My Sister's Grave (46 page)

A
s always, there are many to thank. First and foremost, before anyone e-mails to tell me I don’t know my geography, Cedar Grove is a fictional town I created in the North Cascades. Yes, there is a Cedar Grove, Washington, but I’ve never been there. I created the town name because I liked the ring of it, and when I later learned of the actual town’s existence, I didn’t want to change it. So there!

I’ve received so much help from so many sources that it is hard to know where to begin. This book was a long time in the making, so some of the interviews and research go back several years. As always, the people acknowledged are experts in their fields. I am not. Any mistakes or errors are mine and mine alone.

Thank you to Kathy Taylor, forensic anthropologist with the King County Medical Examiner’s Office, for all of her insight on the excavation of a decades-old grave site in a wooded, hilly terrain. Thank you also to Kristopher Kern, forensic scientist and member of the Crime Scene Response Team with the Washington State Patrol, for his similar but distinct expertise.

Thank you to Jennifer Gregory, PhD, LICSW, Western Regional Medical Command Care Provider Support Program Supervisor of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, and to David Embry, PhD, PT Research Program Coordinator, Children’s Therapy Unit of the Good Samaritan Movement Laboratory. David approached me at the Pacific Northwest Writers Conference when I shared with an audience a general idea for my next novel, and he put me in touch with Jennifer Gregory. They provided fascinating insights into the minds of sociopaths and psychopaths, which are truly frightening. Their assistance helped me to write this novel and the next.

I’ve also been fortunate to meet many wonderful people in the police community who are always generous with their time and their knowledge. I could not have written this book without the assistance of Jennifer Southworth, Detective, Violent Crimes Section, Homicide Unit, Seattle Police Department. Jennifer first helped me when she was working for the CSI unit. She has since been promoted to Homicide and became an inspiration for this novel. My thanks also to Detective Scott Thompson, King County Sheriff’s Office, Major Crimes Unit/Cold Case Homicides. Scott’s willingness to always help me with his knowledge, or to put me in touch with others who can provide needed information, has been invaluable. One of those individuals was Tom Jensen, King County Sheriff’s Office, Major Crimes Unit. Some say he was the last man standing on the Green River Killer Task Force which, after twenty years of dedication, finally obtained the evidence to convict Gary Ridgway.

Thanks also to Kelly Rosa, Senior Paralegal at the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office and lifelong friend. Kelly has helped me on just about every novel I’ve written and promotes them like crazy. I thought it time she took the next step and became a character, and decided that a forensic anthropologist would be just perfect. Thanks, Kelly—you continue to be the best!

A shout-out also to Brad Porter, Sergeant with the Kirkland Police Department. I met Brad during a horrific trial in King County related to a case where he was the lead detective. Brad has remained a friend and sounding board. He’s also the physical inspiration for the character Kinsington Rowe, the Sparrow, though Kins’s personal life is fictional.

Thank you also to Sue Rahr, former King County Sheriff and now Executive Director of the Washington State Criminal Justice Training Commission, the Police Academy. I didn’t know it when I wrote the novel, but Tracy also has bits of Sue in her: toughness, determination, and a sense of humor. Thanks for taking the time to give insight into your career in what remains a largely male-dominated profession. I want to thank Detective Dana Duffy, Violent Crimes Section, Seattle Police Department, for the same reason. Detective Duffy was Seattle’s first female homicide detective; she too took the time to speak with me candidly not only to describe her career and her job but also to provide necessary perspective.

My thanks to Attorney Kim Hunter of Covington, Washington, for her expertise on the post-conviction relief process and criminal law. I was stuck when I met Kim, and she helped get me unstuck!

The best part about my job is all the cool things I get to do, like attend a Cowboy Action Shooting competition on a foggy winter morning at the Renton Fish & Game Club. That was a hoot, like stepping back into the Old West. The participants are in full costume and take their responsibilities, including gun safety, very seriously. Their skills are likewise serious. These men and women can flat-out shoot. They welcomed me and provided me with insight and information that I could have never found in a book. So, thank you to Diamond Slinger, Jess Ducky, Driften Rattler, Dakota, and Kid Thunder, among others, who all took time to answer my questions.

