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Broken

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A series of seemingly unrelated murders rattles a small desert town. As one death follows another, the only common thread is that all of the victims had their necks broken.

When clues begin to point to one of the two cops on the case, the officers become more determined than ever to find the real killer.

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PROLOGUE
PROLOGUEThe clacking noise of brittle bone against brittle bone was swallowed by the hot desert air leaving only silence. The hard, dry earth of Camino Del Diablo kept its secrets well and held tightly to the hand jutting up from the cracked desert floor. Crooked fingers reached upward, long picked clean by vultures. Scavengers and blowing desert sand had blasted and picked away at the bright red nail polish on the hand that had once reached for the stars. Now it pointed toward the Tule Mountains of Arizona. Like a road sign from hell, one crippled finger pointed toward the Mexican border, another toward the wildlife refuge of Cabeza Prieta. Only the foolish or desperate dared challenge this unforgiving terrain. In the distance a car kicked up dust then slowed to a stop along the shoulder of the unpaved road. A man and woman got out. The man was handsome with the dark and sun toughened skin of someone who’d spent his life working outdoors. He threw his head back, drained the last drops of tequila from the bottle, then hurled it high into the air. The woman laughed and lifted her skirt. “Come and get it, Cal,” she teased. “You’re a naughty girl, Kandi,” he said, walking towards her. Lifting her skirt higher she exposed more than her bare legs. “That’s what you love about me,” she giggled. “Come to mama.” Cal didn’t need any encouragement. This deserted stretch of nowhere had proven to be the perfect spot for their illicit trysts. He lifted her up and sat her on the car’s hood. “Jesus Christ Cal, I know you want me hot, but I didn’t know you wanted me toasted. This metal is as hot as a griddle!” Kandi reached forward, grabbed his shoulders and bounced against Cal, wrapped her tanned and naked legs around his waist and slowly wiggled downward towards the prize that jutted from his unzipped pants. That was his best asset. He was always willing, hard and ready, unlike the old but wealthy geezer she’d married. With Cal she had the best of both worlds. Grunts and giggles danced across the desert floor and kissed the shallow grave. I’m here. I’m over here. I’m trying to wave, but my hand won’t move. Why am I here? Can you give me a ride? I want to go home. I’m lonely and I’m lost. Look, over here. See me, please see me. Sweating body slid against sweating body as they played their familiar s****l symphony. Three more aggressive thrusts and they were finished. Cal zipped his pants as Kandi pulled down her skirt. They got into the car, catching their breath from the heat of their pleasure and the thick desert air. “When are you going to tell him?” he asked, looking at her perfect silhouette as she stared out the dusty windshield. “I told you already. When the time is right.” “I’ve heard that a hundred times. I love you Kandi. I want us to be together, no more hiding and sneaking around. Just you and me. When are you going to dump him so we can move on with our lives?” “Our time will come,” she said. I’m here. I’m right over here. Can’t you hear me? “Soon honey, I promise. I’m just waiting for the right moment. Be patient.” Cal leaned over and put his arm around her. “How about just one more go-round before we head back?” Sometimes Cal felt as if their s*x was the only thing that truly got her attention. He wanted more than that. He wanted all of her, not just these hidden, stolen moments. “There’s no time. Not today. The hubby’s flying in from his business trip and if he decides to take an earlier flight we’re both fucked.” “Do you have any idea what it feels like? Me, cleaning his pool, tending the grounds, while you lie upstairs in that ridiculous mansion, his bloated body on top of you, grunting as he tries to get the job done with his limp, worthless d**k? Why do you do it Kandi? Why?” She didn’t answer. She didn’t have to. “And mowing all that lawn. What kind of rich, pompous i***t grows a lawn in the middle of the desert anyway? His water bill from that sprinkler system alone is more than I earn from a month of hard labor.” Kandi laughed. “Are you jealous because he has money?” “No, because he has you.” Help me. Can’t you hear me calling? They didn’t hear her. No one ever did. Find me. Take me home. Were her eyes nothing but empty sockets filled with sand there would have been tears. Tears for herself. There was no one else to cry for her. There was no one who knew she was gone, or even cared. Her killer had chosen her resting place wisely, then carelessly tossed her body into the hole he’d dug. No prayers were said over her as he covered her with a blanket of sand. Her pile of bones shared the vast graveyard with others. They were the flotsam and jetsam of broken souls and broken bones, floating eternally on this waterless sea. They were miners from the 1800’s gold rush. Some had died of thirst, others by a greedy hand on a hot trigger, relieving them of what little treasure they had found. They were crossers from Mexico, the women, the children, the desperate who perished in their quest for a better life. And then there were victims not unlike herself. But for the occasional wildflower that would sprout reverently above an unmarked grave, they were forgotten.

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