl of popcorn perched on her round hip. Munching noisily, she shoveled another fistful into her mouth, her cheeks bulging out like a chipmunk’s. Although Bindy had been at the Landons’ home for only three days, she already knew where all the food was kept and didn’t seem the least bit shy about foraging through the cupboards, helping herself to whatever she found. The strangest foster kid we’ve ever taken in, Jack decided the day Bindy arrived.

      It wasn’t about the way she looked, although that had been odd enough. Bindy’s tie-dyed T-shirt was wildly bright, with fluorescent swirls that splashed across her in neon constellations. Mousy brown hair had been pulled into a limp ponytail, and her too-tight jeans looked as though they’d fused onto her skin. Loud and boisterous, Bindy seemed to think she knew something about absolutely everything. When Ms. Lopez, the social worker, tried to speak, Bindy talked right over her, waving her arms as though she were on stage.

      “Be patient with her,” Jack’s father, Steven, had told him later. “I know she can be a bit—overpowering—but she’s been through a lot.”

      “’Cause her own parents don’t want her,” Ashley told Jack. “I heard Ms. Lopez tell Mom about it.”

      “Please don’t say anything about that to Bindy!” Steven urged.

      “Oh, I won’t. It’s just really sad. I don’t know what I’d do if you and Mom didn’t want me.”

      Now, as Bindy settled into a chair next to Jack, he tried to imagine what it would be like to be 14 years old and dumped into a foster home, waiting to hear what the judge ruled about your life. How would it be to have your family reject you? How would it be to have your whole future decided by someone you’d never even met before? No matter how annoying she was, Jack knew he’d have to give Bindy some space. It was the least he could do.

      “Ashley, sit there,” Bindy directed, pointing to a spot on the floor. “I get the chair because I’m older than you. Age before beauty!”

      Ashley shot Jack a look, shrugged her shoulders, then dropped onto the carpet.

      “OK. But we have to be quiet, Bindy,” Ashley whispered. “Mom’s on the phone.”

      Though Olivia Landon normally worked at the Elk Refuge at Jackson Hole, she’d converted a corner room into a home office. The large oak desk was piled high with papers stacked into a double helix. A tall coffee mug and a glass of water sat next to the computer keyboard, something their father said was dangerous, but Olivia insisted she was careful enough to handle things in her own space. Books

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