Another fun part of my job is giving away characters in books for charity—in this instance, to raise money for my son’s high school, Seattle Prep. Thank you to Erik and Margaret Giesa for their generous contribution in exchange for allowing me to use their names as characters in this book. I wish I had space to print Erik’s e-mail describing his wife. Every wife should be so lucky to have a husband describe her as “incredibly beautiful, with great curves and incredible calves and a smile that reflects in her heart.” Happy twenty-fifth wedding anniversary.

I do a lot of reading to research my novels and usually don’t acknowledge those printed sources, but I want to take the time to identify just a few of the books, manuals, and articles that I found helpful:

Godwin, Maurice and Fred Rosen,
Tracker: Hunting Down Serial Killers

Reichert, David,
Chasing the Devil: My Twenty-Year Quest to Capture the Green River Killer

Yancey, Diane,
Tracking Serial Killers

Keppel, Robert D. and William J. Birnes,
The Psychology of Serial Killer Investigations: The Grisly Business Unit

Morton, Robert J.,
Serial Murder: Multi-Disciplinary Perspectives for Investigators
, Behavioral Analysis Unit, National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime

Brooks, Pierce, “Multi-Agency Investigative Team Manual,” United States Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice

Thank you to super-agent Meg Ruley and her team at the Jane Rotrosen Agency. Meg just keeps working wonders for me. I’m grateful to have been one of her writers for nearly a decade. She has an infectious personality that always sees the glass as half-f. I am indebted to her and her team, who read my drafts and offer suggestions. I do appreciate all of your support. I couldn’t do it without you.

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer for believing in
My Sister’s Grave
and in me. Special thanks to Alan Turkus, senior editor; Charlotte Herscher, editor; Kjersti Egerdahl; Jacque Ben-Zekry; Tiffany Pokorny; and Paul Morrissey. If I missed anyone, you know you have my thanks.

Thanks to Tami Taylor, who runs my website and does a fantastic job. Thanks to the cold readers who labor through my early drafts and help make my manuscripts better. Thanks to Pam Binder and the Pacific Northwest Writers Association for their tremendous support of my work.

Thank you also to the loyal readers who e-mail me to tell me how much they enjoy my books and await the next. You are the reason I keep looking for the next great story.

I’ve dedicated this book to my brother-in-law, Robert A. Kapela. Robert was a good man with a big heart and bigger smile. Over the last few years, he lost his joie de vivre while suffering from the lingering effects of a severe medical issue and in the midst of a contentious divorce. Robert’s life ended March 20, 2014. My family was blessed to have Robert come and live with us the final week of his life. My kids loved their “Uncle Bert,” and my wife loved her brother. He was the “fun” uncle who made summers especially memorable on his boat.

I realize the tremendous hole that is left when a loved one dies. I felt it when my father died six years ago and think of him every day. The hole will never fill completely. Robert’s death has touched us all deeply. The morning after he died, I sat on the porch to watch the sunrise. My wife joined me. It was a brilliant magenta sky, and as we sat watching I suddenly remembered that the day before I got married, the priest had asked me what I wanted, and I had said, “I want to watch the sunrise with Cristina for the rest of my life.” I am certain the sunrise that morning was Robert’s gift to us, reminding us to see God’s beauty in every day, to feel his love, and to always stay in the light. My prayers and thoughts remain with Robert and his three sons.

To Cristina, the love of my life and my soul mate, who has stood beside me with each step of this life journey. You get more beautiful with every day. Remember the sunrises we’ve promised each other, and always see the beauty, love, and light in every day. To my son, Joe, now a man, I wish for you everything in life that you need to make you happy—love. To my daughter, Catherine, you light up every room you enter. Never lose that glow or joie de vivre.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

PHOTO © C. DUGONI

ROBERT DUGONI is the critically acclaimed and
New York Times
bestselling author of the David Sloane series, which consists of
The Jury Master
,
Wrongful Death
,
Bodily Harm
,
Murder One,
and
The Conviction
. He is also the author of the bestselling stand-alone novel
Damage Control,
and the coauthor, with Joseph Hilldorfer, of the nonfiction expose
The Cyanide Canary
. Dugoni’s books have been likened to Scott Turow’s and Nelson DeMille’s, and he has been hailed as “the undisputed king of the legal thriller” by the
Providence Journal
and called the “heir to Grisham’s literary throne.”
Bodily Harm
and
Murder One
were each chosen as one of the Top Five Thrillers of 2010 and 2011 respectively.
Murder One
was also a finalist for the 2012 Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction.