A Squirrel’s Breakfast
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By her count, it had been three days since Melinda had been kidnapped, there days since Danny locked her away in the cage. She’d spent that time thinking about the things Danny said and some of them were starting to worry her, causing her mind to drift in all the wrong directions. As it did, she could feel herself starting to slip away. At first she tried keeping track of time, but he kept the lights on all the time. It came right through the blindfold and never changed and she wasn’t sure anymore if it was day or night. She was always too hot or too cold and her body ached where it didn’t bleed. Her coat helped cushion her from the bars but no matter what position she got into, it wasn’t long before the circulation got cut off and she had to move as much as possible until the numbness returned.
Enough of her senses had returned for her to realize she wasn’t alone. Danny. “Hands!” She raised her hands, he cut the ropes, then passed her a paper plate folded in half so he could get it through the bars. Melinda was so hungry she didn’t even mind that the food was soaking through the bottom, or that it burned her hands. She found the plastic spoon he left on top and did her best to push the food into her mouth. She didn’t know what it was, but it smelled good. It was as if every bite was bringing her closer to living than dying.
But it came at a price. At first the food revived her but as it went down, all she felt was pain as it passed through what she could only imagine was now a tangle of twisted bones and organs. The food sat in her stomach like a pile of rocks, then it churned, as if it was trying to reject the very thing that it needed most. She heard Danny walking around the cage,. That didn’t help her digestion, but she didn’t think .anything short of medical assistance could at this point. But there was something else. The food. It tasted bitter, and she realized he must have put something in it. She didn’t know what to do. If she kept eating, it might kill her. If she didn’t, he might do it himself. Melinda stopped eating .Danny remained silent, and she thought , maybe she was wrong. The bitter taste could have something to do with her condition. All the blood she’s been coughing up, the headaches…She couldn’t keep her mind from wandering. She couldn’t remember things from one minute to the next. But she had to.. Either she kept her wits or she’d lost her life.
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About the Book
As the highest ranking female officer in her division, situated in a small town just north of London, Detective Inspector Ann Treadwell is usually the first person called when a case involves abuse against a woman. One such horrific event rears its ugly head when a young woman is found in a cage in an abandoned mine on the outskirts of town. Ann learns little from the traumatized victim but soon determines that she was kidnapped and held captive for an indeterminate amount of time and was quite possibly tortured. One look at the victim tells Ann that she must find who did this before he strikes again. However, Ann’s investigation is impeded by an eccentric boss and a host of misfit temporary partners that she has to deal with when layoffs thin the number of experienced officers. As Ann digs deeper into the victim’s past, she uncovers shocking evidence that stretches back twenty years. Her case now points to high-ranking men of wealth and power. How are these men involved with the victim? What does the victim have to do with them? Ann will put her life on the line to find out and, in the process, come face-to-face with some of her most disturbing memories. Only time will tell if she’ll emerge a victor - or a victim.
About the Author
Born and raised in Chicago, KATHLEEN RUDOLPH has written for the Chicago Sun-Times, the Chicago Tribune and the Daily Herald, the three largest newspapers in Illinois. Along the way, she has won awards for Writer of the Year six times.